First of all…CONGRATULATIONS to everyone involved with the show, from ushers to actors to parents who volunteered vans and living rooms, WE DID IT. A great production of a new, exciting play, right here in Skokie! A few sold out shows! Nothing wrong with that.
But where do you go from there? Building a theatre company/ensemble is not an easy task, if you want to do it right. You have to be very specific about how you want to run things, what you want to try, and what goals you have for yourself and for the group. So now we’re in the noble process of trying to sort things out as we look ahead to growth and more new and exciting projects.
Some things we hope to look forward to are:
A more directed and preemptive fundraising campaign to help us achieve our artistic goals.
A managing director position that will aid in spearheading said campaign.
A two show season with longer runs to give critics a chance to see the show as well as more audience members.
Ambitions to work with artists in all fields, and hopefully of high caliber, to glean knowledge and enrich the theatregoing experience.
And a million other things. But you see, it is, every little idea, every little thing has to be generated and considered so that the whole ship can move forward. It is a long process, but one that we are excited about and I am very excited about because it is a beautiful thing to see creative minds working at full capacity. You never know what they can accomplish.
From building a book flat without being able to screw into the floor, to getting a front page article in the local newspaper, to finding the laugh where it “never could be”, creative energy is exciting to be around. May we get through this “laying of the foundation” to a place where we can build upon it and come back to it with the peace of mind to know, “we have somewhere to work”. That’s the best thing a theatre person can ever hear, and no small ambition, but anything is possible if you will it.
