By Randi Bjornstad

The Readers Theater Players have been around for nearly a half-century, but this is the first time they have taken their talents to the public via the Internet.

For most of those five decades, the Players performed their stories, skits, poetry, and jokes as a standalone troupe for people living in rehabilitation centers and nursing homes. More recently, they forged a link with the Very Little Theater to continue their shows as a VLT community outreach program.

Then came the pandemic days, and of course that opportunity disappeared as Covid-19 took center stage in everyone’s lives early in 2020 and isolation, mask-wearing and social distancing became the order of the day.

What to do? As necessity often has been proverbially proclaimed the mother of invention, the answer came via cyberspace to many arts groups — theaters, galleries, musicians — that might not have embraced the option in normal times.

And so, in that vein, the Players will present a free, 30-minute open-to-the-public show called Stories, Skits, and Sketches, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10. The program includes recitation of a poem by Maya Angelou, Irish humor, limericks, and humor skits with names such as Google Pizza, Missing Persons Report, Life Without Left Turns, and topically, Coronavirus Humor.

The performance will be accessible by going online to The Very Little Theatre’s website at TheVLT.com and clicking on the Readers Theater link. Those who miss it can take it in for a week or so after that  through the website, via a followup YouTube link.

The live show will be performed by five of the 20 members of the troupe, including Scott Barkhurst, Demetri Liontos, Nancy O’Kief, and Sharon Wetterling. Claude Offenbacher appears pre-recorded as emcee. Tim Rogers is the production manager and Zoom wrangler.

Although she’s no longer one of the active Players, 92-year-old Joyce Salisbury remembers the Readers Theater Players from its earliest days.

“It was started by Horace Robinson, who was the head of the Drama Department at the University of Oregon, where he taught more than 40 years,” Salisbury recalled. “After he retired, he wanted to keep on doing something to entertain, so he got the idea of performing for people in nursing homes.”

Salisbury joined the group, which met once a month at Robinson’s home. “There were about eight of us then, and he would give us suggestions about what we should put on the program,” she said. “I started about 1975 or ’80, and Horace Robinson died in 2006. I kept on with it until a couple of years ago. I was glad when VLT agreed to be part of the program — some people become trapped in retirement and nursing homes because of their health, and I think it is an important service.”

Salisbury’s interest in theater dated to high school drama. “I lived in Des Moines, Iowa then, and I had the lead in one of our high school plays — I played the murderer,” she said with obvious relish.

She moved to Eugene in 1960 and taught English at Lane Community College, where Scott Barkhurst, an actor in this show, was one of her students.

Salisbury kept up with her zeal for acting through local community theater roles with The Very Little Theatre and University of Oregon.

Stories, Skits, and Sketches

When: Live at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, at TheVLT.com; on demand for a week following on YouTube via the same website; click on the Readers Theater Players link

Cost: Free, but donations to support The Very Little Theatre are always appreciated