What a First Quarter!
The first quarter of the year was jam-packed with exciting happenings at CTCC! From new board members to a $10,000 endowment! From new committees to a sold out musical! We had a great first 90 days of the year!
First Quarter, First Month: January: Annual Meeting and Board Business
Did you miss our annual meeting in January? No problem! Check out this article for the recap!
Board officers stayed the same for the year 2024 as they had been in 2023. You can see them below.
The board is looking for some meeting spaces that can be used so as not to interrupt rehearsals when they need to discuss CTCC business. Feel free to email info@thelarktheatre.com if you know of a space that you think might work!
First Quarter: Second Month: February: Match Madness Success, & Committee Chairs
Through the generosity of our members, patrons, and extended community we were able to achieve our target of raising $5,000 for our new endowment fund. This amount will be matched by the Wabash Valley Community Foundation giving us $10,000 in our account. This is a big step in securing our long term sustainability as an organization. Contributions to the endowment fund will continue to pay dividends to our organization for as long as it exists.
-New committee chairs have been chosen! For the 2024 calendar year they are as as follows:
Marketing & Community Engagement: Ashlee Vitz
Finance & Grants: Amy Cleveland (finance) & Ashlee Vitz (grants)
Facilities Management: Matthew Tribble
Production Management: Bryan Schroeder
House Administration: Michelle McCrea
Artistic Direction: Lee Reberger
Special Programs: Valerie Clark
March: McDonald’s, Meshuggah-Nuns, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Next Season, Delta Theta Tau, Marketing, and Solarbration!
-McDonald’s held a dine-to-donate fundraiser for us on March 19th. We were able to raise over $400 through this event!
-Shaun Short is directing our next production, Mesuggah Nuns, which will take place on May 3, 4, and 5. Get your tickets today!
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, our March musical, sold out three weeks before we ever opened the doors for the first performance! The leads, played by T.J. Tincher, Payton Kumpf, Caden Barnes, Kaitlyn Tribble, and Rusty Coley, were an extra special highlight for the community!
Male lead, Tincher, was especially impressed with how far our production quality has come in the last year! Tincher expressed that, “It was refreshing to have a week to integrate all the tech. Destiny Cox, our lighting technician, took great care to meld the story and lights to create a beautifully painted set. She also took the time to make Chitty come to life by giving the car headlight “eyes.” Bryan Schroeder, our sound technician, knows more about sound mixing than most people within the tri-county area. Without his technical expertise and ear for sound effects, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang would have been a quiet old set piece sitting there without personality.”
Female lead, Kumpf, always praised the Chitty technicians, stating that, “There is no way we could have pulled off a show like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang without our production team. We had a full week of tech rehearsal, and that’s when the true magic began. It’s amazing to see a show you’ve been working on for so long come to life, thanks to the hard work of those working behind the scenes. As a performer, it really helps you step into the role you’re playing. Our production team spent so much time perfecting all the little details, and they nailed it!”
-Switching gears, the first show of our next season is “The 39 Steps,” which will be directed by Lisa Watler-Marse. “The 39 Steps” will take place at the end of July.
-In donation news, we were able to secure a $250 grant from Delta Theta Tau to purchase two new computers to power the digital display in the front window and run the slideshows that display during productions. Thank you, Delts!
-The 41st season brochure has been approved, so watch for it in your mailboxes this Spring!
-Funds were approved to renew our website hosting services for the next year. We always love when you take the time to visit us at www.thelarktheatre.com!
-CTCC will appear again in Exploring Clay County magazine! Watch for us in this special Clay County treasure!
-Finally CTCC will be hosting the Northview Choir and Greybeard on April 6 as part of Brazil’s Solarbration. Brenda Buchanan, NHS choir director, said, “the jazz choir will be performing two songs and the members of the jazz choirs will be doing individual songs.” Watch the website and our social media platforms for details!
(Photo submitted by Buchanan)
Written by Matthew Tribble and Ashlee Vitz