Famous People Players

Famous People Players is a black light puppetry theatre company. It is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and tours worldwide. It is a non-profit organization which employs people with physical and intellectual disabilities. Those individuals share duties in dining room management, arts administration, and theatrical and visual arts performances.

Since inception, the company has paid homage to the works of famous people within its own theatrical context, hence the name Famous People Players.

As a result of the increasing popularity of Famous People Players, the company was featured as regulars on CBC Television's 1976-1977 variety series, The Wolfman Jack Show; the network also later produced and aired Carnival of the Animals. In 1980, Sorcerer Apprentice premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York. In 1982, Famous People Players was invited to perform in the People's Republic of China. The company's first Broadway Show, A Little Like Magic, opened at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City and ran for 49 performances in 1985. They returned to New York in 1994 for a 4 week run, under the sponsorship of Phil Collins and actor Paul Newman, where they performed the show A Little More Magic for inner city kids to dream BIG!

In 1994, the company opened the Dine and Dream Theatre; Paul Newman funded the restaurant's development from some of the proceeds of Newman's Own products and Phil Collins funded the theatre's sound system. In 2009, facing the demolition of its 25-year location, the company moved further west to a new location. Despite damage caused by storms and unexpected costs from the city of Toronto, the company survived and opened its first show in its new location on October 23, 2009.

The Dine and Dream Theatre is located at the company's Toronto west-end headquarters. Guests first arrive to the restaurant for dinner, where they are served by individuals who also perform in Famous People Players productions. After dinner, they are led to the Phil Collins Theatre, where the main production is performed. The theatre is named after Phil Collins, who became a source of inspiration for the actors when he viewed a performance interpretation of his music. It is currently the only theatre in Canada exclusively devoted to puppetry performance.

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