Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the South County Center for the Arts, a not-for-profit organization founded, with much excitement and dedication, by a community eager to have a local arts center at its heart.  The restoration of the historic Courthouse as our home was a landmark achievement.

The current trustees and staff of the Courthouse Center for the Arts (our operating name) have a deep appreciation for that founding community and for you and others who’ve continued to support us; it’s an enormous achievement that a small arts center has survived for nearly a quarter century.

This year alone, my first, has shown that we can do anything—from a hit Broadway musical (“a standout show” Providence Journal; “not to be missed” Newport Mercury) to a visual and performing arts partnership with South County Hospital, a co-venture into the world of barbershop harmonies (sold out!) and a music series featuring jazz, blues and folk. Most significant was the synergy between a musical about the ocean (TITANIC) and the photographs of world-renowned maritime photographer ONNE VAN DER WAAL

Synergy is when forces combine and result in a much more revealing and fascinating creation.

We ‘re asking you to be part of the ongoing synergy of the Courthouse by giving to the 2012-2013 Annual Fund campaign;  this fund directly supports the operation itself; Our one-of-a-kind building, the staff, the heating and cooling, and the marketing, as well as the many other overhead expenses of a project of this size.

Please complete attached form and send it back with your check, or use your credit card on our secure site.  The South County Center for the Arts (d.b.a. Courthouse Center for the Arts) is a 501 (c) (3) and your donation is tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.   If you’d like to extend your commitment over a period of time, we can arrange for a monthly deduction from your credit card.

Beginning in early 2013, we’ll present our exclusive production of Monty Python’s whacky, laugh-riot SPAMALOT (2008 Tony® Award for Best Musical), followed by Shakespeare’s comedy AS YOU LIKE IT set in a living forest created by long-time Boston Flower Show designer, LOUIS RAYMOND.  Art in art.  Renowned visual artists?  This spring our galleries will glow with the work of master Rhode Island artist BILL KLENK , and there’ll be a new comedy cabaret series for those who want to hear the best of the old and new in an intimate setting.

Best-selling author JODI PICOULT (“My Sister’s Keeper,” and many other titles) will participate in our kids’ summer performance workshop when we produce one of hit musicals.  Jodi will be here on-site to help make our production a smash!  In January, we’ll announce our concert series, and the rest of our theater season, and our

signature Bridge to Broadway® classes for adults and kids will be publicized in February.

And there’s much more!  Look for a major fashion event in the fall (Diana Vreeland, Coco Chanel et al), a synergy among writers, photographers, artists, actors and musicians.  Or maybe you’ll enjoy a comedy where an entire Italian meal is cooked for the audience!  Good times, good times.

We are entering a new phase, and all  this excitement needs your financial support and involvement.  Please send us your annual gift today.  It will encourage us, and allow the continuing potential of our charming, historic building as a destination for local professional theatre and the arts in our town.

And don’t be shy, drop by.  We’d love to talk about the bright future. Please help us make new history while celebrating twenty-five years of accomplishments past.  The board and staff join me in wishing you and yours the brightest of holidays.

Sincerely,

 

Richard Ericson, Executive and Artistic Director