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The Minstrel Players have been around as a Long Island Theatrical Troupe since early 2000. The original concept of The Minstrel Players was developed by Executive Producer Ray Palen and his sister Tara. Ray and Tara have a lifetime of performance experience and Ray and his wife and Co-Producer, Debbie, sat on the board of a popular theatre group in Queens before starting their own venture.
The Minstrel Players mission is to provide "World Class" entertainment at an affordable price. Above and beyond that, The Minstrel Players seek to work with other actors and theatre professionals who share the same love of the craft that they have. This includes buying into the concept of "checking your ego at the door" - an ideology that has worked well for this tight-knit group. We truly believe that putting together the right chemistry of individuals makes for a better performance in every way!
In addition to those already mentioned, the backbone of The Minstrel Players include: Rob Cashman - our brilliant Technical Director and Bernie Caprera - one of the top Lighting Directors on Long Island. We also are eternally grateful to the late Nicky Star - our personal videographer for years and creator of many of our signature props and set pieces - his legacy lives on the Minstrel Stage!
The Minstrel Players on-stage talent is made up of a mix of regulars and newcomers. We apply an "open-door" policy to all who want to be a part of our productions and encourage new talent/backstage help to join us. Some key members who have contributed to The Minstrel Players success in this capacity are: Karen Mercorella - the on-stage backbone of several Minstrel productions; Roseann Baldanza - an original Minstrel and frequent actor; and many, many other hard-working and wonderfully talented actors who are too numerous to list individually.
We enjoy what we do and hope it shows in each and every performance. Please come and see a Minstrel Players production and find out what we're all about! Enjoy!
