History
The Famous People Players was founded on June 1, 1974 by Diane Dupuy of Hamilton. At inception, the company consisted of Dupuy and an assistant, eleven performers, and Dupuy's mother Mary Thornton; Thornton designed and built the costumes and props.
The company's original piece was Aruba Liberace, in which a life-size character of Liberace plays the piano. It is still the company's signature performance. Liberace attended a showing of Aruba Liberace, and was so impressed he invited Famous People Players to perform with him in Las Vegas. The company debuted in Las Vegas in October 1975; over the subsequent ten years, the company performed with Liberace both in Las Vegas and internationally. A 1984 CBS television movie was made about Dupuy's early work and meeting Liberace called Special People.
The CBC produced and aired Carnival of the Animals as a result of the increasing popularity of Famous People Players. In 1982, Famous People Players was invited to perform in the People's Republic of China.
In 1994, the company opened the Dine and Dream Theatre; Paul Newman funded the restaurant's development from some of the proceeds of Newman's Own products and Phil Collins funded the theatre's sound system.
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