With students and community members packed tightly into The Mansion on Princess Street, the Queen’s Players had their audience howling with laughter, singing at the top of their lungs, and dancing like nobody was watching.

This was the scene on closing night of the summer show for Queen’s Players, as is the case during their three annual shows.

Founded in the early 1900s as the Queen’s Drama Guild before becoming Queen’s Players in the 1980s, the organization has continued to grow with its robust alumni network, and even includes Queen’s Players Toronto, a group of alum who continue to produce shows for charity and recipients of a Queen’s University Alumni Association Award this year.

“Players is a sketch-comedy, singing, dancing, and acting showcase where all proceeds are donated to various local and international charities,” says Lucas Chabot (Artsci’15), president of the organization. “The show itself uses a lot of humour that Queen’s students can relate to.”

Marketing and promotions director, Kayla Cayabyab (Artsci’15, Ed ’16), describes Players as an opportunity for students to get involved in theatre when they might not typically be able to within their various programs.

“We have many students participate from outside of the drama department,” she says. “It allows students to do something a little out of their comfort zone, meet new people, and have a chance to perform, all in the name of a good cause.”

A completely student run, directed, and produced group, Queen’s Players is the second-most-charitable organization based on campus, having raised $16,840 for charity through last year’s shows.

Though the show is often thought of as being more of a party, Lucas, Kayla, and Vice-President (Administration) Evelyn Popiel (Artsci’14, MSc’16), contend that the charity work is by far the most impactful and important part of the group’s mandate.

“The money goes into Kingston-based organizations, but also to groups based at Queen’s that we continue to fund, like the Q-JUMP program. A lot of the money is raised by Queen’s students, and so it’s important to us that we are able to put a significant amount of the proceeds back into initiatives run by Queen’s students,” Ms. Popiel says.

Mr. Chabot describes Queen’s Players as being a microcosm of Queen’s and the greater Kingston community, bringing students and residents from all different walks of life together to laugh and have a good time. He went on to describe how he has met many of his closest friends through the Queen’s Players experience.

“It’s important that we don’t take ourselves too seriously and are able to poke fun at our own experiences,” he adds.

According to Ms. Cayabyab, the organic nature of each and every show is a cornerstone of what makes the group so special. The cast, directing team, and producers write every line of the script, and the result is a production based in the present on things that the audience will recognize and can relate to. She describes the show as being reflective of how students are feeling about what’s happening at Queen’s and beyond.

Though very proud of everything Players has accomplished thus far, the organization is very excited for what lies ahead. Representative of the spirit of philanthropy and giving within the Queen’s student community, there are plans to further expand the impact of their contributions.

“One thing we really want to do this year is to take Players members to the organizations and groups that we’ve helped fund and interact with them, and really see what our contributions are doing”, Ms. Cayabyab says.

When students return in the fall, it will be time for Players to do what they do best and put together a new cast and crew for their fall show. Ms. Cayabyab has a message for students who are thinking about auditioning, but who might not think they have the technical skills.

“More than anything, when people are sitting on the panel during auditions, they are looking for people who have great energy, positivity, and charisma… We’re not looking for the next Tony Award winner – we’re looking for someone who’s going to bring something unique to the show.”

Learn more about how Queen’s Players is making a difference here.