Happy Birthday,
GreenMan Theatre!
On this past Thursday, June 18, we marked the 5th anniversary of GreenMan Theatre's incorporation.
Hard to believe GreenMan is now 5 years old! What a lot we have accomplished in such a short time, and what exciting opportunities await us in the years ahead.
Five years is a real milestone for a theatre, and we have achieved that! While many small groups get started and then fade quickly, GreenMan has both endured and flourished. Some other theatres vanish due to money issues, lack of interest, problems with space or personnel, or a host of other reasons; we have faced all of those, and have found ways to thrive.
GreenMan has reached this milestone in large measure because of the people who have given their time, talents, and money to make sure GreenMan survived and thrived. Everyone, from board members, theatre members, cast and crews of all the productions, and our loyal audience members deserve thanks for GreenMan's success.
What are some of the markers of GreenMan’s current success?
***Stable growth in many areas – We have attracted a growing pool of actors at auditions. Thus, productions include a mix of ‘familiar faces’ in the cast, with about half new actors; likewise, audiences are a mix of loyal GMTT playgoers, and audience members discovering us for the first time. In five years now, total attendance has topped 5,000. As our audiences have grown, our yearly budgets have also grown. However, we are operating ‘in the black,’ and have done so each year of our operation.
***Resiliency – We’ve weathered difficult times: getting our 501(c)3 status finalized, moving our performance venue last year to a new space with the production of "Dracula," losing our costume, set and props storage facility as well as our rehearsal and construction space. Our board has endured some turn-over, but now is stable and is poised to increase in size this year with several additional talented and dedicated individuals.
***Mission – We are proud of how we are fulfilling our original mission statement. One part of GreenMan’s mission is the production of diverse, quality theatre. Our shows indeed have been varied, from Samuel Beckett to Neil Simon and from Oscar Wilde to David Ives. We’ve also produced original work, a musical, and dinner shows. I believe part of our success in growing our audiences has been the quality of productions and the quality of experience for all participants in the productions. The second part of our mission is to provide opportunities for personal growth in theatrical arts. Besides offering the experiences of working on productions, we can be proud of the various membership activities, classes, and workshops that have been offered at GreenMan. Finally, our mission calls for the theatre to be a source of cultural enrichment and pride for the community. We hear from old and new audience members alike at every show about how glad they are to have discovered GreenMan Theatre.
***Remembering our productions:
First season: The Boardwalk Melody Hour Murders – 2 performances; The Fantasticks – 6 performances
Second season: Blithe Spirit - 6 performances; Without a Hitch – 3 performances; Waiting for Godot – 9 performances
Third season: The Odd Couple – 9 performances; Murder Stage Right, or Who Killed Hamlet? – 3 performances; The Importance of Being Earnest – 8 performances
Fourth season: Graveside Stories and Walk – 1 performance; Nevermore: The Dark World of Edgar Allan Poe – 9 performances; Matrimony, Mayhem, and Murder – 4 performances; The Underpants – 9 performances
Fifth season: Spooky Stories – 2 performances; Dracula – 9 performances; Honeymoon from Hell -5 performances; I Only Have Ives for You – 9 performances
In addition, there have been numerous informal play-readings, as well as staged readings at Café Amano of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The Underpants, and an evening of scenes.
This summer, we are looking ahead to an exciting sixth season of productions, starting with Christina Calvit’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, from Jane Austen’s novel. Auditions are right around the corner in mid-August. Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful script with terrific roles for actors and will be an exciting and challenging production for GreenMan. Our dinner theatre murder mystery will play at Angelo’s Ristorante in February; watch for auditions in mid-December. And the season concludes next spring with Woody Allen’s wacky comedy, Don’t Drink the Water, with auditions early in March.
Thank you to everyone for their contributions to GreenMan Theatre’s success. Here’s looking forward to another great season to start our next five years together!
-David Soria
Artistic Director
