A milestone and a loss. That could easily be the title of one of their original theater pieces: For the UFT Players, a group of retired educators who write and perform on stage annually, 2016 has brought both celebration and sorrow. On April 13 and 15, the group performed five original plays, each 10 minutes long. With titles such as “I Hate Florida,” the plays were a hit with theatergoers and marked 20 years that the UFT Players have been together. “We’re not a young group,” says 71-year-old co-chair Warren Wyss, a retired English teacher. “But we have so much energy and creativity and love for each other. We’re not exclusionary. Even if someone isn’t exactly, well, right for a part, we’ll encourage them to go on.   We’ll say, ‘Hey, how about you be the play’s narrator?’” The troupe grew even closer after the recent death of performer and longtime board member Charles Castrovinci. “Charlie’s passing away really brought up the spontaneous love and affirmation for this kind man with the sonorous voice — and our love for each other. The productions are so much fun, but always second to the people in our group,” Wyss said. And, with that, the show went on. 

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