Wetumpka Depot Players

History:

While the Wetumpka Depot Players have been thrilling audiences with comedies, dramas and musicals for three decades, that was not the only intent of the founders. The group actually formed, in part, to save a building.

The old Wetumpka train depot was deteriorating and needed a new purpose to survive. In the spring of 1980, a small group of local residents with varied skills and diverse occupations decided to form a community theatre to fulfill that need.

The early years were challenging to the members of the Depot troupe and their audiences.  In the winter, the building was cold, so preparing to go to see a play included dressing in layers and packing blankets to stay warm. In the summer, patrons wore shorts and brought fans.  But the shows were entertaining and the audiences came back again and again.  

In the beginning, volunteers made homemade cakes and candies to sell at intermission.  Eventually, they banked enough money to purchase a popcorn machine and the now-famous Depot Corn was born.

The audiences enjoyed "tried and true" plays such as Count Dracula, Frankenstein and The Mousetrap, and the group added conveniences and plugged holes in the drafty building as funds became available.

A local drug abuse prevention agency approached the Players with the idea of doing children's shows during the summer months, and the Junior Depot Players were born. That tradition continues today, with summer acting camps and acting and technical opportunities for young people.

In the mid-1990s, the audiences continued to grow and, having succeeded in their in their original mission of saving the Depot building, the Players began to look for a bigger space. Eventually, the Depot building became part of the ministry of the First Methodist Church in Wetumpka.