Thank you!

The response to the fundraising campaign to keep the Turnage Theater open and to permit the planning of next year’s season has been encouraging. In particular, the individual and family patrons of the theater have really responded well with donations and pledges of more than $ 31,500 since the start of the campaign. Additionally, our traditional corporate and charitable foundation sponsors have once again heard our call for help and have given generously, totaling $11,500.

Clearly, at $43,000, we are well on our way to our goal of $78,000. We are pleased with the progress and thankful to those who continue to support this beautiful theater.

We have had some wonderful shows this spring covering just about every aspect of the performing arts – and then some.  The offerings of “101 Years of Broadway” and “A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline” were near sellouts. Additionally, in conjunction with the Beaufort County Arts Council, the Brown Library and other local organizations and individuals, the theater has provided a venue for many other performers, exhibits, speakers, fashion shows, meetings and weddings. Further, let us not forget the monthly rotation of local artists’ works in the lobby gallery. Attendance at each of these various events demonstrates how important the  theater is to the social, cultural and economic life of the businesses and residents of Washington and the surrounding area.

I suspect some of you are asking why the theater needs so much additional funding, particularly when one has had a difficult time getting good seats – or any seats – at some of the recent performances. I will try to answer this without boring you. So far this year, ticket sales for the theater’s performances have totaled $53,000. The direct expenses (actors’ fees; transportation, meals and lodging; rental equipment; and temporary technical personnel) for these shows have totaled $37,300. Consequently, these performances have netted to the theater approximately $15,700 in gross profit. Our overhead expenses for keeping the doors open during this same period (including, but not limited, to salaries/benefits for three employees, electricity/gas/telephone/Internet, insurance, mortgage interest, principal payments and advertising) have totaled $119,300. The difference between the gross profit and the overhead expenses (approximately $103,600) must be made up by contributions from our patrons and corporate sponsors or from grants from the City of Washington, Beaufort County or charitable foundations.

As you have read in the Washington Daily News, the city has decided to reduce its support of the theater, which in the past years has totaled more than $100,000 per year. Therefore, we must turn to you, our patrons, our local companies and foundations to make up this deficit. To date, the many patrons and foundations have heard our call. However, with a few notable exceptions, local companies have not responded, and without their generous support we cannot survive. If we do not survive, then we will all suffer the loss.

We thank you for your continued support and patronage of the theater. If you have not considered supporting the theater or if you can increase your level of financial support, we ask you to do so. With such support, we can bring to you a fifth season that will be even better than the past four seasons.

Robert Schultz is the treasurer for the Turnage Theaters Foundation’s Board of Trustees.