Can you believe it’s mid-December and the year is drawing to a close? December is a time for reflection of the past 12 months — highlights, accomplishments, disappointments, missed opportunities, game-changers, things you focused on, things you forgot, time well-invested, time wasted, people you helped, people who helped you…
We have a long list of all of these things. Running a small business, a non-profit arts organization at that, is a never-ending treadmill of work. And our work is cyclical. As soon as one show draws to a close, a new one begins and we do the whole thing all over again.
Theatre is fleeting in nature: What makes it so special, of course, is the very thing that makes its joys ephemeral. But eventually it all comes to an end when the run of a show is over. The intense world of the play, the passionate collaboration of the actors and technical artists will dissolve. The set will come down. The props and costumes will be cleaned, sorted, and stored… and the audiences leave the building and we don’t have the opportunity to connect with them again until the next one.
Which is the very reason we send these newsletters to you. We want our community to be linked throughout the entire year — and for years to come. We want to share with you all we do on stage and off stage so you understand the nature of our work and why we believe in it so passionately.
Ask and Ye Shall Receive...
We believe:
Theatre has the power to illuminate, transform and heal, and that experiencing theatre is essential for communities to thrive. Theatre brings us together, to sit near one another, to hear stories, to lift our voices in song or sorrow. Theatre creates worlds like no others. Its immediacy cannot be duplicated. Its intensity cannot be matched. A playwright’s miraculous words, directed with insight and acted with passion, elicit laughter, sadness, astonishment, enlightenment and inspiration. Suddenly, we are not alone. Theatre is communal. An actor speaks a playwright’s words. Another answers. Dialogue begins; melody rises. The audience adds its own energy, rhythm, breath; harmony emerges — all of it entwining together in a shared experience of power and exhilaration. In excellence and strive for greatness. In taking creative risks and working above and beyond our comfort zones in order to create experiences that stimulate, inspire, and challenge our audiences.
We are an artistic home where professional actors can continue to work on their craft amongst their peers. We inspire the next generation of theater artists through performance, education, and outreach.
It costs thousands of dollars to produce one show. We cannot do it without the generous support of donors. We are trying to expand our production schedule and pay artists for their time and hard work. They deserve a fair wage and our audiences deserve a high-quality show.
That’s an Honest Pint.
If you believe in the power of theatrical storytelling as a means to expand consciousness, that theatre has the power to illuminate, transform and heal, and that experiencing theatre is essential for communities to thrive, we hope you will consider making a year-end gift this month to help us keep producing.
Make a deductible donation here: www.honestpinttheatre.org OR via PayPal
What's On Tap!
We are proud to bring you the regional premiere of THE HERD by Rory Kinnear
Three generations, two surprise guests and one unexpected evening.
Carol, a harried matriarch in suburban London, has arranged a small family party to celebrate the 21st birthday of her son Andy, who is severely disabled. But as everyone begins to gather, things go off the rails as two surprise guests pop up—one a newcomer and one all too familiar. And then Andy and his caregiver are running late—very late. With a deft comic touch, The Herd introduces us to three generations of a spirited middle class clan confronting the possibilities of reconciliation, the power of the past and the irresistible pull of family.
Featuring: Susannah Hough, Lenore Field, Paul Newell, Simon Kaplan, Jess Barbour, and Daniel Wilson
Directed by David Henderson
This is a co-production with North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre (NRACT)
January 25, 26 at 7:30 pm, January 27 at 2:00 pm
February 1, 2 at 7:30 pm, February 3 at 2:00 pm
February 8, 9 at 7:30 pm, February 10 at 2:00 pm
Tickets: $20 general admission, $15 students/under 25 years old
More info and tickets: www.honestpinttheatre.org
Performances will be at NRACT:
North Raleigh Arts & Creative Theatre
7713-51 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh, NC, 27615
Greystone Shopping Center, 919-866-0228
Here’s what critics have to say about THE HERD:
"A lively and moving comedy-drama...The Herd breathes with real, complicated life... Most remarkably, for all the sadness at its core, The Herd remains a buoyantly entertaining play."
- New York Times
"Grips like a vice."
- Whatsonstage
“This play deserves nothing less than a box-office stampede.”
– The Telegraph
"Witty, agonising and eye-opening... a weave of painful insights and playful humour."
- Independent
Until next time....
