Hello everyone,
I just wanted to let everyone know that I informed the Board of Directors that I am resigning the post of Managing Director as of 1 June 2010. I am very honored that I have been allowed to work with and for so many of you.
It's been a little over two years since I took the reigns. That's enough... it's time to let someone else lead. When I took the helm, it was to bring us back to solvency and start us on a fresh path. Together, we've done it! Let me just recount some of the accomplishments that all of us have been a part of in the last two years.
When we started, we were $18,000 - $25,000 behind in rent. It appeared that we would have to leave the building. Because of the anonymous donation of $15,000 and a lot of grace from Joe Crane, we were able to hold on. Joe gave us the opportunity to recover and let us go another year and a half at the low rent he had given us for years in order to try and recover. This year we began paying the higher rent to Joe. And we have money in the bank, in fact we've even set up an emergency fund. We could not have done this without all of you.
What else have we accomplished? We restructured the Board of Directors and instituted the Theatre Operating Committee. Thanks again to Joe, we have the wood floors and wainscoting in the lobby. What a difference from the cement floor! Laurel and company finished off the columns, with added lighting as well. Thanks to Mike and others, we have new, at least new to us, computers in the box office and tech booths.
And who can forget the donation of time and equipment that Jason and Hollie Schmidt made in getting the heating and air conditioning in the main stage area and black box. How many of you remember the winter nights of running the propane heaters and wearing winter coats and blankets? How about the sweating and near passing out in the summer?
We've repaired the main stage light board and all the lights, once again thanks to Mike and his crew. Where half our lights were down last year, we now have enough lighting to really do it right. We've also had the dimmer packs repaired and instituted policies to keep from blowing them again.
We had donations of padded chairs that allowed us to outfit most of the main stage for about a year. And they we installed new, once again to us, theatre seating, thanks to Jason and his busy little beavers. The padded chairs were moved to the black box and we finally retired the plastic lawn chairs to the role of extra seating.
We've started hitting more advertising areas. Thanks to Dianne and company, we've become better known. But, they still need help... we still seem to be one of the best kept secrets in Newnan. By the way, we have a new volunteer coordinator trying to get more of you involved... so please contact Cindy (
volunteer@newnantheatre.org) and let her know you want to be a part of making Newnan an even better place to live.
We also saw a community come together... in good and bad times. We saw a community come together to save the theatre. And then we watched a community come together to grieve and to celebrate the life of one of our own, Wyatt Gentry, who was taken from us way too early. I watched folks reach out to Wyatt's family and hold them in their hands. I am so glad that I have been able to be a part of such a great group of people.
I know there is more... so much more that I'm forgetting right now... like all the great shows that we were all a part of the last two years. Oh, and the NITWITS were formed. And all the wonderful actors, directors, stage hands, etc... And I want you to know that there are other projects on the books right now. The rest of this year is going to show many other accomplishments. Won't you continue to be a part of that? Folks, if I've forgotten to mention you or the work you've done, please know it wasn't on purpose. I appreciate each and every one of you and your accomplishments (that means you Penni and your clan).
Now, let me make one thing very clear. I am not done with this theatre. Resigning is not leaving. I intend to continue to be a part of this theatre. I'm not sure what that will mean yet. For sure, I will be watching shows, auditioning for shows, hopefully being cast in shows, and helping with the continuing projects.
And of course, we now need other folks to step up. We need a new Managing Director! We need a House Manager. We need people to volunteer to man the shows. We need your ideas for shows for next year. We need your thoughts and prayers. We need your ideas. Overall, we need you! This is a community theatre. It will not survive without all of us working together. We are a company of people that love each other and the arts. We provide a space for others to express themselves. To learn, to share what we we've learned and experienced. If you have a desire to see the theatre thrive even more... step up and take your turn!
Caroline Abbey, our board chair, is heading up a committee to find a new Managing Director. If you're interested, let her know. If you want to know more, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email.
Well, that's enough... I just want to thank you all again for your support and willingness to adapt. I hope to see all of you around the theatre!
God bless you all!
Rick Olsen
Managing Director
managing-director@newnantheatre.org
The Newnan Community Theatre Company, Inc.
http://www.newnantheatre.org/
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