Established in 1993, Carmel Community Players is the oldest community theatre in Carmel.
CCP is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) and is managed by a board of directors consisting of 8-10 members. Current board members collectively have more than 200 years of community theatre experience.
CCP performed their first production in August 1993. It was the musical Once Upon a Mattress, at the Carmel Middle School.
CCP has staged more than 100 plays and musicals and over 30 cabarets and fund-raisers.
CCP has had more than 1000 volunteers from the community who collectively have spent more than 150,000 hours volunteering for CCP.
Dozens of CCP actors have performed professionally at other theatres and travelling Broadway productions. This includes several youths who have gone onto professional acting careers.
CCP is consistently recognized for theatrical excellence at the annual awards ceremony hosted by the Encore Association, a collection of eleven community theatres in Central Indiana, typically receiving among the most nominations and awards of any member theatre.
From 1993- 2009, CCP staged productions all over Carmel in nearly a dozen venues, mainly at schools and churches, as well as frequent outdoor performances at the Carmel Civic Gazebo and at the Saint Vincent’s Living Nativity.
On Aug 15, 2008, CCP signed a lease at Clay Terrace and converted a store front into a theatre. Countless hours of volunteer work went into constructing a stage, installing lighting and sound and concessions equipment, equipping dressing rooms, painting and polishing – all to prepare the new 120 seat Carmel Community Playhouse.
CCP performed at Clay Terrace for more than 9 seasons, during which time patronage increased by more than 75%.
The Carmel Community Playhouse served as a temporary home for the Actors Theatre of Indiana (ATI), currently the resident professional theatre of the Carmel Performing Arts Center. ATI performed most of their 2010 season at Clay Terrace.
The Carmel Community Playhouse also served as a venue for a wide variety of events, including concerts, acting classes, recitals, wedding parties, comedy improv, artwork displays, cabarets, magic shows, and cultural meetings.
The Clay Terrace lease was cancelled in 2018, as new management at Clay Terrace changed priorities.
More recently, CCP has performed primarily at the Cat, in the Carmel Arts & Design District, setting all attendance records at that facility. But we remain committed to securing a new permanent space with a larger stage and higher ceilings, increased seating capacity and ample rehearsal space.
