History
Carrollwood Players Theatre is Tampa’s longest continuously operating community theatre company, and over the years, we have truly become “Tampa’s Community Theatre.”
Starting from humble beginnings, CWP formed in 1981 and met at the Carrollwood Recreation Center. The initial production, “Plaza Suite” was performed at Carrollwood Elementary School, “Godspell” was done in the auditorium of the Methodist Church, and “Veronica’s Room” was staged in a small golf clubhouse.
We relocated to the Drew Park Civic Club, renamed the Manhattan Theater, at the intersection of Ohol Street and Manhattan Avenue in December 1982. During the next five years, our productions included, among others, “Stop the World, I Want to Get Off,” “That Champion Season,” “Arsenic and Old Lace,” “The Bad Seed,” “Ten Nights in a Barroom,” and “18 Nervous Gumshoes.”
In May 1987, Carrollwood Players Theatre moved to the Village Shopping Center on North Dale Mabry and then in 1993 to our present location in Plantation Plaza, 4333 Gunn Highway. Carrollwood Players presents nine plays each season. In addition, there is an Annual One Act Weekend where aspiring playwrights can submit their scripts and if chosen, get their worked performed on stage. Also Carrollwood Players Theatre by Young People stages at least one show a year, Nine and Numb performs regular monthly improv shows, and Life Amplified showcases variety acts and poets three times per year.
