In the fall of 1997, a senior at The Ursuline School in New Rochelle had an idea for a community service project. Driven by her love of the theater, Barbara Smith decided to tackle a theatrical production with a group of friends in order to raise funding for H.O.P.E. Community Services, a local soup kitchen located in New Rochelle. With the help of both Jason Summers, then a senior at Iona Preparatory, and Anthony Casella, then a freshman at Iona College, Smith's vision was able to take off. The trio organized a cast of fifteen and a crew of ten, all high school students, to perform a collection of unrelated one-act comedies. The newly formed H.O.P.E. Players entitled their first production "Call Us Crazy!" Included in the show were the comedies "The Physician" by John Patrick, "Thanks" by Ken Dashow, and "If Walls Could Talk" and "The Show Must Go On" both by Laurence Klavan. The show was performed for two nights in February of 1998 at St. Gabriel's Church in New Rochelle. "Call Us Crazy!" was a success, raising $1,000 for the local soup kitchen.
