Dear Patron of the Arts,

As you have no doubt heard, beloved theatre icon, Vanita Rae Smith retired in April of this year and as you can imagine, those were shoes that were incredibly difficult to fill. While I know that I have much to learn, I look forward to continuing Ms. Smith’s commitment to excellence in the theatre. Over the next few months we will be making some changes that will help to ensure that we carry Vanita’s vision into the future. Please be aware that any changes being made are being made with full respect to the past, but with an eye towards the future.

Perhaps the biggest change to our programming will be the addition of matinee performances of most titles. This year our 4 “mainstage” musicals will include 3:00 Sunday matinee performances. I know what you are thinking, what will that do to our celebrated Reader’s Theatre Program? Well, we will reschedule those programs to occur following the matinee performances and become part of our new “Sundays@Seven” series. This program will eventually be expanded to include band concerts, poetry readings, and cabaret evenings.

Additionally, our critically acclaimed “Broadway In Concert” series will continue this year with an exciting concert treatment of a legendary Broadway Musical to be announced later this season. Once again, this title will not be included in our season ticket package, but will serve as an end of season fund raising event that will help to ensure that our doors remain open well into the future.

Probably the change that will have the most direct impact on you as a ticket buyer is the re-working of our Season Ticket program. In the past, becoming a Season Ticket holder was a rather complicated process of reserving a particular seat for a particular performance, often up to a year in advance. As a FLEX PASS Season Ticket holder, you will still be given first choice of available seating, but will not be asked to pre-reserve your performance of choice. The process is simple: each Season Ticket Holder is given a pre-paid voucher that allows you to make a reservation for the performance/performance date of your choice one week before tickets go on sale to the general public.