All the proceeds from our performances go towards a charity that the members personally choose. The Saigon Players began in 2003 with a small group of foreigners who enjoyed theatre. The force behind the Saigon Player's beginnings were Alison Bredin, Ann Walkin, Joe Springer Miller, Frank Christensen, Ro Verdeja and David Hope. The first Saigon Players production was A Dog's Life, a one-act play
presented at a regular Club Night in 2004. The success of this production was the first indication that English theatre was a popular diversion in Saigon. It was a great catalyst to move the group forward and also presented an opportunity to 'give back' to the community, both in entertainment and in charity donations. Emily Huckson took over the helm in 2004 in the hopes that Saigon Players could continue to entertain the public, help various charities and increase participant numbers. The second production, and Emily's first as Saigon Players director, was called Miss-ed Saigon, presented in November 2005. This was a series of comedic sketches presented for adults, in cabaret style. Emily wrote, directed and produced this show, with a lot of help from the cast. The show proved popular with both English speaking and Asian ex-pats and has been included in the Saigon Players’ repertoire. Miss-ed Saigon, Again!, Miss-ed Saigon, Troi Oi!, Miss-ed Saigon is Back! and Miss-ed Saigon, Mot Lan Nua were performed each year afterward. All proceeds went to various charities including the Christina Noble Foundation, the Sunshine Volunteer Group, the Loreto Foundation, the Sesame School of Culinary Arts for the Disadvantaged and various orphanages. The next projects were full-on productions complete with costumes, scenery and lighting. These include pantomimes such as Cinderella (Co Be Lo Lem), Little Red Riding Hood (Co Be Quang Khan Do), Jack and the Durian, Miss Summer's Night Cream and Snow White and the Seven Nguyens which were all popular entertainment for the family. Dinner theatre productions such as I'm Getting Murdered in the Morning,Trouble at the Tropicabana and Home-icide For the Holidays were also popular, playing to sold-out crowds. In 2008, Jennifer Dizon Turner joined the Saigon Players and added full-length plays and serious dramas to their repertoire, directing productions such as A Bedfull of Foreigners, Jean Paul Sartre's No Exit, Federico Garcia Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba, Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, and August Strindberg's Miss Julie. She also helped the Saigon Players organize various kinds of shows including the annual Rocky Horror Halloween Madness and the visual and performing arts festivals including La Vita e La Morte, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Vox Populi, which aside from showing plays, also featured comedy sketches, poetry, music and dance performances. In recent years, other members have taken on the challenge and directed other full-length plays including Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden directed by Stuart Turner, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, directed by Keigan Page and Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters In Search of an Author, directed by Stacey Conner. The Saigon Players have also collaborated with other performing groups like the International Choir of Ho Chi Minh City whose musical productions like Annie Get Your Gun and A Christmas Carol featured many actors from the Saigon Players and had members working on the production teams. Members of the group have also been invited to entertain a variety of audiences sponsored by various schools and companies. We are always in need of actors, directors, production staff and sponsors, so if you’re interested to join us or sponsor us, please send us a message! And of course, don’t hesitate to contact us if you want us to perform at your events!
