|
Dear Friends of CTG,
How fascinating it is that so many of the clichés we heard as kids are true! Live life to the fullest! Don't sweat the small stuff! Count your blessings! Give back for all you've been given!! Our theatre community has had some sadness recently and these "clichés" are ever so resonant. Our dear friend, Hall Parrish, who has run the Broach Theatre since its inception with Stephen Gee, is very ill right now. Our prayers are with Hall, hoping he has a speedy and full recovery! Our dear friend, David Wright who had appeared in numerous CTG productions over the years, died last week at the too young age of 45. What a loss! I remember David so vividly as Gaston in our recent production of Beauty and The Beast. Such bravado! Such talent! So sad...And so what do we do with the news about Hall's illness or David's death? What else can we do but thank God for our health and the health of our loved ones? Hall loves the Broach and we can show him our support by attending one of their upcoming productions. David loved CTG and you can honor him by supporting our organization. After all, the show must go on!
In theatre, as in life, sadness is followed by joy. CTG has a spring chock full of joy and we invite you to be part of the happiness! I recently went to an Executive Director's theatre conference in Madison, Wisconsin. As varied as our opinions were on budgets, personnel, markets, fundraisers and outreach programs, we all agreed on one thing...Disney's High School Musical is a theatrical phenomenon like no other. In the 19 years I have been at CTG, we have never had such a terrific pre-sale as we are having with this show; even more than Wizard! High School Musical is introducing thousands and thousands of kids to the theatre world and this is a wonderful thing! Unless you want your kids or grandkids to be furious with you, I suggest you visit www.carolinatheatre.com or call the Carolina Theatre box office at 336-333-2605 to make your reservations. I guarantee you, your kids or grandkids knows every lyric to every song in that show. Be there or be square! Lastly, please mark Sunday evening, April 6 on your calendar for CTG's initiation of a new kind of fundraiser called Starry, Starry Night! This will be a glorious event at the Carolina Theatre; chock full of phenomenal entertainment by many of you as well as CTG friends throughout the years. This will be a great prelude to next year's Starry, Starry Night, when CTG celebrates its 60th Anniversary! Did you know we are the oldest arts organization in Guilford County? And no, I wasn't here at its inception!!! Please join us on April 6 to see old friends, make new ones, be thoroughly entertained and help CTG stay artistically and financially sound!
Yes my friends, life is fragile and health is everything! Theatre is therapeutic and uplifting!! As wonderful as it is to lay on the couch in your PJs and watch the TV, always leave a night here and there to see a show, volunteer, participate. Give back some of your time or dollars to CTG and watch what it does for your spirit and our community. I ran into Christine Morris yesterday at UNCG who is a professor there. I hadn't seen her since 1976 when I directed her as Sally Bowles in my UNCG thesis production of Cabaret. Wow! As she sang 32 years ago with lyrics that are ever more poignant today; "What good's permitting some prophet of doom to wipe every smile away, life is a cabaret old chum, so come to the cabaret!"
See you at the theatre...Mitchel Sommers
|
