A Message from the President

By Jim Petsche
Posted: December 9, 2009

A Curtain Players Christmas

The Harlem Road playhouse that is home to Curtain Players is not unlike the Ingalls cabin featured in our recent production of A Little House Christmas. Like that rustic pioneer space, the Curtain Players theater is nestled in the country outside of town, a warm and inviting haven for those who appreciate quality storytelling. And like the Ingalls family, Curtain Players is noting its good fortune this Yuletide.

As we push the pause button on this 47th performance season to take time for our respective holiday observances, I thank the many Curtain Players volunteers and audience members for supporting this "community in theatre" we share. Attendance and box office revenue for the first half of the season have exceeded expectations. That is very good news for a small not-for-profit performing arts organization in tough economic times. More gratifying, however, are the encouraging words received from longtime patrons and the exclamations of surprise from those who made a first visit to the playhouse and promise to return... and bring their friends.

Our media contacts, too, have been generous, sharing news and views of our endeavors. We have been blessed with creative talents who were up to the challenges of bringing our plays to life. And we have a dedicated corps of volunteers addressing all matters of governance, administration, operations, and hospitality.

These are gifts greatly appreciated.

This is my first year on the Curtain Players Board of Directors and as its president. Eight of the 11 on the board are new to the leadership team. It is satisfying to know going into 2010 that we were able to work together quickly to handle disappointments (cancellation of Playwrights Festival performances last summer and the elimination of the artistic director position) and to remain successful in our mission: to bring together people interested in promoting the educational, cultural, and entertainment value of live theatre through participation in theatre-oriented activities and productions.

Curtain Players this season has been able to give back to the community, benefiting Westerville Area Resource Ministry with a holiday food drive. The early success of this project and strengthened relationship between our organizations has led us to plan for a similar campaign this spring during the run of A Thousand Clowns. We thank you for your support of this effort, among many projects planned for the new year.

Curtain Players will launch a fundraising campaign to raise money to improve and to add emergency exits for the safety of those in the playhouse, and to install plumbing to bring hot water to the building for the comfort of all.

We will present a series of free readings, giving voice to three scripts we were unable to produce during the 2009 Playwrights Festival.

And, of course, we have three fully staged offerings—Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, A Thousand Clowns by Herb Gardner, and the central Ohio premiere of Theresa Rebeck'sMauritius—scheduled for late winter and spring, with the 2010 Playwrights Festival being prepared for July.

And those are only the highlights. There is more to come, of course, and I hope you will actively participate in as many ways as you are able.

But for right now in the quiet of the winter solstice and bathed in the spirit and good will of Christmas and the other winter holidays upon us, let us take time and count the blessings we enjoy in our "community in theatre." There are many.

About the Holiday Food Drive

With A Little House Christmas, Curtain Players is once again forging a partnership with Westerville Area Resource Ministry for a holiday food drive. In the spirit of the story told on stage, those attending performances are being asked to contribute five (5) non-perishable food items and household goods or a bag of groceries.

Goods collected will be delivered to WARM for distribution in their food pantry during the holiday season. Cash donations, too, will be accepted at the theatre.

WARM, a faith-based organization serving the Westerville community since 1972, is a resource center providing individuals with programs and services which foster economic, emotional and spiritual well-being. WARM's mission is neighbor helping neighbor, offering "a hand up, not a hand out" helping those in need restore dignity and hope in their lives.

A Little House Christmas, adapted for the stage by James DeVita and based on Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, runs through December 13, 2009.

Signature of Jim Petsche