This Thursday a year ago was the opening night of the annual Gabriola Players One-Act Play Festival. We had two of the four performances under our belt when…
By the end of that turbulent week, theatres – along with pretty much everything else – was shut down by the pandemic.
A planned production of The Realistic Joneses was cancelled, as was Bard in the Garden last July. With so much uncertainty the board decided it was not the time to pester people to renew their memberships and we announced we would not do so for the remainder of 2020. (Many members renewed anyway and for that we thank them profusely.)
Prospects for live theatre were bleak, but you can’t keep a group of keen thespians down. In September we tried something different: a live online show of two new short plays by local writers. The response from our supporters was edifying and in December we came back, not with the panto we’d planned (and shelved), but with another two new, Christmas-themed short plays. (We are currently planning a spring online show – watch this space for details coming soon.)
Three-quarters of our annual income is generated through ticket sales, the bulk of which comes from the panto at the Community Hall. Despite the gratifying response to our online shows, we knew we would be coming into 2021 facing the certainty of a hefty deficit. Unfortunately, while ticket sales declined dramatically without the panto, overhead costs such as insurance and storage have remained the same.
With spring in the air and the prospect of vaccinations coming to Gabriola next month lightening the lives of everyone, we are writing to ask for your help, if you are able to give it.
If you haven’t renewed your membership, please consider doing so. If you are not currently a member, please consider becoming one. The cost is $15 a year for an individual, $25 for a family membership. Memberships can be purchased or renewed via PayPal here on our website or by cheque or by an e-transfer to gabriolaplayers@gmail.com . (Please write “membership” as a note on cheques or e-transfers.)
Or, if you prefer, you can simply make a donation. Gabriola Players is a registered charity and tax receipts will be issued for all donation over $25. Donations can be made via PayPal or Canada Helps or, like memberships, with a cheque or an e-transfer. To find out more about making a donation, please click here.
We wish we didn’t have to ask and are immensely grateful for any help you are able to give.
All the best from the Gabriola Players board, who hope to get back to entertaining you in person soon.
