A Forest Hills church theater company that has been putting on shows for more than five decades is doing Shakespeare this fall. The Gingerbread Players of St. Luke's Church will stage The Tragedy of Julius Caesar over two weekends in November at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 85 Greenway South, directed by William Frenzel.

The dates

  • Saturday, November 7, at 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, November 8, at 2:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, November 14, at 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, November 15, at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets for each performance are sold through the company's box office page. For other questions, the troupe lists the church office at 718-268-7772 and the email info@gingerbreadplayers.org.

Where the name comes from

The company's own history starts with a single performance in the fall of 1972. Harriet Morin, then St. Luke's organist and choir director, realized the parish already had a boy who could sing Amahl: young Chip Stokes, a member of the congregation, was understudying the role in New York City Opera's production. So she cast Amahl and the Night Visitors from the choir and interested parishioners and put it on after a Sunday service. It was popular enough that a second performance was added the following week.

The next year Morin staged a musical version of The Magic Nutcracker, drawing mostly on the church's junior and youth choirs, and it became an annual tradition. With Tchaikovsky's dancing gingerbread men in mind, the group took to selling gingerbread at intermission, and someone suggested calling themselves the Gingerbread Players. The name stuck.

How the troupe works

The Gingerbread Players put on two productions a year: a family-oriented musical in the spring and, in the fall, a classic of the straight theater, ranging from Chekhov to Shaw to Shakespeare. Julius Caesar is this year's fall play. The company also hosts concerts, readings and vocal and instrumental recitals, and past material has ranged from operas and musicals to one-man shows and original works by church members.

Rehearsals run on weekends for about three months before each show, and performances are on weekends. Casts mix ages: the troupe says its players have ranged from eight to eighty, and it pitches its shows as a way for children to learn theater by working alongside adults. Auditions are open, and the company says it always needs people backstage too.

The play

Shakespeare's tragedy follows the conspiracy against Julius Caesar, led by Cassius and Brutus, his assassination on the Ides of March, Mark Antony's funeral speech turning the crowd, and the civil war that follows. With players from children to grandparents in its ranks, the troupe's productions are also a chance for families to see a full-length Shakespeare play a few blocks from home.

Getting there

St. Luke's Episcopal Church is at 85 Greenway South, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Check the box office page for ticket prices before you go, and call the church office at 718-268-7772 with any questions about access.

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