The Marco Players: Theatre on Marco Island
For close to a decade, an eighty-three-seat room in a Marco Island shopping plaza turned volunteers into actors and a barrier island into a theatre town.
The Marco Players was a nonprofit, volunteer-driven community theatre on Marco Island, Florida — a small barrier island better known for its beaches than its stages. From an intimate playhouse of about eighty-three seats in the Marco Town Center, the company presented comedies, dramas, Shakespeare, tribute concerts, and children's theatre for audiences across Southwest Florida, before staging its final seasons through 2021.
An evening at The Marco Players was a small, well-run affair, scaled to a community house rather than a commercial road-house. Read how the venue and box office worked, or more about this site.
Where to begin
Three ways into the story — the company itself, the productions it staged, and the one audiences searched for most.
Community Theatre on Marco Island
The full story of the company, its 83-seat playhouse, and how a resort island sustained a working theatre.
The Productions
A retrospective of the comedies, dramas, Shakespeare, and concerts the company brought to the island stage.
The Adventures of Anne Bonny
The most-searched title on the old marquee: the legend of the Golden Age's most famous woman pirate.
On the Marco stage
A selection of the productions and concerts that filled the season, from Shakespeare to seasonal farce.
The Adventures of Anne Bonny
The legend of the Golden Age's boldest woman pirate.
The Tempest
Shakespeare's island romance, staged on a real island.
Macbeth
Ambition and ruin, in the canon's leanest tragedy.
Born Yesterday
Garson Kanin's sharp 1946 comedy of money and awakening.
On The Farce Day of Christmas
A holiday farce of slamming doors and mistaken identities.
The James Taylor Experience
A Fire & Rain Band tribute to an American songbook.
An editorial record of the productions, the Shakespeare festival, the concerts, and the performing-arts life of Marco Island — gathering what once happened on the island's eighty-three-seat stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Curtain-up questions — what the company was, where it played, and what remains of it here.
What was The Marco Players?
The Marco Players was a nonprofit, volunteer-driven community theatre on Marco Island, Florida. From an intimate 83-seat venue in the Marco Town Center, it presented comedies, dramas, Shakespeare, concerts, and children's theatre for Southwest Florida audiences for the better part of a decade.
Is The Marco Players still open?
No. The company presented its final seasons through 2021 and has since closed. This website is an editorial reference covering its productions and the Marco Island arts scene; it does not sell tickets or stage performances.
What kinds of productions did the theatre present?
Programming ranged across mainstage comedies and dramas, a daytime 'Lunch Box' series, lower-priced Reader's Theater staged readings, tribute concerts, children's productions, and a Shakespeare strand under the Marco Island Shakespeare Festival banner.
Where was the theatre located?
It was located in the Marco Town Center on North Collier Boulevard, the central shopping plaza on Marco Island. The mall setting made access and parking simple for residents and the island's seasonal visitors alike.
What can I find on this site?
Editorial pages on the company's most notable productions, its Shakespeare festival, its concerts, and the broader performing-arts context of Marco Island and Southwest Florida — a straightforward reference for anyone curious about the theatre's history.