Program areas at ALLENS Contemporary THEATRE
Allen Contemporary Theatre presented seven (7) theatrical productions in 2023. We opened the season (1st) with "The Gods of Comedy" by Ken Ludwig. Two young professors have made a discovery that's sure to turn them into academic superstars. But something goes terribly wrong, and one cries out, "Save me, gods of Ancient Greece!" Soon after, the Gods actually appear. The next (2nd) production was "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Simon Stephens. A young kid with ASD has a unique mind and is phenomenal at math, but ill-equipped to understand everyday life. His investigation of the murder of his neighbor's dog leads him to discover secrets within his own family that turns his world upside down. The third (3rd) production was "Something's Afoot," a musical spoof written by Robert Gerlach. Ten people are stranded in an isolated English country estate during a raging thunderstorm. One by one they are killed in mysterious (and hilarious) ways as they try to discover the murderer's true identity. The fourth (4th) production was "A Flea in Her Ear" by Georges Feydeau. A middle-aged wife, suspecting her husband's infidelity, writes a secret love letter to test his commitment. This letter quickly is the start of a chaotic night, complete with mistaken identities, gun shots, revolving doors, and sudden miracles. Next (5th) was "Proof" by David Auburn. A young college student inherited her father's mathematical brilliance, but she is haunted by the fear that she might also share his debilitating mental illness. With the newfound connection of a fellow student, and the reunion with her sister, she finds both her world and mind growing increasingly unstable. Next (6th) was "On Golden Pond" by Ernest Thompson. A retired couple is spending their 48th summer at their vacation home on Golden Pond, in the woods of Maine. Their delightful summer routine of fishing, picking strawberries, and enjoying old mementoes is given a comedic edge by the husband's unreliable memory and cantankerously morbid statements. Finally, the season closed (7th) with "White Christmas," the classic musical by David Ives, Paul Blake, and Irving Berlin. A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermon inn of their former commanding general. To better support the royalty costs, as well as keeping up with other local theatres, Allen Contemporary Theatre opted to make a small increase in ticket prices for both straight plays and musicals. This increase in price point also allowed the theatre to increase overall production value. 2023 marks the first year since the pandemic in which the theatre has recovered from financial losses by year end; brand-recognition has increased and has attracted new patrons and talent surpassing pre-pandemic periods. The season was constructed to offer performances for varying levels of audience preference, from farcical comedies, intense dramas, upbeat musicals, and classic stories with well-known film adaptations. With cash flow levels far exceeding previous years, the theatre plans to reinvest the funds towards improving the performance space for the enjoyment of both the audiences and talent on stage. ACT's seasons have periods when the theater space is not in use for plays, musicals, rehearsals, set building, or meetings. During these gaps, ACT has continued to offer the special "Spotlight" events to continue to provide a place of interest, involvement, and engagement to our audiences. Three (3) Spotlight events were presented in 2023; the first (1) being the "Spotlight on Love" in February, which contained a night filled with love-themed music, solos, duets, and monologues. Next was (2) the "Spotlight Flip" in July, where vocal performances consisted of musical songs made famous by women performed by men, and vice versa. And finally, (3) a return to the 2nd annual Halloween Event titled "Dr. Montague's Carnival of the Bizarre," written by the father (board member) and son team of Bill and Bishop Wash; the sequel had the subtitle: "Rhapsody of Catastrophe." All bonus events have been well-received by audiences and performers, and there is enthusiasm for us to keep such events in future seasons.
This encompasses ACT's management of general grants received, other general expenses, and the leasing, improving, and maintenance of our 101-seat facility during 2023. In 2023, we received a $7,000 grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA Grant) and two (2) $3,000 grants from the City of Allen Hotel Tax Grant (HOT Grant), which contains both the 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 HOT Grants, as the transactions occurred in January 2023 and October 2023, respectively. In addition to the $13,000 in government-funded grants, ACT received a $16,758 grant from the Allen Arts Alliance (AAA), a private entity, resulting in $29,758 in total grants. All grants required comprehensive applications to receive funding and reporting on the usage of funds. This $29,758 amount, along with individual and corporate donations ($33,371) came to a total of $63,129. Expenses totaled $91,165, most of which can be attributed to the lease ($60,000). Other facility expenses in decreasing order: utilities ($7,764), repairs & maintenance ($4,592), improvements ($2,503), storage ($2,220), and liability insurance ($1,540). This results in $78,620 in total facilities expenses. Other operating expenses, which encompass marketing, concessions, dues & subscriptions, info tech, supplies, and general productions costs, totaled $12,545.
In 2023, ACT offered eight (8) theatre-related camps. Each camp lasted five weekdays. (1) We started with "Adventure with the Gods!" where students learned about their favorite Greek Gods and Demigods, and how their stories tie into theatre. That was followed by (2) "Marvel Vs. DC!" where the campers participated in theatre games and learned stage combat all based around their favorite superheroes and villains. The next camp was (3) "Honk if you Love Musicals!" where campers worked together on a Jr. Musical through theatre games, crafts, choreography, puppetry, and singing and dancing. The next camp was (4) "Yeehaw! It's Cowboy and Cowgirl Camp," where campers put together crazy costumes, play acting and improv games, and write a cowboy themed play. The next camp was (5) "ACT Live! Improv," in which campers partake in a four-day intensive improv class to learn the basics of improv, storytelling, and thinking quickly on their feet. Following that was (6) "Musical Theatre Fun II," where campers learned about everything it takes to put on a musical from costumes, chorography, acting, and singing. After that was (7) "The Wild World of Wizards," where campers learn, and craft a story about the magical spell of theatre. Finally, the (8) "Girl Power!" camp. This camp celebrated the impact of women in theatre, where campers would perform songs and monologues that showcase strong female characters and the men that support them. Through these camps, the campers learned a variety of theatre skills, including: writing scripts, creating sets, make-up, hair, costumes, sewing, choreography, stage combat, character development, mask making, presenting plays, voice, dance, prop-making and acting. Improvisation was used to connect to other actors, storytelling, thinking on their feet and thereby building a foundation of acting skills. Camps were led by experienced theatre professionals and each camp culminated in a performance on the final day. ACT also offered four (4) theatre related camps during spring of 2023, where classes were held on a specific weekday from February through April. One class was "Intermediate Actors" (4th grade through 8th grade) on Tuesdays. These students learned how to get into character and figure out what that character would think, feel, like, and dislike. Another class was "Rising Star Actors" (kindergarten through 3rd grade) on Thursdays. Students learned basic acting skills, what a character is, and how to work together. Both classes were taught by experienced theatre professionals. The final day for each class was a performance to showcase what they had learned in the class. ACT also started to offer one-day adult workshops for individuals aged 16 or older. In 2023, we offered an Improv and an Audition workshop, where both consisted of lectures, warm-ups, exercises, and general best practices for both inexperienced and seasoned performers to take with them for their next gig.