Beyond Our Buildings

In April of 2020 you supported us during the online Giving Challenge donating a remarkable $96,035.50. Because of matches offered by The Patterson Foundation and Dr. William H. Jervey Jr., that total grew to $288,106.50! In the fall of 2020, we were able to produce some small-scale live shows with strict safety protocols. Kristofer Geddie and Michelle Kasanofsky reopened the theatre with a cabaret called “Hope.” Lori and Murray Chase starred in A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters. Laurie, Candace and Kim performed The Vagina Monologues directed by Murray Chase. A few concerts and cabarets were added to the schedule, but after Dwight Icenhower performed an intimate tribute to Elvis, we had to shut down again as Covid cases rose. In the winter and spring of 2021 we continued to teach, improve our spaces and raise funds. Under the leadership of Producing Executive Director Murray Chase and our board of directors, we kept our staff in place to be ready for when we could open again in April of 2021. It was then that Kiley and Casey Berkery wowed us with the musical john & jen. A few more concerts and cabarets kept us going through the beginning of May and then we closed for two months to begin renovations. The Jervey Theatre got a makeover with a beautiful new coat of paint and new carpeting. But before the carpeting could go in, all the seats had to come out! Add to this new bathrooms and a new bar and our main floor is looking great. We have many more renovations and plans to come as part of our Next Act Capital Campaign which you can learn more about in the pages of this program. Thank you for sticking with us during this challenging and exciting time!

EDUCATION & OUTREACH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 beyond our buildings

Venice Theatre loves to share the joy of live theatre with our community. Our programs are making a dramatic impact at schools, assisted living facilities, and other non-profit organizations in Venice and the surrounding area. We meet you where you are. Through programs such as Troupe In A Trunk, our Teen Improv Troupe, The Silver Foxes, and our TheatreMatters! partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs, we see firsthand how the arts make a difference in people’s lives. The Silver Foxes (see p. 47) can attest to the physical, cognitive, social and cultural benefits that come with performing. Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities build confidence, life skills, and experience the joy of performance through our Dynamic Drama classes. These programs create performance opportunities outside of traditional theatre, bringing the community into the theatre and the theatre into the community! Please read on to learn more about VT’s outreach programs … theatre with a heart.

VOLUNTEER RITA MAZER WITH TROUPE IN A TRUNK AUDIENCE MEMBERS

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB THEATRE MATTERS! IN ACTION

EDUCATION & OUTREACH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 beyond our building

THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB THEATRE MATTERS

First through fifth graders at the Robert and Joan Lee Boys and Girls Club can participate in our theatre arts program, THEATRE MATTERS! The program develops each student’s individual talents and skills. It also teaches them to work as a team. This increases their problem-solving skills and improves their presentation and communication skills. If you know a student who would benefit from THEATRE MATTERS!, contact The Boys and Girls Club at 941.485.7050.

SCHOOL-TIME PERFORMANCES

For the past several years we have invited area teachers, home school parents, and their students to enjoy and learn about theatre together. There’s nothing more exciting to us than when our building is filled with young people – many of them seeing a play for the first time. They never fail to become engaged in what they’re watching. We see it in their faces, hear it in their laughter and applause, and notice it in the questions they ask after the show. Our school-time productions have core-curriculum and social connections for students of all ages. The theatre provides teachers and students with tools to explore these wonderful stories. If you would like to learn more about bringing your students to a school-time performance, or would like to help defray the costs of this program with a donation, please contact Kristofer Geddie at KGeddie@VeniceTheatre.net.

TROUPE IN A TRUNK

We want as many young people as possible to experience the excitement of live theatre. With that goal in mind, each spring a small cast of volunteer actors rehearse an original play, pack their costumes and props in a trunk, and head out to area schools. Troupe in a Trunk is fun, but it’s also a powerful teaching tool. “Troupe” scripts have an educational theme and teachers are provided with study materials prior to performances. For more information about how Troupe in a Trunk can perform at your school or to audition for this year’s play, call Kelly Duyn at 941.486.8679 or go to VeniceTheatre.org.