History:
It all began in 1932, when several small groups of actors pooled their talents and became the Bergen County Players. With no permanent home, our productions were performed at the "Y" in Hackensack. By 1940, having outgrown the "Y", we rented an unused soap factory in River Edge. We cleaned it up, built a stage and converted it into a theatre. We were now an established part of the community, and our audiences were growing.
Then one cold February night in 1944, the theater burned to the ground in what was described as a spectacular fire. This did not stop the devoted Players. True to the adage "the show must go on," we immediately opened the next show, on schedule, in the "Little Barn Theater" at Bergen Junior College in Teaneck (now Fairleigh Dickinson University).

In 1949, the town of Oradell built a new firehouse, leaving the old one unused. It didn't take us long to see the potential of the unused firehouse. After much negotiating by the late Dr. Marcy Schulman and Mrs. Rosemary Schulman (and their financial support) , the Players took it over. We built a stage on the back, put seats where the old fire trucks used to be, housed and called it the Little Firehouse Theatre.

Since then, we have had a permanent home for our theatrical family. The improvements since then have been numerous. A larger box office, along with coat check facilities and a charming new entrance. In 1969, a rear extension added more storage, rehearsal and workroom space.

In 1980, 200 new seats and a modern electronic light board were installed. A central air conditioning system was put in place in time for The Players' gala 50th anniversary celebration in 1982, and it will be replaced and improved in 2006. In 1992, an new sound system and a programmable computerized multi-channel lighting board with special effects features were installed.

Over the years we've also striven to improve creatively. In 1987 an ongoing series entitled "Conversations With An Artist" was initiated to provide members of the Players and the public an opportunity to participate in open dialogues with artists from the professional theatrical community. Guest speakers are invited from a variety of areas in theatre.

1998 saw the introduction of our new Second Stage Series with a production of Love Letters. Three Second Stage productions are performed each season, each only once on a Sunday evening. Our children's show, a December tradition, continues to delight audiences both young and old, and every month our lounge features paintings and other works by area artists.

Today we are proud to count more than 350 members as part of the Bergen County Players family. With three shows in rehearsal at one time, plus workshops being prepared, as well as classes, construction and numerous meetings, we make good use of our facility and creative talent pool.

The BCP's ability to function entirely through self-support is clearly the product of its frequently sold-out performances. The audiences that fill the theater for those performances are, in turn, the result of the reputation for quality that the members of The Bergen County Players are dedicated to upholding. By combining its considerable talents and collectively channeling its energy, the BCP has, indeed, turned "Little Theater" into a success story to be proud of.