The BRITISH PLAYERS is dedicated to bringing high-quality traditional British theatre to the Washington area, and since1964 has been delighting audiences with a wonderful recipe of humour, patriotism, music, dance and dialog, with material dating from Victorian times to the modern day.

Originally formed as the BRITISH EMBASSY PLAYERS, the group performed regularly for 40 years at the British Embassy in Washington, often to sold out audiences. Since 2005 our new home has been the Kensington Town Hall, in Kensington MD, and while the venue has changed, the shows continue the tradition and excellence that we have become known for.

We perform three to four productions each season, starting in the fall and ending in late spring with the annual Old Time Music Hall. All productions are by British playwrights or are British in content and include pantomimes, Christmas shows, mysteries, farces, and traditional music halls.

Additionally, we have performed one-night shows at nursing homes, clubs, Embassy departments, and local organisations to raise money for both British and American charities.

The PLAYERS also sponsor the Ruby Griffith Competition, with awards given for all‑around production excellence to amateur theatre groups in the area. The competition, named for an early PLAYERS mentor, takes place annually and attracts entries from many theatre groups in the metropolitan area.

Racial Inequality and Injustice

The Board of The British Players wish to make a brief statement on the events unfolding throughout the US and The Black Lives Matter movement. While we may be a British focused theatre company, we are located in the US and cannot ignore the pain and social injustice that our neighbors face every day. We are grateful to see the protestors taking a knee in Trafalgar Square in support of the US protests and #blacklivesmatter. It is important to recognize racism and social injustice are issues not just in the US but all over the Commonwealth and world as a whole.

The Board of the British Players wants to make it clear that our Community is open to EVERYONE. We welcome anyone who is interested in our mission to join our Membership, to audition for our shows or to work backstage. The Board of the British Players is committing to expanding our Membership to show the diversity of both the United States and United Kingdom over the course of our next seasons, and will be taking social justice issues into consideration when making our charitable contributions in the future.