Help the Barn!
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From Amanda Huotari, Executive Director
January 2007

Dear Supporter of Celebration Barn,

.....2006 was a remarkable year for Celebration Barn Theater. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we turned an important corner. Your generosity brought in over $11,000 of urgently needed funds that were immediately invested in critical repairs.

- $6,500 for a new Farmhouse roof
- $1,000 to seal the foundation
- $3,500 invested in a new hot water heater, exterior painting and grounds maintenance

..... Thank you for giving so generously last year. With these repairs successfully completed, a new property inspection brought good news: the Barn and Farmhouse structures are in good shape, better than they have been in years. You truly helped save Celebration Barn!

..... I am also pleased to announce that I have become the Barn's new Executive Director. It was when I first came to the Barn as a teenager that I discovered my own passion for creating original theater. Having been on the Board of Directors for the past three years, I was thrilled to see how the Barn community came together this past year to make these vital repairs happen.

..... Now it's time to turn to matters of even greater significance and to make a request for a donation. Before you consider contributing this year, consider how much we accomplished last year alone and how we are shaping plans for the future:

..... In 2006, wonderful things happened at the Barn and for our extended family.

- We offered 12 weeks of programming, from June through September.
- Performers came to the Barn from 18 state and 5 countries.
- 88 performers attended Barn workshops or performed on the Barn stage.
- Celebration Barn alumni appeared on international stages, network television shows and our good friends (and alumni, too) at Eepybird.com are helping define the early stages of online video.
-Of course, thanks to you, major repairs were made to the property, allowing us to look forward to the future of this magic stage in the woods of Maine!

..... However, the news is not all good. Celebration Barn can no longer afford to simply maintain. In reviewing our long term sustainability, we realized that we must expand in order to survive. We must increase enrollment. If we want Celebration Barn Theater to be a creative home for the next generation, we need more help and from more people.

Two central questions:
Does Celebration Barn matter?

..... I believe the answer is yes. To me, and to all of us on the Board of Directors, the answer is emphatically yes. Which is why I am so honored to be the new Executive Director.

..... Celebration Barn was central to our founder Tony Montanaro's vision. It was - and is - a place where performers can come to be inspired, to take risks and to study intensively with fellow artists.

..... Tony's generous spirit cultivated this fertile ground. Carol Brett has continued to nurture it, serving as Executive Director for the past 18 years. Celebration Barn Theater has become the premier theater training school in the Northeast, and now we can take it further. If we are to survive, we have to.

..... I believe Celebration Barn can have an even more prominent role in national and international theater. Celebration Barn can and should look to increase the depths of workshops offered. Celebration Barn must and will commit itself to being a resource for the performing community, an advocate for new work and a unique venue that engages audiences in the creative process.

My second question for you today: What do you believe?

Celebration Barn Theater is a rich novel, and I invite you to help write this exciting new chapter.

..... The Board of Directors is in the process of developing a 5-year plan for the Barn. This plan aims to build on 35 years of creative daring and innovation to launch the next generation of Celebration Barn performers, teachers and audiences. For example, in 2007, we are planning two exciting new collaborative touring productions.

..... We are also expanding our online presence and are developing plans for a website that will help us become a year-round resource for performers around the world.

..... This year we also begin shaping a much needed endowment that will ensure the Barn's financial health long into the future.

..... It's easy to ask for money to fix a roof. It's hard to ask for a donation of faith. The money you send today will be used wisely and invested in the future of not just a building in the woods, but also a place in the heart, and the creative home of an incredible community in which YOU play a critical part.

..... Our goals for this year's fundraising appeal are:

1. Infrastructure. We still have several repairs that should be completed. We have a major repair that must be addressed: a drainage system around the Barn must be installed to prevent foundation damage. The cost of this repair will be $2,500. Spending this money now will save us huge expenses in the future.

2. Organizational. Celebration Barn can enhance its stature in the world of performance. To do so, training, outreach and developement must occur. Grant writing, conferences, and management training are three key areas we will specifically address in 2007. Our ultimate goal is to create an endowment that will ensure the Barn's legacy for the future.

3. Workshop and Performance. We must invest in the essence of what made us great, the essence of Tony's vision. We must get the word out to make more performing artists aware of Celebration Barn. We want more audiences to experience the creative process. Celebration Barn is ready to secure its future. In doing so, we will create gravity that draws greatness to us, as we have in the past.

..... Can I ask you to show your faith in Celebration Barn Theater? Building on its incredible artistic heritage, the Barn is more than just a place. Your donation is an investment in a thriving community that is rich with inspiration and has the resources to make dreams come true.

..... Please give this year and be a part of the new Celebration! Your gift achieves. Your gift sustains. Your gift matters. This is a critical year and we need your help!

Sincerely,


Amanda Huotari
Executive Director

P.S. Your gift is tax-deductible. Your gift is essential and as a special thank you, for any gift of $100 or more, you will receive a 10% credit applied to any one workshop you sign up for before March 30, 2007.

P.P.S. Please check out our incredible 2007 workshop schedule. You'll find the return o fmany favorite workshops, great new offerings, and some surprise guest teachers!


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Please send your donations to:
Celebration Barn Theater
190 Stock Farm Road
South Paris, ME 04281

Thank you!






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