Audrey and I spent lots of time at home smiling and celebrating in the last couple days, and y'all need to hear about it.
Calliope was awarded a Southeast Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC) grant award of $10,000.00 in the Arts and cultural Heritage category!!
This is a very competitive award, from a well-respected council, and rarely goes to brand new organizations, all of which just makes us squee all the louder about it, which you're just going to have to endure for the rest of this blog entry. Audrey worked hard writing the grant proposal, and some friends of Calliope helped with proofreading, editing, and grantsmanship expertise.
And as it turns out, folks who reviewed the plans for our theatre company for the first time were impressed. We got comments back on our grant review, and we want all of you to see what they thought of Calliope putting on Jekyll & Hyde. Prepare for some utterly shameless self-promotion.
"The enthusiasm for this project shines throughout the proposal!!"
"[The Production] would obviously expand arts opportunities, meet the
goals of the Calliope Theater, and aid the development of theater arts."
"Talent comes from within the community and the audience is exposed to a musical most have not seen, providing a quality arts experience for participants and audience."
"Well-established artists involved"
"Very qualified individuals involved in the production"
"A challenging play and a great chance for the actors and audience to grow"
"Calliope formed to ... embrace local artists, and empower the community through voting membership."
"Designers and directors are professionals in the field"
"The fundraisers have done well, and the budget is excellent."
"The website is well-organized, transparent, and enticing."
"It is TRUE community theater and gives the local actors a venue...the community support is wonderful from the artists , actors and volunteers"
Aw shucks, SEMAC! You really think I'm enticing? I'm blushing over here!
What I love the most, honestly, is the comments that show they understand what we're trying to do. They saw the community foundation and commented on our membership system and the support we've already gotten, and I'm just ecstatic that it shows. You reading this, who have taken the time to get to the bottom of a blog entry from a local community theatre, YOU are the reason we are here and the reason we will continue to be successful. Thank you!!
Expect to see future blogs about the fate of our summer production in the light of COVID19, but for now, please take a moment to smile with us about this wonderful news, and accept our appreciation for being a part of the Calliope community. The Calliopunity?