Sue Bergeron and Michael Ianero star in The Players’ production of Tennessee Williams’ Kingdom of Earth.

Gordon E. Rowley

Times have changed since Lois Atwood joined The Players, the venerable East Side theatrical club, more than a half-century ago. Back then, patrons came to shows in formal wear and danced to a band at intermission. It was the age of the grande dame, said Atwood, actors like Sally Barker and Hazel Brown Goodwin.

But tradition still lives at the Barker Playhouse, on Benefit Street in Providence, home to The Players since 1932. The company, which puts on five plays a season, kicks off its centennial season tonight with a production of Tennessee Williams’ Kingdom of Earth, the tale of three misfits living in a Mississippi farmhouse threatened by rising floodwaters.

The production, which stars Jim Brown, Sue Bergeron and Michael Ianero, runs this weekend and next.

Atwood, who has done everything from act to stage manage and sew costumes, said there was a long waiting list when she joined The Players back in the 1950s. She said she and her husband Preston, who’s appeared in some 35 productions at The Players, were shuffled to the head of the list because Lois indicated that she would be willing to work backstage.

Today there is no waiting list, although you do have to be sponsored by a member. For $75, you get to see five plays and attend social events. A centennial celebration is planned for two days in April.

“It was very much a learning experience back then,” said Atwood. “It was a group of eccentric individualists who wanted to put on the best play that they could.

“They came from all backgrounds and even though it was once pretty much a social thing, I don’t think it was when we joined.”

The Players, which numbers about 600 members, started out in 1909 in a theater on South Main Street. They then moved to the present location, at 400 Benefit St., which was purchased through a bequest from member Henry Barker.

In the 1950s, before the arrival of Trinity Rep, The Players was the only show in town, said Atwood.

“You still had professional shows coming to town,” she said, “but this was the only amateur group around.”

Trisha McManus, who heads the production committee and has been a member since 1993, recalls her daughter Michaela joining The Players at 16 and appearing in a production of The Crucible. John A. Mutter, associate justice of the Rhode Island Family Court, directed.

Michaela has gone on to work in television and just joined the cast of Law & Order: SVU as the assistant district attorney, taking over for Diane Neal.

Today Show co-host Meredith Vieira also acted with troupe, in the late 1970s, along with former Trinity Rep actors Barbara Orson and Barbara Blossom.

Besides the Willliams play, which is hardly ever staged, the rest of the season features Rehearsal for Murder in December, Pygmalion in late January, Moises Kaufman’s The Laramie Project in March, and Studs Terkel’s Working in May.

Although the club does not sell single tickets, office manager Lydia Matteson said individuals can become “provisional members” and see a show for $20. They would then be expected to become full-fledged members. For more information, call (401) 273-0590.

cgray@projo.com