Firehouse Travels to Boston

Dear Friends,

The 14th annual Boston Theater Marathon will be held on May 20 from 12 noon to 10 pm. Fifty three ten-minute plays by 53 New England playwrights presented by 54 New England theatre companies will happen during a 10 hour period. Come and go as you please with your all-day pass.

This event may not be as well known to our Firehouse patrons but is revered by the Boston theater community. It is an honor to be selected and this year we are very excited to announce that several of our local playwrights, venues, directors and actors will be participating.  This is the third year that the Firehouse has been asked to partake in this fun and prestigious event.

The Boston Theater Marathon weekend will also include The Warm-Up Laps on May 19 featuring three free full-length staged readings. A Book of Snow by Joshua Faigen, a Newburyport playwright, will begin at 12pm. Several of Josh's plays have been produced at the Firehouse Center for the Arts and the Newburyport Actors Studio.  A Book of Snow was the winning full length play at our 2012 New Works Festival this past January.

If you do attend, look to the balcony in the Calderwood Theater and you will not miss the Newburyport contingency.  Many of us will sport lunch bags, small coolers and picnic baskets, share each other's snacks and look around the stage and physical space in awe.  You would think that we had never been in a Boston theater before or that we were a bunch of students on a field trip. But make no mistake, we are hard core theater lovers and don't want to miss one moment of the marathon. We pack our bags early in the morning, head to Boston, stake out our claim and dare anyone to ask us to give up our seat.  Ten hours later, we will to head home full of inspiration and admiration! 

Won't you join us too?  You can stay as little or as long as you would like.  Here is the highlighted schedule of our Firehouse friends who will be participating.  The full lineup can be found on the Marathon website as well as directions and pricing below.  I have highlighted the local talent in red since they are a hot bunch of talented thespians!  You will notice that some of the plays will be produced by other venues...this is what makes it all interesting and exciting!

Sincerely, Kimm Wilkinson

Friday, May 19th - Warm Up Laps 12:00 pm
BOOK OF SNOW by JOSH FAIGEN

Sunday, May 20th - 10 minute memorized plays

12:00 - 1:00 PM

LYCANTHROPY by DANNY SKLAR, Theatre on Fire

2:00 - 3:00 PM

CALLING CUES by FONTAINE DOLLAS DUBUS, Hovey Players

A KIND OF LOVE  by KEVIN HONG, Actors’ Studio of Newburyport - Directed by Jeff Rath (Actors:Teresa Donahoe and Jason Novak)

6:00 - 7:00 PM

SECOND LOOK by PATRICK GABRIDGE, Firehouse Center for the Arts - Directed by Stephen Faria (Actors: Bob DeLibero and Charles Van Eman)

8:00 - 9:00 PM

FRICKIN’ WOODPECKER by DEIRDRE GIRARD, Underground Railway Theater

9:00 - 10:00 PM

THE DRAMATURG by JACK NEARY, New Century Theatre

http://www.bu.edu/bpt/.  You save money if you purchase your tickets ahead of time.

Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA in Boston's South End. Click here for directions.


--
Kimm Wilkinson
Artistic Director
"It wouldn't be so time consuming if it didn't take so long."


Firehouse Center for the Arts
Market Square
Newburyport, MA 01950
978-499-9931
www.firehouse.org

We All Win!

Elena Bachrach accepts the Ultimate Townie Award 2012* Last Saturday night arts' lovers from all over the North Shore convened at the Firehouse to celebrate the local community and to support the Firehouse Center for the Arts in their mission to keep the arts alive at home.  That night the theater was home to the First Annual Townie Awards and a Way-Off-Broadway Party. Party-goers were greeted at the front door with a red-carpet welcome by host John Budzyna.  Other award ceremonies have Joan Rivers to utter the words "And who are you wearing?" but the Townie Awards have Angelina Bobo a.k.a. Tracy Bickel.

Inside, the theater was decked out in its very own award-winning attire:  azaleas of many shades, glittering stars and balloons were scattered throughout the historic building and up on stage Jack Senier played show tunes on the new Steinway piano.

So who won?  By keeping the arts alive in our community we all win.  That being said, there were a few organizations and individuals who carried home Townie Awards to place inside their trophy cabinets.

In the Best Producer category The Institution for Savings was awarded for their role in helping to produce theater at the Firehouse!  Best Individual in a Supporting Role went to Sam Collinson who put in a record-breaking 130 volunteer-hours at the Firehouse last year.

Every award ceremony has their "sweep" nominee and at the First Annual Townie Award presentation, the Newburyport Art Association stepped into that role.  Voters were asked to select from non-profit organizations that were nominated for their contribution to community arts in the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Elena Bachrach, Executive Director of the Association accepted the award on behalf of the art organization and then moments later returned to the podium to collect her own award as the Ultimate Townie 2012 -- the person who contributed to the greater Newburyport community by making it more fun, more interesting, and/or better for those around them.

The Firehouse would like to thank all of you who helped to make this event a successful and FUN evening:  the generous sponsors, the donors who supplied wonderful auction items, the committee members and other volunteers who gave so much of their time and talents, and each and every guest who danced the night away!

*More photos here...

And the winner is...

Townie AwardYesterday the 2012 Tony Award Nominees were announced.  Presented by Kristin Chenoweth & Jim Parsons the nominees probably included some of your favorite productions, your favorite stage actors, your favorite Broadway tunes of the last year. Countless hours of hard work and preparation preceded that moment when, during the live webcast, the names were made public.  There were  hours of writing, set-building, rehearsals; hours spent making sure theater seats didn’t squeak, that lighting was just right, that the bar was stocked with wine, that tickets were printed, that ads were created and placed; sofas were tracked down and delivered to the stage and placed just so; costumes were designed and constructed; hair and make-up were conceived and painstakingly applied; there were hours invested to insure that the footprints of last night’s patrons were nowhere to be seen; programs were proofed, proofed and proofed some more.  Besides all that (and way more), there is then still all the effort and care that is part of the mix to create an evening of theater and thanks for those being honored for superlative efforts in presenting the preceding theater season. Whew!

The Bard himself reminded us “The whole world is a stage.”  Like the Tony Awards on Broadway, the Townie Awards have also been created to pay homage.  Not just to the thespians who tread the boards regularly at the Firehouse but to those in our community who have played an exemplary role in the theater that is our day-to-day lives.   Sometimes the individual efforts make front-page news and sometimes the deeds are of a more quiet nature… but all are heroic.

The excitement is mounting. There have been many hours of hard work and preparation to create a night of fun to honor all the Townies who make our lives in the Port City and environs a little more full, a little more rewarding.  This Saturday, May 5, the envelopes will be taken upstage and the waiting will finally be over with the words ”and the winner is…..”

We still don’t know who will take home the 2012 Townie Awards but we do know that the evening of fun, frivolity and festivity has come about because of the countless number of hours that have gone into the creating and planning that such a gala event involve.

We thank co-chairs Cyndi Barry Rubenfeld and Louis Rubenfeld, Firehouse Director of Development Beth Falconer and all the Way-Off-Broadway Committee members:  Maureen Daley, Jackie Guilmette, Amy LeJeune, Esther Sayer, Susan Signori, Ray Tiezzi, Lisa Wetenkamp, Christine Williams and Deborah Yameen.  That the evening will unfold for all of us at a relaxed, leisurely pace that will afford us a few hours of relief from the stress of our “day jobs” is thanks to your efforts, your attention to detail, and your dedication to keeping the arts alive on the North Shore.

And of course we thank ALL the Townies -- whoever you may be and for whatever small acts of kindness, both seen and unseen, you have bestowed.

My inner nerd...

Ok bloggers.  I've been advised by a close colleague not to write like a "development director" and rather to be the nerd that I am...(nice, right?!)

It's true.  I can get pretty enthusiastic about the things that I like.  Whether I'm discussing my children or a cool new letterpress store I just visited, I'm likely to be waving my hands up and down in excitement.  Right now, I'm excited about the May 5th Way Off-Broadway Party.  I really am.  You should get your tickets. Last year's event was a blast, and this year is going to be even better.  I have my eye on several auction items- I really want the camera, I'm humming Broadway tunes, and I can't wait until the end of the evening (after a successful auction!) when I have a Mar-Townie in hand and dance the night away on stage.  

When I imagine the night, I see success that goes beyond financial goals.  I see us all together, (philanthropists, actors, artists, patrons, etc.), raising a glass and toasting our good fortune to have such a special place for theater right downtown. I see this event as an opportunity to create community.  I know, I'm enthusiastic, but I can't help it.  Guilty as charged.

So come on bloggers, log in and share the love.  Let us know what you're looking forward to bidding on.  What are you wearing?!  What tunes do you want on the dance floor?  (For those of you still with me, I have a little surprise for you!  If you're one of the first ten individuals to email me here, with "Discounted Tickets Please" in the subject line, I'll reply with a discount offer for two.  Please don't forget the please.  Thank you.)

We ask: Why Support Community Arts?

Coming up in just a few weeks on May 5, 2012, is the largest, single annual-fundraiser to benefit the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport:  the Way-Off-Broadway Party!  With your assistance this event will help make it possible for the Firehouse Center to continue bringing the best in arts and humanities to our community.  The Firehouse Center serves approximately 20,000 patrons a year, including almost 5,000 young people through our school-show series and arts-education programs.  In addition, funds raised will help to preserve the historic structure that anchors our beautiful downtown area.

Just why is this so important to you and to your neighbors here on the North Shore? 

For an informed answer we turn to Randy Cohen, vice president of research and policy at Americans for the Arts, the nation's advocacy organization for the arts. A member of the staff of Americans for the Arts since 1991, Randy is among the most noted experts in the field of arts funding, research, policy, and using the arts to address community development issues.  His latest blog entry cited the top ten reasons to support the arts in 2012:

I was recently asked by a major biz leader for “10 reasons to support the arts.” He needed the points to help him pull an 8-figure inve$tment for a new arts center. "Make it compelling to government and business leaders," he asked.  Oh, yeah, he’s a busy guy—didn’t want a lot to read:  “Keep it to one page, please.”  So, apart from the 10-1 flip (and with apologies to David Letterman), this is what I delivered:

10. True prosperity…The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They ennoble and inspire us—fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty. They help us express our values, build bridges between cultures, and bring us together regardless of ethnicity, religion, or age. When times are tough, the arts are salve for the ache.

9. Stronger communities…University of Pennsylvania researchers have demonstrated that a high concentration of the arts in a city leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, higher child welfare, and lower poverty rates. A vibrant arts community ensures that young people are not left to be raised solely in a pop culture and tabloid marketplace.  

8. Health and well-being…nearly one-half of the nation’s healthcare institutions provide arts programming for patients, families, and even staff. 78 percent deliver these programs because of their healing benefits to patients—shorter hospital stays, better pain management, and less medication.

7. 21st Century workforce . . . reports by The Conference Board show creativity is among the top applied skills sought by employers. 72 percent of business leaders say creativity is of high importance when hiring. The biggest creativity indicator? A college arts degree.  Their report concludes, “…the arts—music, creative writing, drawing, dance—provide skills sought by employers of the third millennium.”

6. Improved academic performance…longitudinal data of 25,000 students demonstrate that students with an education rich in the arts have higher GPAs and standardized test scores, lower drop-out rates, and even better attitudes about community service. These benefits are reaped by students regardless of socio-economic status. Children motivated by the arts develop attention skills and strategies for memory retrieval that also apply to other academic subject areas such as math and science.

5. Arts in the schools = better SAT scores…students with four years of arts or music in high school average 100 points better on their SAT scores than students with one-half year or less. Better scores are found in all three portions of the test:  math, reading, and writing.

4. Creative Industries…the creative industries are arts businesses that range from nonprofit museums, symphonies, and theaters to for-profit film, architecture, and advertising companies. An analysis of Dun & Bradstreet data counts 756,007 businesses in the U.S. involved in the creation or distribution of the arts that employ 2.99 million people—representing 4.14 percent of all businesses and 2.17 percent of all employees, respectively.  (Contact Americans for the Arts for your local and state numbers.)

3. Arts are the cornerstone of tourism…arts travelers are ideal tourists—they stay longer and spend more. The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that the percentage of international travelers including arts and culture events during their stay has increased annually the last six years.

2. Arts are good for local merchants…the typical arts attendee spends $27.79 per person, per event, not including the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, shopping, and babysitters. Non-local arts audiences (who live outside the county) spend nearly twice as much as local arts attendees ($40.19 compared to $19.53)—valuable revenue for local businesses and the community.

1. The arts are an Industry…arts organizations are responsible businesses, employers, and consumers.  They spend money locally, generate government revenue, and are a cornerstone of tourism and economic development. Nonprofit arts organizations generate $166 billion in economic activity annually, supporting 5.7 million jobs and generating nearly $30 billion in government revenue. Investment in the arts supports jobs, generates tax revenues, and advances our creativity-based economy.

If he asked for 11 reasons . . . what would you have added?

Why not log in to the Firehouse blog (see the "Navigation" sidebar at the right) and give us your reason #11 for supporting the Arts. Get into the conversation and put the 'community' into "community arts."

The Firehouse is grateful for the generosity of individuals and businesses who understand that an investment in the Firehouse is an investment in the community and that the Firehouse contributes in numerous ways to the economic growth of our town by continuing to be a draw to Market Square and its many shops and restaurants.  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

P.S.

Besides supporting the arts, the Way-Off-Broadway Party! is sure to be a blast -- dress up (or not), arrive on the red carpet with the flashbulbs popping, share some libations with your friends during the social hour while you munch on hors-d'oeuvres served by Not Your Average Joe's and see what auction items tempt you (sneak preview here). Maybe you, or someone you know, will take home the soon-to-be-coveted Townie Award as you end the night dancing on stage!