About Ross Valley Players
The ‘Barn’ as it appeared in 1947. The structure was originally built in 1864 on the property of James Ross.
Board of Directors
Allan Casalou (President)
Steve Price (Vice President/Executive Producer)
Glenn Koorhan (Treasurer/Vice President)
Ellen Goldman (Secretary)
Stephanie Ahlberg, Michael Cohen, Mark Friedlander, Maureen Kalbus, Dee Kordek, Lynn Lohr, Vic Revenko, Alex Ross, & Carol Winograd
Co-Production
Ross Valley Players is interested in co-producing events with other organizations. Call (415) 456-9555 ext. 3 for more information.
ADA Compliance
The Barn and Ross Valley Players are committed to being fully ADA compliant, with wheelchair access, large lobby, and compliant bathrooms.
Affiliations
Theatre for Our Community
Our Vision
Ross Valley Players produces diverse, professionally-oriented, high quality live theatre that evokes, entertains, and enlivens the human spirit. We invite the participation of an evolving and expanding community. We provide an open, collaborative environment in which to learn and develop theatre crafts. We honor and sustain our legacy as a flourishing cultural resource, and pursue the excitement and promise of the future through the transformative power of storytelling.
Our History
Ross Valley Players was founded by Beth Lloyd and a small group of women in 1930 as a way to escape the hardships of the Depression. After first performing in various indoor and outdoor venues, including the Mount Tamalpais Amphitheater, the Kittle estate offered the group a large red barn in 1939. The land on which the barn stands is now part of the Marin Art and Garden Center. Originally owned by James Ross, for whom the town of Ross is named, the land was settled by Ross’s daughter and her husband George Warn.
The barn was originally built in 1864 and then fell into disuse, and was far from performance ready. Jumping at the chance for a permanent home, the actors and staff cleaned out hay lofts, removed farming equipment, constructed a stage, bathrooms, seating area, and added lighting. Their first performance in their new home was a staged reading of Life With Father in 1940.
Our Present
Ross Valley Players offers a main stage season with four plays, and one Ross Alternative Works (RAW), an original play by a local playwright, for a total of 34 weeks of live theatre annually. Our actors, design staff, directors, production managers, and volunteers come from all over the Bay Area and we welcome newcomers with open arms. We are proud of our many awards and nominations. Among others, our productions have been nominated by Dean Goodman, the Bay Area Theater Critics Circle (BATCC), and most recently the Theatre Bay Area (TBA) Awards.
Non-Profit Status
Ross Valley Players is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your tax-deductible donations are gratefully accepted. All members are acknowledged by category in the program for each show. Join the Ross Valley Players and help us keep live theatre alive and thriving in Marin.
The Glass Menagerie, 2023. Photo by Robin Jackson
Current Season 95
Crossing Delancey by by Susan Sandler
Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward
The Spitfire Grill by James Valcq and Fred Alley
Pet Lingerie Book and lyrics by Fred Raker and Bruce Tallerman, Music by Bruce Tallerman
The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson
Recent Seasons
2023-2024 Season 94
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
The Divine Sarah by June Richards and Elaine Lang
The Book Club Play by Karen Zacarías
2022-2023 Season 93
Picnic by William Inge
Gypsy by Arthur Laurents
Reservations by Joe Barison
Pride and Prejudice ~ The Musical Adapted from Jane Austen’s novel by Josie Brown
Native Gardens by Karen Zacarías
2021-2022 Season 92
Ripcord by David Lindsay-Abaire
Camelot by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily based on the book by Katie Forgette
The Packrat Gene by Margy Kahn
The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol
2020-2021 Season 91
Theatre Closed Due To The Pandemic
2019-2020 Season 90
The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie
She Loves Me Based on a play by Miklos Laszlo
Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
Season Cut Short Due to Pandemic
2018-2019 Season 89
The Odd Couple by Neil Simon
Deathtrap by Ira Levin
These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich
Scott & Zelda by Lance S. Belville
Moll Flanders by Jennifer Le Blanc
Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley
2017-2018 Season 88
Cabaret by Frank Ebb, Joe Kander & Joe Masteroff
The Game’s Afoot by Ken Ludwig
The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman
Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl
Just My Type by Michael Sally, Charlotte Jacobs, and Rita Abams
The Tin Woman by Sean Grennan
The Savannah Sipping Society by James, Hope & Wooten
2016-2017 Season 87
Sylvia by A.R. Gurney
H.M.S. Pinafore by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
Emilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight by Lauren Gunderson
Bus Stop by William Inge
Way Out West by Joel Eis
Private Lives by Noel Coward
The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow
2015-2016 Season 86
Glorious! by Peter Quilter
The Ladies of the Camellias by Lillian Groag
The Diary of Anne Frank by Wendy Kesselman
Arches, Balance and Light by Mary Spletter
Boeing-Boeing by M.Camelotti, B. Cross and F. Evans
Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz
Robin Hood by Greg Banks
2014-2015 Season 85
Fox on the Fairway by Ken Ludwig
Jane Austen’s Persuasion adapted by Jennifer Le Blanc
Impressionism by Michael Jacobs
A Month in the Country by Turgenev, adapted by Brian Friel
The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl
The Pirates of Penzance by W.S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan
2013-2014 Season 84
Chapter Two by Neil Simon
Harvey by Mary Chase
Journey’s End* by R.C. Sheriff
Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw
Other Desert Cities by Robin Baitz
Old Money by Wendy Wasserstein
2012-2013 Season 83
Lend Me a Tenor by Ken Ludwig
You Can’t Take It With You by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart
Pack of Lies by Hugh Whitemore
Enchanted April by Matthew Barber
All My Sons by Arthur Miller
The Dixie Swim Club by J. Jones, N. Hope & J. Wooten
Past Productions
Did you know that Ross Valley Players is the oldest continually operating community theatre west of the Mississippi? Click below to see a list of our major productions going back to our founding in 1930.