Grand opening for Backyard Players

Last Friday, the Backyard Players, a fixture in Rockville Centre, celebrated the grand opening of their new storefront on Long Beach Road. After years of sharing space throughout the village, the self-described inclusive arts-based community program finally has a space to call its own, much to the delight of its participants and staff.

Over the years, the program operated at St. Mark’s Church, Molloy College, the John A. Anderson Recreation Center and the Knights of Columbus hall. Its director, Ellen White, said that the coronavirus pandemic put the nonprofit in a tough spot, because the availability of indoor space was limited. That presented a daunting challenge, White said, because the community members the program serves, many of whom have special needs, could struggle if they didn’t have a place to meet new friends and express themselves.

Mike Durney, chairman of the Backyard Players’ board of directors, was integral in getting the funds to buy and refurbish the building on Long Beach Road. “They finally have a permanent home where they control their own destiny,” Durney said. “If you believe that good comes from bad, the pandemic made us really notice that