Sigonella Players Impress During Debut Season

By Janine Scianna/ NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

Sigonella Players receive nominations for outstanding theater production.

Photo by Ivan Messina

PO2 Robert Koepke wins award for best male military performance.

Photo by Ivan Messina

The Sigonella Players started as a brand new community theatre group in January 2019. The Players are a mix of active duty military, civilians, and dependents at Sigonella. After just a month of rehearsal, they hosted their debut performances of David Ive’s "Sure Thing," a series of short comedic plays, on March 7 and 8.

Despite their novelty, the Players have already developed a reputation for excellence. In addition to the fun of performing in front an enthusiastic hometown crowd, the Sigonella Players were the first U.S. naval base to be represented at the annual U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) Tournament of Plays. A military tradition for over 25 years, the tournament consists of American theater groups located throughout Europe on Army, Air Force— and now—Navy bases.

Each year, IMCOM sends three judges to view live military productions throughout Europe, offer constructive feedback to the cast and crew afterwards, and conduct free theater workshops. After reviewing 19 shows from 13 military communities across the region, IMCOM selected the list of nominees and winners for 55 award categories. On April 27, the Tournament of Plays held their “TOPPERs” award ceremony, where they announced nominees and winners.

The Sigonella Players, after only a few months of existence, pulled in nine nominations and one award for its production of “Sure Thing.” Congratulations to the Sigonella Players for an awardwinning inaugural first season!