First and foremost, I would like to thank Monica Wilson for her contributions, as our Executive Producer, over the past four years. I have discovered that even though Monica made the Executive Producer position look easy… indeed it is not. Monica worked with such efficiency and patience that we were hardly aware of the intensity of her important role.
As many of you know, Monica will be remaining on the Board of Directors as our Secretary. She has also agreed to continue to design our Gaslight program for the tour. This is a momentous task and I know this because I’ve witnessed her working on this project. Her entire pool-table becomes filled with paperwork, photos, bios, headshots and advertisements… and she quietly “works her magic” to bring it all together. Monica will also retain the responsibility for the ticketing aspect of Gaslight Tour. Most importantly, she will remain a trusted advisor and friend, as she continues to help me to transition into my new role.
I’d also like to thank the current members of our Board of Directors for their help, support, energy, and creative ideas.
2020 Gaslight Board of Directors:
- Laurie May (Executive Producer/President/Chair)
- Monica Wilson (Secretary)
- Janice Schennach (Board Member)
- Shirley Joost (Board Member)
- Anke Lex (Board Member)
- Janet Fairbridge (Board Member)
- Dawn Hanley (Board Member)
Gaslight Theme for 2020
Our Board of Directors held a vote at our last meeting and the theme, Unsolved Mysteries, was chosen. This broad theme could include any type of mystery from haunted houses/ghost stories/unsolved crimes/etc. etc. We also considered the fact that this would be an enjoyable theme for our writers to research. We can’t wait to see how this topic evolves into four Gaslight plays.
Save the Date
You have all received the Save the Date chart and I hope you will put those dates into your calendars and consider being a part of Gaslight 2020. We need all of you!
Page to Stage with Dan Needles
Jan Schennach is at the helm of this annual scene-writing program. The start date is Thursday, Feb. 6th and we are thrilled to announce that the course is FULL. We are curious to see what wonderful scenes will be created this year. Four of the best scenes will be chosen and performed at the Simcoe Street Theatre on Sunday, April 5th at 1:00. We will be looking for actors to perform these scenes. The auditions will be held at the Simcoe Street Theatre on Sat. March 14th from 10:00 to 1:00. This is a great opportunity for anyone that is interested in trying out for an acting role as these scenes are performed with scripts-in hand and are “lightly rehearsed”. There is no need to memorize lines! The talented Anne Raciunas will be directing the scenes this year.
WANTED!
We are also in need of:
**** Someone that has some accounting experience who would be willing to serve as our Treasurer, on our Board of Directors. We require someone to look over the financial reports that are generated by our bookkeeper (Quickbooks). This would involve attending a few meetings a year.
**** Someone that has some videography experience who would be able to help to make some short films/slideshows etc. We are hoping to incorporate more video into our social media outreach. We would also like to create some video footage to document the plays for each year. Another idea that has been suggested is a “THE MAKING OF THE GASLIGHT TOUR” documentary-type video. This video could explain what we do and who we are and would be very helpful when we are promoting and marketing to prospective sponsors/supporters/audience members etc. Ideally, we could involve some local youth in helping with the production of these videos.
**** Someone that is willing to take on the role of maintaining our current Sponsor list and recruiting new Sponsors. Ideally, this would be someone who has a good knowledge of (and passion for) Gaslight Community Theatre. We will meet with you to explain the Fundraising protocol and guide you through this process.
**** Someone who is willing to offer (or knows of someone) that could offer us some storage space for our set-pieces/props. Preferred location would be Collingwood area, but we could look at something a little further afield if the location were suitable. Space should be small to medium-sized, lighted, clean, dry, and easily accessible to vehicles for loading/unloading. Because we are a not-for-profit, the loan of space would be greatly appreciated but we could consider a small rental cost depending on the amount.
**** Someone that has an idea for a drama-themed workshop – for adults and/or youth. The workshop could be for Gaslight folks and for members of the community. Email your ideas to me. It could be something you would like to see offered or something you’d like to lead. Let’s put our heads together to make it happen.
If you (or someone you know) is interested in any of the above, please contact me. Also – if you feel that you have any special talents to offer or ideas to contribute, let me know. I’m excited to hear from you. Spread the word about Gaslight. We always welcome new people and new talent to join our fantastic and hard-working crew.
A Big Gaslight Goal for 2020
We hope to update and modernize our Social Media outreach. If you are on Facebook and you haven’t LIKED our Gaslight Community Theatre Page – go there and do it now. And – while you are there – invite a few of your friends to LIKE it as well. We have already increased the number of LIKES on our FB page from 347 (in early January) to 457 as of today. Surely, we can get our FB Page numbers over 500.
We want to create a more visual and “theatrical” website. One of our goals is to attract younger folks, both as participants and as audience members. In order to do this, we need to have links to Instagram and YouTube and make our website more interactive and informative. We’d also like to include links to other community theatres and other arts organizations in order to become more collaborative and community-minded.
I have completed and submitted a Recreation and Culture Grant Application to the Town of Collingwood. Hopefully, we will be successful in obtaining some funds to put toward our Social Media Outreach Project.
This year we managed to fill the Page to Stage course using Social Media alone. We did not use any paper posters. This is largely a credit to many of you for liking and sharing our advertising posts. Thanks so much.
I hope to keep all of you in the loop with regular news about Gaslight. Please feel free to pass on this information to anyone you know who may be interested. If you would like to have your name removed from this list, just let me know.
*** Disclaimer ***
I’m a retired teacher and you would logically expect that my spelling/grammar/tech skills would be top-notch. I am working hard to update my technology skills, but I have a long way to go. At one time, I was the Queen of Spelling and Grammar, but I can no longer claim that title. I blame it on age…. and the fact that I can no longer see without my glasses. So – if you come across an error or two – that’s par for the course!
Laurie May – Executive Producer
Gaslight Community Theatre Productions
519-939-0370