President's Annual Report
2018-2019
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
We at The Children’s Theatre, Inc. are excited to reflect on our 24th season. We began our series with Beauty and the Beast, Jr., a truly magical experience for the 43 young actors who brought the classic Disney musical tale to the stage. The Board of the Diamond Dance Company supplied a backdrop which set the scene for the beloved characters to come to life. In addition, this production provided us the opportunity to incorporate elaborate rental costumes, which allowed our actors to explore characterization in a new way. This year also marked a change in our performance lineup, featuring three shows instead of four. The Board agreed that focusing on three shows allowed for even more attention to detail, and alleviated the stress of back-to-back audition and rehearsal schedules during the busy holiday season. Amidst a season of challenges including extensive renovations to our rehearsal and storage buildings, our productions were affected by the displacement of props, costumes, and scenery. While updates were implemented to our roofing and HVAC systems, we were tasked with finding rehearsal space and utilizing temporary storage solutions. Ami Leaming, President Board of Directors
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MISSION
The mission of the Children’s Theatre, Inc. is to foster and encourage children in the development of and commitment to the highest standard of theatre through instruction, direction, and production of quality performances, whereby, its audiences may gain an appreciation for the arts.
GRANTS
Luckily, funding came by the way of our grants from Kent County Fund for the Arts and The Delaware Division of the Arts in order to afford our successful BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, JR. production. Funding from The Delaware Division of the Arts was divided equally between our three shows of the season. We are most appreciative of their continued support. Our productions are supported in part by The Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com. www.artsdel.org www.arts.gov www.DelawareScene.com
The good news is that our grant writers have done it, once again! The Children’s Theatre, Inc. received funding for the 2018-2019 season from these same state and county organizations. The Delaware Division of the Arts awarded us $2,700. Those adjudicating the grants were looking especially for collaboration with other non-profit organizations. We received a $2,500 grant from The Kent County Fund for the Arts. As stated earlier, we are grateful for the opportunities and support that we have received from these organizations. Pictured are recipients of the Non-Profit Organizations receiving grants from the Kent County Fund for the Arts on July 25th, 2019, at the Cen-Del foundation in Dover. Special thanks go to Andre LaMar of the Dover Post and Gary Emeigh and Ashton Brown of the Delaware State News for their enthusiastic support and press coverage of our productions.
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AUDIENCE COUNT
Our total number for audience participation for the three shows amounted to 1,820, which included public and school performances.
Report of Visitor Count of State-Owned Buildings
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Events
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1. Purging and storing of sets, props, & costumes
2. Auditions
3. Play 1 - Musical
4. Play 2
5. Play 3
6. Return of sets, props, & costumes to Old Brick Church
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Visitors
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1. 100
2. 180
3. *1,800
4. 1,680
5. 1,176
6. 22
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Notes
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1. Parents and children assisted in storing and purging items to the Sea Boxes provided by the State in order to do the construction projected for Old Brick Church (20 people x 5 days)
2. 60 kids each play; 1 parent per kid (60 kids + 60 parents x 3)
3. 45 kids + 45 parents x 4 practices per week x 5 weeks*
4. 35 kids + 35 parents x 3 practices per week x 8 weeks**
5. 28 kids + 28 parents x 3 practices per week x 7 weeks
6. Parents and children assisted in storing and purging items to the Sea Boxes provided by the State in order to do the construction projected for Old Brick Church (22 people x 1 day)
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Total Visitors: 4,958
Please note:
*This number would have been 3,240 any other year for our musical rehearsals, but The Children’s Theatre, Inc. had to rent space at People’s Church on Bradford Street to rehearse for four of our nine weeks due to the roof replacement on Reith Hall. 1,440 parents and children used People’s Church during The Beauty and The Beast’s rehearsal schedule.
** We did not do our usual four plays due to construction on both buildings between Nov.- Jan. However, we extended the number of rehearsal weeks for the plays that followed our shutdown. In addition, we did not hold a summer drama camp the summer of 2018 during the start of construction.
2018-2019 Season
Beauty and the Beast, Jr., (November 2018) Forty-five children performed this elegant, classical musical at The Schwartz Center for the Arts. Although our practice space was under repair as the State of Delaware replaced the roof on this building, we continued rehearsals at a rented space from People’s Church. The cast of 45 students and around 20 volunteer (backstage) parents transferred what we practiced onto the Schwartz Center’s stage. Because we could not use our building for construction purposes, we were able to borrow the beautiful backdrop from the Diamond Dance Company that they commissioned for their ballet of Beauty and the Beast, done earlier in the spring of 2018. We had sold-out crowds for both our public shows and the school show, which was offered at half price tickets for students and teachers. We were delighted that DDA adjudicators gave us excellent marks for production and suggested that we incorporate a survey for measuring progress and for gauging audience response. In response to their recommendation, gift certificates were awarded to under-represented community members. Beauty & The Beast Jr November 17 & 18 2018
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The Prince and the Pauper (March 2019) Our second show, The Prince and the Pauper, was a classic tale of mistaken identity, as two young men switched roles, only to find their circumstances extremely difficult. All the costumes, the painted backdrop by a local artist, the set pieces and props, which we now could use as we returned practicing in our rehearsal space, added to the success of the 35 children in this production. Again, parent volunteers took on all responsibilities at the Schwartz Center; not only did they assist backstage, but they handled the box office, ushering, lighting, and sound.
The Girl of LaMancha (May 2019) Our third and final show, The Girl of LaMancha, had a cast of 28 children. This fun comedy dealt with mall experiences and cosplay, which our young actors and audience members were able to relate. In fact, many were planning to attend Dover’s ComicCon in the summer. It was a fun way to end our theatre season. Again, parents cleaned and did all the on-site theatre’s responsibilities mentioned previously.
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COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
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We were in Dover’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade with our Prince and the Pauper cast. The children performed a brief scene, which included a sword fight in front of the judging stand. We did not enter the competition to be judged, but we used this as a marketing tool. The bystanders clapped and cheered for our energetic cast. Again, parent volunteers assisted with this project. In addition, The Children’s Theatre, Inc. has collaborated with NCALL’s Open Streets organization since the spring of 2018, working with BayHealth and Wesley College volunteers. We have assisted with props and volunteers as the Central Dover group brings out underrepresented families to participate in activities to get people out of their homes in order to become active through exercise; i.e., dance, racing, sports, yoga, drumming, ice-breakers, while learning to choose and eat healthy foods. Backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed at these events. We not only assist as volunteers at these monthly events (block parties), we give performance gift certificates to our seasons’ shows as prizes to children and adults, who otherwise would not attend live theatre events. Twenty gift certificates for 20 seats were donated as prizes for the FUN RUN (children 10 and under) who compete ahead of the teens and adults in October’s “The Mayor’s Cup 5K Run Walk and Row” event at Silver Lake Park. It is important to note that The Children’s Theatre, Inc. endorses a policy that young actors will not be excluded due to financial difficulty. Scholarships are awarded on an as-needed basis. Please refer to our website for more information on financial and college scholarships.
The Children’s Theatre, Inc. Sponsors Our coffers were enhanced with donations in categories: $50 (BRONZE), $100 (SILVER), $150 (GOLD), $200 (PLATINUM), and $500 and up (DIAMOND). We look forward to these and additional sponsors for the 2018-2019 Season.
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Diamond Sponsors
Burns and Ellis Realtors Jim & Marina Rogin
Law Offices of Laura A. Yiengst
LLC Edelman Spine & Orthopaedic Therapy
Glenn Mandalas
Platinum Sponsors
Patricia Parsons–Beetschen
Joseph & Sharon Crossen
Kristi M. Galloway
The Law Offices of Baird, Mandalas & Brockstedt, LLC
Gold Sponsors
Northgate Laundromat
John & Deborah DeMarie
Soules Management, Inc.
Silver Sponsors
Ross & Joni Jahren
Matt & Marie Hartigan
Bronze Sponsors
Cassidy Yiengst
Kylie Yiengst
Andrew & Pam Lloyd
Jenna & Kaitlyn Clendaniel
Pamela Johnson I
If you or your business would like to be a sponsor to our tax-exempt organization, please send your check to The Children’s Theatre, Inc. c/o Treasurer, P.O. Box 823, Dover, Delaware 19903. Please consider making your tax-deductible donation through our website, www.thechildrenstheatre.org, our Facebook page, or through your purchase at Amazon Smiles. We thank you in advance for your generous support.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Each year, scholarships have been presented to two deserving high school seniors for $500 each. There were no applicants for the 2018-2019 academic school year.
The Children’s Theatre’s proposed 2019-2020 Season
Synopsis, Elf, the Musical, Jr. Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. Santa sends him on a journey to find his human father. Faced with the harsh realities that his real father is on Santa’s naughty list and his half-brother doesn’t believe in Santa, anymore, Buddy is determined to win over his new-found family and help New Yorkers remember the true meaning of Christmas. Audition dates: September 10 & 11, 2019 Performance dates: Saturday, Dec. 7, at 7:00 P.M. and Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2:00 P.M. Venue: Schwartz Center for the Arts, Dover, DE Tickets: $10 per seat, purchased through Eventbrite or at the door.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes adapted by Tim Kelly. Here’s a highly entertaining adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famed detective story, combining mystery, romance, action, danger and laughter. Alice Faulkner has letters written by a dead girl that will cause grave international problems. Moriarty wants those letters; so, does Holmes. The game’s afoot! But not before the Professor’s gang has London in its grip. Only young Holmes understands the true objective the professor has in mind (too sinister to reveal here), and he’s willing to put his own life on the line to stop it. Auditions dates: January 20th & 22, 2020 Performance dates are March 14 & 15, 2020. Venue: Schwartz Center for the Arts, Dover, DE Tickets: $10 per seat, purchased through Eventbrite or at the door.
Synopsis: Jack and the Magic Beans. This classic tale is based on the original English source of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean, however, in this retelling of the tale, you will be enlightened and entertained by the cast of characters that to some, may have been unknown in this story, but will be sure to enhance, delight, and bring laughter to those in the audience regardless of age, as Jack, the hero of the tale, not only climbs the beanstalk and faces a giant, but rescues the kidnapped monarch of the kingdom. Auditions dates: March 23 & 24, 2020, Performance dates: May 16 & 17, 2020 Venue: Schwartz Center for the Arts, Dover, DE Tickets: $10 per seat, purchased through Eventbrite or at the door. TICKETS: All seats for all public shows are $10. Audition information is available on our website and Facebook pag