Georgetown Palace Seeks Donations to Replace Art Deco Carpet

The Historic Palace Theatre in Georgetown is pleased to announce the receipt of a $5,000 grant from The Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation to help with replacement of the carpet in our historic theatre. Palace patrons have pledged $7,500 to date, bringing our total to $12,500. Additional funds of $7,500 are needed to complete the financial plans for the project. Palace Executive Director Marissa Austin says, “The Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation has been very generous to support yet another much needed project at the Palace. Keeping up an historic building is not easy, and we are incredibly grateful to our patrons and to the Herzstein Charitable Foundation.” The Herzstein Charitable Foundation also made a significant contribution of $15,000 to the Palace in 2010 for the restoration of The Tin Barn, our facility designated for the production needs of the Palace (rehearsals, set building, costume storage, offices).

From the foundation’s website, www.herzsteinfoundation.org/, comes this information: “A businessman, entrepreneur, and, ultimately, a philanthropist, Albert Herzstein dedicated his later years to the charitable foundation that bears his name and that of his equally generous wife, Ethel. Through its gifts, The Herzstein Foundation honors the ideals of personal responsibility and resourcefulness in a free society, limited government, self-sufficiency, the right of all individuals to enjoy a life of quality, and the importance of providing opportunities for people to help themselves. Recipients include organizations that promote education, serve to enrich the human spirit, and work to improve quality of life for others. Preference is given to groups and projects that receive little or no support from the government. We seek to make contributions that will produce meaningful, positive change.”

Following 12 years of extensive foot traffic, the time has come to replace the carpeting throughout our building. Gregory Free, the designer and project manager for our major restoration/renovation project of 1998-2001, has joined with us in determining our carpeting needs this second time around. We feel it is important that we use the Art Deco pattern created for the 2001 restoration to preserve that bit of history. Mr. Free’s idea was to add a touch of color to the original carpet pattern, reaching out to the future while respecting the past. Our committee has agreed upon this approach.


General Information about the Palace: The Palace seats about 295, with reserved seating paid for in the ticket price. The Palace office in the lobby of the theatre is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. (except for some holiday dates). Purchase tickets and select seating on-line at www.georgetownpalace.com or by calling (512) 869-7469 or (512) 869-5081.
Contact education@georgetownpalace.com for information and registration. The Historic Palace Theatre is located at 810 South Austin Avenue in downtown Georgetown and is part of the most beautiful Town Square in Texas!

Construction in Progress: Zach's Topfer Theatre, November 9

Zach Theatre Management Invites the Press and Media into the Topfer Theatre

November 10, 2011

by Michael Meigs

Building crews continue hard at work within the Zach Theatre's $22 million venture at Lamar and Riverside. Zach's producing artistic director Dave Steakley and managing director Elisbeth Challener invited press for a tour of the locale yesterday, in company of the architects Arthur W. Andersson and F. Christian Wise. Mort Topfer was there for part of the walk-though.

Andersson drew word pictures of the rain garden and plaza that would link the Zach's three theatres as of the formal black-tie opening of the plaza and the new Topfer Theatre on September 27 . The Topfer's western façade will feature thick glass panels evoking curtains and the "Juliet balcony" for which Zach is commissioning short drama pieces from Suzan-Lori Parks, Steven Dietz and others. Once the inaugural production of the full-orchestra musical Ragtime gets going, the Zach will provide free pre-show performances featuring the balcony, running from 6:30 p.m. and available to all passers-by. Steakley expects to announce the 2012-2013 theatre schedule for Zach in February, 2012.

The Topfer will feature all-LED lighting, an innovation pioneered by one other theatre to date, in London. Heating and air conditioning machinery is located in an immediately contiguous building, well insulated from the audience space and will feed the airflow into a large space beneath the seating area. Air will rise through the auditorium floor via vents located beneath seats.

The main stage is named for Zach legend Karen Kuykendal, whose ashes have been interred in its foundation. It features a full orchestra pit. The audience space will accommodate 427 spectators.

The management is undertaking a final push to complete funding of construction and set-up costs. To date $18.3 million of the $22 million needed has been raised. A mail-out just made to regular subscribers is asking for a commitment of $60 per year; the Zach is asking potential donors, both individuals and corporations, to pledge to the project, offering 'naming' opportunities for building features, down to the individual seats.

Click to view AustinLiveTheatre.com images from yesterday's walk-through of the project and links to other media reporting of the event. . . .

Funding Appeal: Burn This by Lanford Wilson, 7 Towers Theatre Company, Austin, December 2 - 18

Received directly:

7 Towers Theatre Company

appeals for for $2000 in funding via

for

Burn This

by Lanford Wilson

December 2 - 18

City View Terrace, Ballet Austin, 501 W. 3rd Street (click for map)

As of October 25, $1250 has been pledged; 25 days remain

The Project

Our first full season kicks off with a production of Lanford Wilson’s Burn This, December 2-18. The play is an often funny, often heartbreaking look into the human soul after a tragic loss. It deals with the aftermath of a dancer’s death for his roommate, a struggling New York choreographer, and his brother, a hard-edged restaurant manager from New Jersey. Burn This is a play that speaks to the realities of living in a less than ideal world, and finding moments of beauty within it. It’s about the artist’s place within the community. To that end, we’re producing Burn This in the City View Terrace at Ballet Austin. This non-traditional space allows us connection to the larger Austin arts community as well as to the downtown business community that surrounds both our production space and the lives of the characters in the play.

What We Need & What You Get

We need your help to get this first production off the ground! Besides production rights ($600+) and production space ($1000+), we need to provide costumes, set pieces to turn Ballet Austin's space into a New York loft, advertising/marketing costs and stipends for our professionally trained artistic and production teams. (Sadly, we'll never be able to afford to pay these fantastically talented people what they're worth, but you can help us to at least show some appreciation for the time, effort, and passion they've given us!) For your help, we'd love to give you some perks (see the sidebar), and an engaging, thought-provoking night of theatre!

Click 'Read more' for further information or go to the Indiegogo page . . . .

Arts Reporting: Zach Theatre Publicizes Half-Million Dollar Donation to Topfer Theatre

Received directly:

Zach Theatre announces $500,000 Challenge Grant for new Topfer Theatre
Topfer’s Juliet Balcony Named in Honor of Deanna and Jeff Serra’s New Challenge Grant to ZACH Theatre

May 9, 2011 — The Juliet Balcony of the new Topfer Theatre, now under construction on the ZACH Theatre campus, is the latest scene for Austin’s love affair with the performing arts. The balcony, which will host a series of free community performances when the Topfer Theatre opens in the fall of 2012, will be named “The Serra Family Juliet Balcony.” ZACH Theatre Board Member and ABE Charitable Foundation, Inc. President Deanna Serra and her husband Vida Capital, Inc. President and CEO Jeff Serra are contributing $500,000 as a challenge grant to continue fueling ZACH’s fundraising efforts.

Click to view full text of the Zach press release

Anonymous Benefactor Gives $50,000 to Encourage Sponsorship of Hill Country Community Theatre, near Marble Falls

Received directly from Hill Country Community Theatre:

Announces Grant Receipt, Sponsorship Program

The Hill Country Community Theatre Board of Governors has announced it will begin offering sponsorships to area businesses for each play it stages to augment grant money it has received that provides enough funding to operate its physical facility for the next 12 months.

The grants, which are from an anonymous source, will total $50,000 through the end of 2011. HCCT has received half the money with the balance to be paid in increments during the next 12 months.

“We are extremely grateful to our donor for this generous gift,” said Maris Lynne Long, HCCT Board president. “But we still are faced with raising enough money to fund the three remaining productions of the 2010-2011 season, not to mention securing the financial support to continue to stage shows next season.”

To that end, the HCCT is launching a multi-pronged fundraising drive, she said.

“Our HCCT Guild is planning fundraisers and of course we will conduct our annual membership drive. But, we also are planning to offer opportunities to area businesses to sponsor one or more shows,” she said.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Opinion: Why Outdoor Theatre? by Nancy Mohn Barnard (Violet Crown Theatre)

Meditations from Nancy Mohn Barnard published on the blog of the Violet Crown Community Theatre, who wind up The Amazing, Unforgettable, Mixed-up Adventures of Hansel and Gretel at Laguna Gloria amphitheater Sunday, November 21, at 4:30 p.m.:

Why Outdoor Theatre?, November 19

When I was six years old, my parents took me to Golden Gate Park for the day where we went for a nature walk into the seeming wilderness. All of a sudden, we stumbled into a clearing where there was a performance of Alice in Wonderland. For a moment I felt confused . . . Had I somehow fallen down the rabbit hole and into the actual story? Or had the characters been magically transported into my world? My mother must have recognized my confusion for she whispered to me that the scene before my eyes was a performance, a play, and as we sat down to watch it, I fell in love with not only theater but the magic that an outdoor performance can create as well.

As an adult, I had no memory of this experience until one day, several years ago, I was taking a stroll through the Hyde Park neighborhood in Austin. It was summer solstice and the sun was just beginning to set when I walked past Shipe Park. Suddenly, I heard laughter, music and bells ringing. As I approached the Elisabet Ney museum, I discovered, to my delight, there was a theater performance on the grass with the castle-like structure in the background. With great delight, I joined the other audience members and enjoyed a timely performance of A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The unexpectedness of this performance, combined with the magic of summer solstice, transported me into the world of this story until I was an actual participant. The experience was magical and I began to remember that first outdoor theatrical performance from so many years past.

In both of these experiences, the backdrop and staging was minimal. Being surrounded by the beauty of the outdoors, the eyes were not deprived or in need of additional stimulation. The performances were a free gift to whomever was interested – a free gift that changed my world and sent me into a love affair with literature and storytelling.

Theater is meant to be enjoyed by all, and yet, all too often, the experience is out of the reach of many. Theater tickets are expensive—forget trying to take an entire family out to enjoy a performance. As a result, many children are deprived of one of the oldest mediums for entertainment. And yet, as evidenced by my story, many could develop an appreciation for arts and literature through early exposure. This is why Violet Crown Community Theater strives to offer free performances—in the hopes of reaching young families who may not be able to afford to spend $30+ for an afternoon at the theater.

Please help us in this mission by giving generously at our closing show this Sunday: “The Amazing, Unforgettable, Mixed-up Adventures of Hansel and Gretel” atLaguna Gloria amphitheater, Sunday, 11/21 @ 4:30 PM.

Reflections, November 18

As our fall show draws to a close, I have been spending a lot of my down time reflecting on this production. “The Amazing, Unforgettable, Mixed-up Adventures of Hansel and Gretel” is my third production since starting this group, and in many ways, it has been my favorite so far.

Read More at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: Sustainable Theatre Project's fundraiser for Seller Door by Larry Mitchell (ongoing)

via @travisbedard on Twitter:

The Sustainable Theatre Project is documenting the life-cycle of a new play Seller Door.

What does “life-cycle” mean? It means we’re going to film every aspect from planning to production of a live performance. Everything from auditions and production meetings to artist interviews and a live performance will be filmed, edited and produced in a one-of-a-kind documentary/recorded live performance DVD set. The project includes three specific areas of focus: The Play, Sustainability and the Video Series.

It’s like funding three projects in one! A live performance, conceived and executed sustainably and a professionally produced film!

ABOUT THE PLAY

Seller Door is a play about consequences. It’s about a Barker, the people he gets to go through a door and what happens to those people once they go through the door. For the live production, STP will use an empty space, a non-traditional theatre space, perhaps a store front or vacant warehouse. Without giving too much away… there will be a Barker, a thief, 25 lbs. of pretzels and a room that fills with… well, that would be giving too much away. The execution of the play will be an experiment attempting to blend the “fourth-wall”, observer based, story-telling theatre of tradition with the contemporary shift toward audience participation, experiential theatre that has become popular as of late. With Seller Door, STP strives to create an event that is equal parts story/observation and experience/participation that will uphold the ritual of theatre and embrace the newest trends in theatre.

Campaign goal: $3500. Open until January 24.

Click on image or click here to go to page with video and funding appeal. . . .

Upcoming: Shakespeare's Birthday Party at the Curtain Theatre, Saturday afternoon, April 24

Received directly:

(Click image to view larger version)