Before the Barre Players was formed, the only other non-professional theatre group in the local area was The Montpelier Theatre Guild. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the Barre community had a case of nostalgia for its past and its diverse ethnic heritage. Men grew beards and women donned 19th Century costumes. A series of midsummer celebrations known as the Barre Ethnic Festival encouraged local wannabe actors to participate in historical pageants.

It was during this time that a group of aspiring actors from Barre and surrounding towns formed an organization they would call The Barre Area Theatre Group, popularly known as The Barre Players. Charter members included Frank Gaylord, Phyllis Andrews, Brewster Martin, Lois Jackson, Neal Shannon, Pearl Somaini, Alban Richey and others. Louis Peck, a member of The Montpelier Theatre Guild, directed Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward, their first production, in January of 1971. The fledgling group obtained a bank loan on their personal signatures to finance their first musical production, Kismet. These and other memorable performances, Oklahoma, A Flea in Her Ear, Guys and Dolls, Under Milkwood, and Camelot, were all performed in the Spaulding High School Auditorium, the only appropriate venue then available.

After their initial productions, The Barre Players began an intensive search for a more suitable venue. In 1973, they investigated and researched the history of the unused second floor of City Hall, once known as the Barre Opera House. It was learned that the Barre Police Department planned to convert a portion of this hall for office space. The Opera House had been virtually abandoned and unused for forty years, except for storage. Though the seats had long ago been sold, and the stage was fowled with pigeon droppings, its potential was obvious. A few members of The Barre Players, determined to block the Police Department's proposal, took to the streets armed with a petition addressed to the Barre City Council asking the Council to reconsider. Pressured by public opinion, which condemned the destruction of a significant portion of Barre's heritage, the Council agreed to allow The Barre Players to attempt a recovery of the space and leased it to them for one dollar a year. The rest is history.

By taking the initiative to challenge the city's plans and make the public aware of the extraordinary value of this historic venue, The Barre Players had a major role in the preservation and restoration of The Barre Opera House. In subsequent years the organization contributed much financial aid and in-kind support to the Opera House. The group is now the official resident community theatre company for the Barre Opera House.

Besides generating high quality entertainment season-by-season, The Barre Players have offered young and old, through open auditions, and opportunity to learn a wide variety of skills demanded by the performing arts, both on-stage and back-stage. Now, having come of age, the organization has earned for itself a distinguished place in the traditions that make the Barre area noted for its artistic and cultural life.