One Step Back, Two Steps Forward (not to misquote Paula or anything)

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Written by Jennifer Adams

Wednesday, 13 August 2008 21:52

So, I’ve decided to step back from being Co-Artistic Director… it just seems like the right thing to do, since I rarely have time to do all the administrative work as it is, and our 2nd child is due in November… (15 weeks left! Where did the time go??? Remember when I wrote that captivating post about Tony, Jr. and his love of curry?)

It took a while to make the decision, mostly because of ego… it’s hard to let go, and feel like the company won’t be mine any more. What if this thing that my husband and I started together leaves me behind? What if it turns into a company I don’t recognize? Then I remind myself that I’m not going anywhere… I’m just being realistic about what I’m already doing for the company, and taking a little pressure off so that we can make sure that our marriage and our children have equal time… It’s Win-Win!

So, my new title is “Associate Artistic Director.” What does THAT mean? It’s basically what I am already doing… Growing the company, giving FABULOUS advice, having a say in everything, directing, and heading up special projects.

So, let me take this opportunity to tell you about my Number One, Top Priority, Special Project… getting Halcyon Theatre our own space… and we are THIIIIS close! (put your thumb and pointy finger about one… Well, maybe two inches… apart and speak in a high-pitched voice when you say THIIIIS and that’s how close we are.)

We have a location we love, and it seems to be in the correct Zoning…it has great square footage, ADA bathrooms, no bars next door! The landlords are very enthusiastic for us to sign, and with the right amount of money (not much, in comparison to a LOT of spaces we’ve looked at) we could move in tomorrow! (A bit of an exaggeration; we could move in October 1st)

So now what? Well, it’s a very interesting challenge… we have to be able to get the right answers without being able to say we have signed a lease… we need people to give us money so we can tell the potential landlords we have money. We need to sign the lease to get the approval and licenses, and we need money before we sign the lease, with the knowledge that it might take a while to get the approval and the licenses!

So I’ve been focusing on using Tony’s knowledge of licenses and city ordinances and my ability to “Open Doors” to meet with the Alderman, the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, Real Estate Agents and Landlords, to not mess up our chances of getting a really great space in a perfect neighborhood for us. I’ve surprised myself at how much I enjoy sharing the Mission of this company, doing “Development” and working to make people passionate about what we’re doing. It used to be, with other groups I worked with, that I felt embarrassed to talk about the mission or the work we were doing… That NEVER happens with Halcyon, and it makes me twice as proud to be a member…

We REALLY want to be able to do more than just produce plays… We have HUGE dreams of starting an After School Matters program, of using theatre to help immigrants acclimate to a new life, of telling stories and inviting the audience to tell stories from different cultures to show us all how alike we are and to love our differences… NONE of these things are possible until we have a place to call home, a place that we can invite our neighbors to. It is CRUCIAL to our growth… no pressure!

If every person who reads this message or hears about our news donates $15 (the price of a ticket to one of our shows) our Security Deposit is paid. That means we could conceivably debut Militant Language in our new home on October 17th.

Pretty amazing, huh? Donate Today!