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Celebrate 100 Years of GRCC As They Present “Open Door”!

 

Featuring Many Actors’ Theatre Performers

Todd Lewis

Jon Clausen

Ellie Frances

Tracey Walker

Sammy Publes
Calin Skidmore
Craig Hammerlind

Vocalists

Lynne Brown Tepper

Edye Evans Hyde
Rob Karel

Lisa Butler
Larry Young

Along with current GRCC Theatre Students & Dancers, Alumni, and Staff!

and
Directed by Michelle Urbane & Fred Sebulske
Music Direction by Duane Davis
Choreography by Kathy Gibson

Take a journey through time (1914-2014) and celebrate 100 years of GRCC’s existence and impact on our community!

Click here to reserve your tickets online!

Welcome Our New Managing Director, Kyle Los

We are very thrilled to announce Kyle Los as our new Managing Director. Many of you have seen Kyle on stage at Actors’ Theatre in shows such as Venus in Fur, Next to Normal, Spring Awakening, Reefer Madness and Sweetest Swing in Baseball. For the last three years, Kyle has managed GRid70 – a collaborative design hub which hosts creators from Amway, Wolverine World Wide, Steelcase, Meijer, and Pennant Health Alliance. Recently named one of the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty”, Kyle is being recognized as an influential leader in Grand Rapids.

Kyle has been working in many capacities for the organization and currently serves on the Actors’ Theatre Board of Directors as Treasurer. Ben Boerkoel, Board President said, “We are excited to have his abilities and passion for Actors’ Theatre as Managing Director. We have witnessed his strategic vision and a hard working no-nonsense work ethic driven by his deep and passionate heart for the work of Actors’ Theatre. We are confident that Kyle’s energy and insightful leadership will successfully lead the Actors’ Theatre family to new and exciting places.”

In speaking with Fred Sebulske, founder of Actors’ Theatre, he said, “I am delighted to hear of Kyle joining Actors’ Theatre in an official capacity. His work with Actors’ over several years as an actor, board member, sound designer, producer, and assistant director has shown him to be a well-rounded theatre practitioner with a real passion for Actors’ and its mission. This is a great step in insuring a bright future for Actors’.”
Kyle will assume his role as Managing Director starting November 3rd.

Actors’ Theatre Needs Your Help!

ACTORS’ THEATRE NEEDS YOUR HELP! CAN YOU HELP US RISE TO THE CHALLENGE?

With the approach of our 34^th Season as well as our first-ever participation in Art Prize, Actors’ Theatre has been given a wonderful opportunity to achieve something that we have been working so hard to reach – financial independence.  Several of our long-time donors have offered a challenge that will help us pay off our debt as well as make us eligible for other sources of income, including grants and contributions from foundations.  Achieving such independence will also allow us to put the majority of our resources into shows for which Actors’ Theatre has long been known – those that are entertaining, innovative, challenging and thought-provoking – as well as to reach new audiences and explore new opportunities.

The challenge: these long-time donors have pledged a minimum of $15,000 if we can match this amount. Our first goal is to reach $4000 by the close of our first show, 4000 Miles, on October 11.  From there we are hoping to “checkmate” our challenge by raising, at a minimum, an additional $11,000 by the opening of Chesson December 4.  With the help of both our long-time supporters as well as new donors, we are confident we will meet the challenge.  Make your contribution at our website; by sending it to our office at 143 Bostwick Ave., NE, Grand Rapids, MI  49503; or by calling our office at 616-234-3968.

In the recent 2014 Grand Awards announcement, all three plays from last season were nominated as “Outstanding,” with eleven total nominations for Actors’ Theatre.  We anticipate more nominations when the Grand Awards committee announces their selections for musicals.  This continues the pattern of Actors’ Theatre being recognized for its long tradition of bringing quality theater to West Michigan.

Won’t you help us rise to “the challenge” so we can continue our tradition as well as explore new opportunities?

The Board of Actors’ Theatre

 

Actors’ Congratulates Recent Scholarship Winners!

Actors’ Theatre would like to send a big congratulations to Preston Mulligan, Patrick Nowak and Meeka Postman, all recent winners of theatre scholarships! Take a moment to read more about the scholarships and these amazing local performers in this article from mlive:

Rising local actors awarded $6,000 in scholarships at Festival of the Arts 2014

By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Three scholarships worth $6,000 for young actors were among the awards presented during Festival of the Arts 2014.

Winners of the Combined Theatre Scholarships for budding thespians in the Grand Rapids area are Preston Mulligan, Patrick Nowak and Meeka Postman.

One of the three awards, formerly known as the Grand Award Scholarship, was renamed the Paul Dreher Scholarship in honor of the former managing director of Grand Rapids Civic Theatre who died in June 2013.

[Read more about the recipients in the full article…]