A Rockin' Thank You Party - Next Saturday!

Get ready, all you folks who helped save SecondStory Rep! We're having a big thank you party on Saturday, January 23rd -- and, if you donated during our recent campaign, you're invited for free!

Doors open at 7:30; mingle in the lobby over hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Then, at 8:00, we'll move into the theater for performances by singer/songwriter Dan Connolly, one of Seattle's rising music stars; and by our own Split Second Improv comedy troupe.

A recent Seattle Times review described Connolly this way: "Add a Celtic twist to a mix of Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson and John Mayer, and you've got Issaquah artist Dan Connolly." He will be joined for the occasion by Timothy McCormick (of UK darling Honeyman). Have a listen to some of Dan's music here.

And if you're among the folks who haven't yet shared a late-night laugh with Split Second Improv, they're hilarious -- you've gotta see 'em! Led by longtime company member Robert Bogue, the group is a blend of SSR regulars and performers from Seattle's Unexpected Productions, whose own stage is the theater at Pike Place Market.

SecondStory artistic director Susanna Wilson gushes, "I am thrilled that both our hilarious improv troupe and these incredibly talented musicians are willing to donate their time and talent to SSR so that we can thank our donors properly. Please come and celebrate with us!"

Connolly adds: "Any proceeds from this show will go right back into the theater. We want to make it a really cool vibe -- friends should bring friends, and be prepared to make friends."

Again, if you made a donation of any kind this fall, you're welcome as our guest; but you must RSVP by 5:00 pm on the 23rd. Just call our box office at (425) 881-6777, or send an email to caitlin@secondstoryrep.org . Guests are also welcome, for a $30 donation; get your tickets at the door or buy tix online.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Important Children's Series Update

With all that's been going on about SSR's (now successful) campaign to stay open, some of you may have missed announcements about our revised children's theater schedule for January.

Sadly, we were forced to cancel our production of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, which would have opened this weekend. But in its place, Seattle's theatre simple has offered to present their latest children's show, Myth Understandings -- a funny look at myths and fairytales through the lens of technology:

Two excitable scientists are test-driving their new automatic personal thinking machine, the "iHead", when technical disaster throws them into a storybook world of adventure, excitement, and danger!

theater simple has been around since 1991, touring the country (and the world, as far away as Australia and Singapore!) with its inventive and humorous shows for children and grownups alike. In fact, the Vancouver Sun called this show "riveting in its energy and imagination... a wonderfully theatrical theatre experience."

Myth Understandings runs for one weekend only, January 15-17, with performances on Friday night at 7:00 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 and 4:00 pm. Tickets are $9 each, all ages. Anyone who had already purchased tickets for The Boy Who Cried Wolf -- subscribers and single-ticket buyers -- will have those tickets honored at these performances. Just call the box office at (425) 881-6777 to tell us which showing you want to come to. Thanks for YOUR "understandings"!

We really appreciate the folks at theatre simple for jumping in to help us -- it's wonderful to see theaters band together to help each other in this way!

WE DID IT!!! SecondStory Rep lives on!

Actually, that should read, YOU did it! Talk about a dramatic finish: On the final day of our do-or-die fundraising campaign, around 2:00 pm on December 31st, a generous donor walked into the SSR office with a check for $2,000. This raised our total to $68,256.28 -- which meant that, when further pledges kicked in, we would actually make our $80K goal.

The board then voted overwhelmingly to stay open. SecondStory Repertory lives on!

We are truly humbled by this tremendous outpouring of support from the community. To raise this much money, at this troubled time, is an amazing accomplishment. Our thanks to every donor, every board member, every staff member, every Facebook friend...everyone who played a role in our victory.

In fact, we're planning to thank you all with a big party at the theater on Saturday evening, January 23rd... more details coming soon!

10....8....5....3....2.........

Huh? Is this some math-challenged countdown to the new year? Nope -- just the progress of our fundraising campaign over the last two weeks. First we got inside $10K to go; then we were at $8K, then $5K......

And as we do count down to our December 31st deadline, we now have a mere $1,237.00 to go. After starting with the seemingly impossible task of raising $80,000 in October! Can you believe it?

So, sorry to sound like a broken record, but...WE ARE SO CLOSE and there are ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT. We want to get securely across the finish line! Also, the cast of our spring musical, She Loves Me, is standing by and eager to start rehearsing as soon as they get the green light.

It's pretty clear that our audiences from all around the Eastside want to see professional theater continue in Redmond. If that's something you want too, please donate today. Already donated? Tell your friends. If just 50 people donated $25 each, we'd be there.

Thank you, as always, for your support of quality arts on "this" side of the bridge!

"Teen Match" Challenge...Met!

The following is a direct quote from Managing Director Caitlin Frances, as sent to the SSR Board of Directors:

We met and exceeded the “Teen Match”! WHEEHAAA!!!

Thank you to all who've donated during this particular stretch of our fundraising drive.

We are oh-so-close to our December 31st fundraising goal. But we're not there yet! We know you're probably busy over the next day or two...but during those next few days of finally slowing down a bit, please consider an extra donation to get us over the top. (And don't forget, we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit, so your donations are tax-deductible -- this week is your last chance to declare a little more off your 2010 tax return!)

Also this week: We still have two final performances of "A Christmas Cabaret" on Saturday night at 7:00 pm and Sunday afternoon at 2 pm. It's great fun for the whole family! Click here for tickets.

OMG We Are So Close!!

Friends, with the clock ticking down the hours to our deadline, we have a new fundraising total:

                                           $52,115.34

Ah, but the news gets even better! If we can make it to $60,000, we have several large pledges that will get us over the top. Which means that we are now just $8,884.66 away! Yes, a happy ending is now in sight. If you want to keep live professional theater in Redmond, please call (425) 881-6777 or go to our website donation page today.

Remember, donations received by the end of business on Wednesday, December 23rd with the notation "Teen Match" will be matched twice....... IF we meet our goal.

As always, we thank all of our donors for their generous support.

Community Members Pledge $$$ Challenge

As previously blogged, SSR students produced a "Teen Cabaret" last weekend, as a way of doing their part to keep SecondStory Rep alive. They raised a ton of money; and now, longtime subscribers Dirk and Shanie Holman want to build on that effort. Here is Shanie's challenge:

"I was very impressed by the dedication of the Teens in putting on their Cabaret Sunday. They clearly demonstrated the power of even small (monetary) contributions, to raise a total of more than $2300. So I'm throwing down a challenge, to make their hard work go even farther:  If, by December 23, SSR can collect at least $2400 in *new* contributions, designated "Teen Match," my husband and I will match those contributions with $200/mo for 2010 (in addition to whatever contribution we might already be making). Our contribution, in turn, will be matched by Microsoft. Check out the power of multiplication! Feel free to spread this challenge far and wide."

We are overwhelmed by the generosity of this offer -- from two people who have already donated money, time and effort to our fundraising campaign. Thank you so much, Dirk and Shanie!

And now their challenge goes out to you. Call or send in your tax-deductible donation today, marked "Teen Match", and tell everyone you know who might like to help. Email your friends, put it on your Facebook or MySpace page, send out a Tweet...If those teens could raise that amount in one day, then all the rest of us should definitely be able to do the same in one week!