Actors Theatre Board Gives Go-Ahead for 2012-13 Season

Following a successful three-phased fund-raising effort that generated nearly $500,000 from more than 850 donors – almost 600 who donated for the first time – The Actors Theatre Board of Directors has officially raised the curtain on the 2012-13 season including the company's first-ever three-show summerstock schedule.

"We were overwhelmed by the success of the fund-raising effort and are enthusiastic about the future," said Actors Theatre Board Chair Oonagh Boppart. "The community's incredible support and words of confidence sent a very clear to message to us."

After announcing a severe cash-flow issue last fall, Actors Theatre embarked on an aggressive grassroots fund raising strategy that "officially ended in June, but only set the stage for the next phase of our outreach to sustain the momentum," Boppart said.
The result was donations of nearly $490,000 from 851 donors and resulted in commitments from 70 individuals for regular recurring monthly contributions which will add $22,000 over the course of the season.

"That we only fell $12,000 short in a recovering economy is remarkable in itself," Boppart said. "We continue to manage and cut expenses and we have developed an aggressive fund-raising strategy to build on the success we experienced last season and to develop new partnerships, collaborations, sponsorships and sources of income. Managing Director Erica Black is leading that effort."

Anticipating the successful conclusion of the fund-raising, Actors Theatre announced its five-show schedule in the spring beginning with Mike Daisey's "The Agony and The Ecstasy of Steve Jobs" from Sept. 21-Oct. 7. That will be followed by "Opus," Nov. 2-18; "The Fox on the Fairway," Jan. 25-Feb. 10; "A Steady Rain," March 22- April 7; and "Good People," May 3-19. All shows are staged at The Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe.

ation about Actors Theatre, to purchase season tickets for the 2012-13 season or to make a donation, visit www.actorstheatrephx.org.

About Actors Theatre of Phoenix:

Actors Theatre presents passionate, thought-provoking theatre designed to add to the social dialogue of the community. Our mission is to create contemporary professional theatre that amplifies the cultural conversation of our communities with powerful and innovative programming. The ideas and themes embedded in the work we produce are the framework for civic dialogue within our community. We have built a reputation as the company that takes the most risks and consistently delivers thought-provoking theatre. Actors Theatre performs exclusively at the Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix. Actors Theatre has been named Producing Theatre Company of the Year by the Arizona Theatre Alliance and Arts Organization of the Year by the Arts and Business Council of Greater Phoenix

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