Showstopper from other side of curtain
As an actor, I am used to having authors put words in my mouth ... it’s a lot easier than trying to sound eloquent on my own.
But I doubt any author has ever written words that could adequately convey how I feel today at the end of the sixth annual Day of Giving hosted by Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
More than $1.7 million dollars was raised by the 415 participating nonprofits throughout Fairfield County. Sponsored by Bank of America and many others, this event also provides an opportunity to bring awareness to the continued financial needs of and good works by nonprofits in our county. The “friend-raising” aspect of the event is almost as valuable as the fundraising, making this, as someone else recently commented, the only competition with no losers.
Once again, Curtain Call’s friends and fans came out in force, showing us how important the arts are to so many. More than 1,100 contributions were made to our community theater ... that’s almost 10 percent of the total number of contributions received online this Giving Day! WOW! What is also gratifying is the fact that so many other arts and culture organizations were represented in great numbers on the leader boards! Arts organizations not only entertain, but enlighten and engage a community in many ways, so I think it’s great that individuals recognize that and were willing to make the financial commitments that we graciously accepted.
As Stamford’s only year-round nonprofit producing theater company, we are blessed to have many loyal patrons and fans. There is no way that we could produce 12 to 14 full-scale production each year as well as provide educational workshops, scholarships, free outdoor Shakespeare and much more, without contributed funds from generous corporations, small businesses, foundations, and most notably, individuals. Asking for money is one of the most challenging parts of my job, but ask I must. What’s truly heartwarming is that when I ask, people respond. If you’ve never seen a show in either of our two wonderful theaters (The Kweskin Theatre and The Dressing Room Theatre) or if you haven’t been here in a while, please check us out and you’ll see why over the past seven years, more than 90 percent of our performances have been sold out.
When Fairfield County’s Community Foundation launched the first Giving Day in 2014, I wondered how a relatively small organization like ours would fare among hundreds of nonprofits, many of which are much, much larger. To our great surprise, we had the greatest number of contributors and had raised more money than any other that first year. This is now the sixth year that Curtain Call has ended the day at the top of the charts. In numerology, the number six is considered the only number harmonious with all other numbers. Somehow that really makes sense: to create great theater, many different people doing various jobs, have to work harmoniously. The number 13 has always been lucky for me, but I’m felling pretty fond of six right now.
As a lifelong Stamford resident and longtime member of the greater Stamford/Fairfield County arts community, I am proud of the work that we do here at Curtain Call. And I’m also very proud to partner with so many other arts groups in the area, supporting each other in a variety of ways.
Congratulations to all of the other nonprofits who were able to rally support for their causes. To all of my friends far and near, I hope my invasion of your in-boxes and Facebook pages was entertaining, informative and maybe even made you smile a bit.
To Juanita James and the extraordinary staff of the Foundation, THANK YOU for making this incredible opportunity possible for all of us.
As chair of Stamford’s Arts and Culture Commission, I ask you to take an active role in the arts. Go see a play, a concert, a museum exhibit. Call or write your elected officials at the local, state and national levels and let them know the arts are important to you. We are most grateful to all our municipal legislators who have continued to support live theater in our city through Curtain Call as they have entrusted us with managing the wonderful facilities at The Sterling Farms Theatre Complex.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff, and everyone else at Curtain Call, please accept my most sincere thanks to all who made this our most successful Giving Day yet!
“Thank you” seems woefully inadequate, so trust me, that I say it with the utmost sincerity. Abraham Lincoln may have said it best, “I have received nothing but kindness at your hands.”