What's New With Us

The Foundation has been hard at work for the past six months getting off the ground. One of the first steps taken was the creation of the theater calendar. In the past, Lynchburg and the surrounding counties had only a small handful of theaters to consider attending or participating in. Now, the theater community has grown exponentially; since 2000, there have been at least eight new theaters that have become established in the area. With so many performing arts venues, many have commented how nice it would be to have one calendar to see every performance date for every show at every theater.

Thus, the Foundation took steps to create an online calendar that is regularly updated with performance dates and a link to each theater's ticketing website. In addition, the Foundation provides a printed poster-size calendar every four months to every theater featured for display in its lobby. This encourages more support for the performing arts as a whole. Furthermore, the Foundation's website also has an audition calendar for local actors to view, and theaters are encouraged to get this information to the Foundation as soon as available for inclusion. Check out this feature here and see all the local theater happenings!

L-R: Albert Carter, Lori Carter, Bill Bodine, Kelly Croucher, Sally Southall, Lindsay Leonard, Christine Foreman

(not pictured: Erin Foreman)

The first two Director's Grants have also been awarded! These are grants that local directors of community theater shows can apply for to get an additional $1000.00 for their show. Community theaters are often volunteer-based and reliant on ticket sales for profits, so production budgets are usually tight. This grant is awarded to qualifying directors who apply and can demonstrate how the money will be used to enhance their show in a way the theater budget could not accommodate.

Applications are being accepted now through December 31, 2023 for the January 2024 recipient. If you or someone you know is lined up to direct a show within one calendar year of January 31, 2024 at a local community theater, apply here and the next winner could be you!

William Kershner

Summer 2023 Recipient

Steel Magnolias

Commerce Street Theatre

Adam Hughes

Fall 2023 Recipient

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Little Town Players