What's New With Us

Libby Gatzke is awarded the Third Director's Grant on February 1, 2024

With the holidays behind us, the Foundation has been back at work planning for upcoming events and ways to support our local theaters. The first item on our agenda was to select the third recipient of the Director's Grant. There were quite a few applicants and after much discussion, the Committee decided to award Libby Gatzke with this award. She is slated to direct Winnie the Pooh: Kanga Rules at Commerce Street Theatre this spring. Because these shows are intended to be annual productions, having quality costumes that will last from year to year is vital. Libby intends on using this grant toward high quality fabrics and even hiring a costumer to create durable costumes that align with the characters we all know and love. See the article "Why Winnie the Pooh is Special for the Theatre Community" in this edition of Scenes from the Hat for more information on the history of these shows.

Members of our Executive Board have visited with almost every theater Board over the past two months. These visits were essential and rewarding for us, and we hope the theaters got a lot out of the presentations as well. The support we have felt has been overwhelming, and there are many irons in the fire to continue giving back to this community. We want to express our sincere gratitude to the boards for being so welcoming and reminding us of how imporant our mission is. Stay tuned for future contacts from us regarding upcoming events and plans.

Holy cow, February was one heck of a busy month for theater! Five of our local theaters had shows this month ranging from dramas to comedies to musicals. There were opportunities to attend a different show every weekend! We want to emphasize how different this area is regarding theater. We have more theaters in a twenty mile radius than any other area in Virginia - and that's not even including the education level. The Greater Lynchburg area has an incredible performing arts scene with options for people of all ages and backgrounds. One of the best ways to get involved is to start with volunteering as an usher. Not only will you get to see the show for free, but you can also meet the members of the theater community, see how the theater operates, and find out information on upcoming shows and auditions. Every theater is always looking for ushers, so you can visit the individual social media pages to get further information. The Foundation is exploring ways to gather more volunteers for theaters, so make sure you follow us on Facebook for updates on this endeavor. In the meantime, encourage those who may be new to our community or those who are less comfortable on stage to give ushering a try!