A Message from the President

By Jim Petsche
Posted: November 4, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Star of Our Show... The Audience

In every stage production there is an important player who never auditioned for the role, never learned any lines or monologues, never researched character or practiced dialect, and never took a turn in the spotlight.

Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for... The Audience.

The Audience is a difficult player to gauge as it plays its role differently each performance. That surprise is what builds the excitement in live theatre. The Friday night crowd that laughs and wildly applauds at every joke may be different from the Sunday matinee assembly that politely smiles and nods at the goings-on. Regardless of the responses and reactions from the house, the relationship between performers and audiences is vital, vibrant, and necessary to bringing the playwright's written words and the director's vision to three-dimensional living, breathing existence.

Curtain Players recognizes the importance of The Audience, and I boast that Curtain Players has the most loyal patrons among organizations of its kind. It has become my pleasure to welcome them to the Harlem Road playhouse on repeat visits, and to hear their reminiscences of productions they enjoyed (or didn't) in years gone by.

Our audiences are a part of our "community in theatre" as much as our actors, directors, designers, technicians, and volunteers. For that reason, we hope to engage our audiences more fully in life at the playhouse.

Through our award-winning website, audiences may share their thoughts with the leadership team at info@curtiainplayers.com, or with specific board members from the Who We Are pages. Please do so. My e-mail is president@curtainplayers.com So, what's on your mind?

Curtain's leadership team has short- and long-term projects designed to make the playhouse a more comfortable and friendly place to enjoy a show, as well as an attractive landmark on the Harlem Township landscape.

We are working to improve customer service. The new online ticket and reservations system — allowing credit card purchases on line and on site — is an important initiative to improving how Curtain does business. We are working with our house staff volunteers to encourage a more personal relationship with audiences at performances. We are building a new database of contact information to keep our patrons in the know. Curtain's weekly e-mail blasts, launched last summer, are becoming a popular means to touch base.

The Audience is a theatre MVP. As such, we at Curtain Players thank you and gladly give you our applause.

Signature of Jim Petsche