Facing its 50th anniversary, the all-volunteer Conejo Players Theatre, which has presented hundreds of plays to thousands of patrons, met to honor its own at the 33rd annual Harlequin Awards ceremony.

"It is because of every single one of you the theater is the success that it is," Players President Linda M. Stiegler told the gathering in Du-par's Banquet Center at the Thousand Oaks Inn.

Even the first level of honor, an Honorable Mention, does not come automatically and takes a sustained level of dedicated service to earn, said Stiegler and other presenters, including Dick Johnson, executive director. While others have come and gone, Johnson has stayed through decades, salting the nonprofit theater's productions with acting, guidance and the most visible contribution, set design.

"Normally we wouldn't be giving ourselves a party, we'd be working," said Johnson, a Thousand Oaks resident. But, he said, "you've worked darn hard" in the past year doing everything from running lights and sound to ticket-taking.

The banquet was held last month — at the same location for the second consecutive year — bringing the celebration full circle since it started at Du-par's more than three decades ago.

The banquet is usually self-funded, Johnson said, but this year First California Bank, which holds the Players' financial accounts, made a contribution to defray dinner costs.

The program included mention of "Reach for the Stars," the organization's multi-year campaign to raise funds for capital improvements. Announced as Donors (pledges of $10,000 or more) were Donna and John Holroyd; and Celeste Russi and Aaron Van Etten, the latter now San Francisco residents.

Other contributors acknowledged: attorney Ray Clayton, the Players' award, 20 years service; Mike McCauley of Simi Valley, whose skills include photography, 24 years; and John Holroyd, master builder, 30 years.

Typical of families involved were Meaghan Quilop, who helped with costumes, sang and danced, and husband, Greg, lead actor in "The King and I." They attended with their son Gilicerio, 3. The Quilops have traded their Oak Park home to move to Rockland, Mass. "I'm still trying to cancel that moving truck; we don't want them to go," said Shawn W. Lanz, executive producer.

He alternated presentation of awards with Stiegler, Johnson and Jeff Calnitz, executive technical director.

The Dick Johnson Educational Award went to student Amanda McCabe. The Golden Sweatshirt Awards, decided by the executive committee, went to Beth Glasner, for costuming work, and James Laguna, who installed a computer system for reservations and tickets.

Since Johnson is involved in so many facets of the theater, Player leaders voted to present a surprise award to his wife, Joyce. The lifetime gold pass provides free admission to plays "now and forever" as applause for "loaning Dick" to the theater and sometimes hardly seeing him. In accepting, she called it a "Tenacity Award."

The Players' own theater is at 351 S. Moorpark Road, with free parking. "Agatha Christie Takes Manhattan," an original suspense, opened Friday and runs through May 10. "Nude With Pineapple," the group's first production in 1958, is being resurrected to mark Conejo Players' golden anniversary celebration and runs on selected dates starting April 19 through May 10. For more information, contact the box office at 495-3715 or visit online at http://www.conejoplayers.org.