CHUCK'S VISION FOR THE COMMUNITY

A funny thing happened on the way to becoming Hollywood’s next big producer/director. Charles M. (Chuck) Tanner started a local theatre company as a means to keep honing his craft.

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Having worked with the US State Department making films in the Far East following World War II, Chuck readily saw the potential of live drama as a communications tool. To that end he began writing plays to meet the thematic needs of the social service, education organizations, military and correctional facilities existent in the 1960s. At that time those themes were often racism, prejudice, substance abuse and ecology.

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As times changed, so did the themes Chuck Tanner sought to meet. Equal opportunities, sexism, and sexual harassment. Substance abuse. Bullying. Character development. In our current day the themes have grown to include things like internet ethics.

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In 1963, he formed Covenant Players to be the vehicle to carry these plays to the organizations and people that needed them. He designed these travelling units of players to work hand in hand with the organizations they serve to tailor specific programs to meet the needs they face. 50 years later the plays and the players continue to take this challenging and provocative live drama around the world in more than a dozen languages.