2020
YEAR IN REVIEW Dear Friends, I hope you are healthy, well and enjoying the holiday season. 2020 has been one of our most challenging years; but still, there is much for which to be grateful – most of all YOU and our devoted community of supporters. Despite tremendous obstacles this year, including the cancellation of countless performances and lost ticket revenue, MPAC forged ahead, developing new and creative ways to serve you. From the very first day we were forced to close, we reimagined the delivery of our programs in order to continue to educate, entertain and uplift through the arts. We embraced virtual performances, reformatted and expanded our education programs to online platforms, and offered drive-in concerts and comedy shows while our theatre doors were closed. This fall we have welcomed patrons back to the theater for limited capacity indoor events, many of which are livestreamed to bring the excitement of the MPAC concert experience directly to your living room. When I think back on 2020, I’ll remember these untraditional arts experiences that brought unexpected joy to so many of you at a time of need. Even more so, I’ll remember the loyalty of MPAC’s supporters. Our Theatre has a history of being saved during difficult times by local supporters who are committed to seeing this community treasure survive and thrive. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented MPAC with the greatest challenges in our history, but due to the generous continuing support of MPAC’s great community, we are overcoming those challenges. At our first drive-in concert, musician John Ginty said it best, “No matter what happens out there, no matter how hard this gets, music will be there for you.” MPAC will be there for you. We still have a long and difficult road ahead before we can once again bring you the fully staged productions we all know and love. But the joy and excitement brought by the incredible music, dance and theatre on our stage still echoes here, awaiting your return. We know that our seats will be filled again with delighted audiences, the air will resonate with applause and the stage will radiate with excitement from world class performers. We will meet our friends once again for dinner and a show, enjoy date nights, special birthdays, anniversaries and family holiday traditions at the theatre. Our education studios will be filled with laughter and song from our young students. However, over the next few months, we anticipate more bumps in the road and a need for continuing resilience and patience. During this period, we will remain committed to serving you through our virtual, alternative and scaled-back programs, but unfortunately, they cannot sustain us financially.
There is an urgent need, right now, for your investment in MPAC so we can make it to the other side of this pandemic. Please be a part of the growing community of supporters who have helped to sustain us and consider making a year-end gift today. To donate, visit us at mayoarts.org – it’s simple and quick, and gifts of all sizes make a difference. Some of you have made multiple gifts this year understanding our unprecedented need, and we can’t thank you enough. A gift now, as we close 2020, would be greatly appreciated and add strength to the bridge that will bring us into new beginnings and a brighter New Year. From the MPAC family to yours, we hope you have a healthy and heartfelt holiday season. Again, thank you. Sincerely,
Allison Larena President & CEO
MPAC 2020: Year In Review
Pivoting to a Virtual World
On Wednesday, March 11th, MPAC staged a lecture by Dr. Temple Grandin. By noon the next day, we were ordered to shut down. Now, over nine months past that day, our doors remain closed to full capacity events. While the ability to stage limited capacity events with 150 guests inside is a positive first step, the road back to full capacity is still long. These small events by no means signal that our financial burden has lifted. The challenge continues but our resolve is stronger than ever. Whether it’s 150 people sitting in our
auditorium, 500 people enjoying a drive-in concert or 12 five year olds in a Performing Arts School Zoom class, we are focused on our commitment to fulfill our mission to educate, enrich and entertain our diverse community.
Right from the get go, we tapped into the numerous virtual arts opportunities that were being offered by the arts community. Our Virtual Arts page became the go-to hub to see a recorded Broadway show, dance recital, Zoom concert, and much more. Soon after, MPAC turned to local artists to present Friday Facebook Live concerts. For 12 weeks, Friday lunch concerts spanned jazz, country, pop and more – original events created just for you. To top off our virtual events, we presented a poetry event featuring writers of color that spoke to the experience of social injustice. All of these events are still viewable on our website.
What has your favorite entertainment venue done in those nine months? It’s been a whirlwind of activity as MPAC reinvented itself for a COVID-19 world. We broke down every aspect of our organization and repurposed how we keep the arts a vital part of your life.
MPAC’s Mission Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey.
Mayo Performing Arts Center | A Nonprofit Organization
Pioneering the Drive-In Concert
The Starlight Ball was ‘What the World Needed Now’
MPAC became the first major concert venue in the state to stage a Drivein Concert. On June 25th, a beautiful summer night, over 160 cars drove to Fosterfields Living Historical Farm to enjoy the first concert most people could attend since March. John Ginty & Friends put on a memorable show and for one night, everyone had the chance to exhale and remember the joy of being at a live music event. We’ve done six more since, including two at the Rockaway Townsquare Mall, featuring Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and Almost Queen.
On Friday, October 23rd, MPAC’s 22nd Annual (virtual) Starlight Ball proved that the best gala in the area could be done from the comfort of attendees’ homes. Centered around the theme “What the World Needs Now,” attendees of the 45-minute virtual gala were treated to performances and appearances by Kristin Chenoweth, Billy Porter, and students from MPAC’s Performing Arts School.
Redefining the Performing Arts School Class Experience Restrictions prevented us from finishing our Performing Arts School spring semester and holding summer camps in person. Our Education Department pivoted, and not only went virtual to finish out the year, but staged a brand new additional six-week spring semester and a full and extended summer camp program. The flexibility of the virtual schedule allowed us to hold more classes than ever before, featuring teachers from as far as L.A., and students from Florida, Minnesota and California. We added classes in visual arts, stand-up comedy, voice over work and even magic. Overall, we were able to expand our programs to allow more children and adults to take part in them. In January, MPAC will hold a Winter Wellness six-week session for kids and adults - fun classes ranging from music appreciation to visual arts to meditation, designed to connect us during the winter doldrums. The spring Performing Arts School session will begin in March. Even when we return to classes at MPAC, we plan to continue to offer virtual options to reduce waiting lists and offer educational opportunities beyond the Morristown region. Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention the powerful and poignant video of our Performing Arts Company singing Dear Evan Hansen’s “You Will Be Found,” as a call out to children feeling isolated and alone due to being separated from their friends. The video has been viewed over 20,000 times.
Over $370,000 was raised to support MPAC programs for the present and into the future - well exceeding the goal that was set at the beginning of the telecast. You can still view the Ball at mayoarts.org. The event was presented on MPAC’s website, YouTube, and Facebook, allowing everyone to view it for free. Ticketbuyers also had exclusive access to a bevy of silent auction items and a post-event DJ Zoom Dance Party, which got everyone off their couches and onto their own makeshift dance floors to keep the good times going. Thank you to all of our donors, members and ticketholders who have supported us during the Ball as well as through the pandemic. Contributions of any size are appreciated and crucial to our survival. Our recovery fund campaign raised over $160,000 this summer to help us get through these lean times. There’s still time to make a yearend donation. Donate today at mayoarts.org.
Revising and Remaking Our Schedule
Making MPAC Safe for Your Return We spent the summer and fall upgrading our facility for your safe return. MPAC uses a 100% fresh air ventilation system. That means we are constantly pulling in air from outside when heating and cooling the building. Air is not recirculated, making for a safer environment when sitting in the Theatre for an event. In the restrooms, backstage and the box office, we installed state of the art UV filters to kill germs and bacteria. We revised all of our day-of-show policies in the front of the house as well as backstage to ensure for a safe and healthy environment. These include: touchless bathroom fixtures, social distancing markers, hand sanitizers, Plexiglas barriers, ordering concessions from your seat, digital programs, and more. We require face coverings and temperature checks. It may feel different at first, but we’re all in this together and it will quickly feel normal once you are in your seat and the lights go down.
Rescheduling and canceling dozens of events led to lots of ticketing changes, refunds, account credits and donations back to the theater. Our reduced box office staff - working from their homes - handled over $1 million in transactions in those first few weeks of quarantine, all while converting all of this data to a new ticketing system that was launched in the middle of the pandemic. We were able to restore a bit of normalcy when our box office reopened in July. Our programming team is working hard to reschedule the shows you want to see from this season and create a
blockbuster 2021-2022 season. When we are back, we are going to be back in a big way, so clear your calendar because you’re going to want to come here a lot! We thank you for your patience as we work through our scheduling changes, and we’ve modified our policies for flexible ticketing so you can come back when you feel ready. One great way to support the theater now is to purchase gift certificates. Gift certificates are good for five years and you can apply them to all of the great shows that will be back on our stage as soon as we get the okay.
MPAC ‘Got Happy’ on October 2nd
Music returned to the MPAC stage on October 2nd for the first time since March when the theater presented its “Reopening Night” concert by local jazz favorites Brynn Stanley, Jerry Vezza and Grover Kemble.
Always innovating, MPAC was the first major presenting house in New Jersey to present a limited capacity concert this past fall. The maximum audience size for these concerts is 150 people. Although there were about 60 people in the theater (which seats 1,319) that
night, their applause thundered like a sold out house. MPAC also livestreamed the concert - the first of several livestreams for patrons to watch from home. We stream these events with HD quality sound and video from our stage to your living room. Other events that have been staged this fall include: The Nerds, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Manhattan Comedy Night, and Tusk. Check out mayoarts.org for future events and livestreams.
These upgrades have come at a considerable cost and are another reason your support matters more than ever.
Your Support Brings Hope for Tomorrow Since our Theatre was built in 1937, we’ve weathered many dark periods. We know that the lights will shine brightly again and the days will be filled with amazing memories. Thank you for your support during this time and we can’t wait to welcome you through our doors again. Your support today will now give us double the hope for tomorrow! To help us reach our goal, we have received a generous pledge of $25,000 that will Double the Impact of your gift!
Every contribution made from now until December 31, 2020 will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000! There’s never been a better time to give.
Click here to donate.
2020 Year End Campaign Goal $50,000