Happy New Year

First I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Jan. 1 marks the mid point in our current season. We have seen some fundraising challenges this year but we are dealing with the challenges and the theatre continues to be on stable financial footing. It's hard to believe but the play selection committee is about to make some final choices for our 46th season which starts next July. Without giving away anything I can tell you that many of the plays that we are reading deal with rural or small town life. Most of these plays are comedies about everyday people with very funny outlooks on life. In January we will apply for rights to the proposed season and then if they are available we will move toward announcing the selections in late Feb. or early March.

There are still 3 more days left on the holiday break but some things are still happening behind the scenes to get ready for the next play. The promotional and marketing campaign for Southern Comforts is moving along. A new banner ad was purchased on the ilist Paducah site. We have so many people telling us they use the ilist site to see what is going on we thought we would try a little more Internet advertising. A new billboard with the Southern Comforts information should be going up before next week. I'm working on getting the television ad photos completed. Press releases will go out either tomorrow or Monday for Southern Comforts. The Paducah Sun newspaper ad will start appearing in the Sunday paper the week before the show opens.

The fundraising committee is getting ready for the big Wizard of Oz auction on Feb. 13.

I've been reading several interesting articles and books about the current trends and future of theatre. As we start the new year we are constantly looking for innovative new ways to connect and provide value for all of the people who make up the Market House Theatre. We can't sit back and expect performers to audition and audiences to attend just because we are putting on a show. We consistently have to work towards giving everyone an experience that is meaningful on lots of different levels. Some are looking for a social event to get together with existing friends while others are seeking a way to meet new friends. Some are looking for challenges that create personal growth. Audiences want to be entertained but they also want to support something that they can be involved in. Finally everyone has limited time and limited funds to invest in activities.

There are some new ideas being tried all across the country to make theatre more interactive. We are already doing some of them right now. Some will work and some won't. That won't stop us from continuing to strive for a deeper and more meaningful connection to everyone associated with theatre.

I hope that everyone has a Happy Healthy and Prosperous 2009 and I'll see you at the theatre!