Dear Patrons, Members, Volunteers, and Partners,
Myself and the rest of the Broadview Heights Spotlights family are thrilled and delighted to announce the next phase of growth and development with Spotlights, just in time for our 20th Anniversary. After extensive wishing, brainstorming, planning and executing over the past couple years, we are looking forward to a major expansion of our building that is estimated to break ground in 2018. In collaboration with the city of Broadview Heights, we are planning to add a 40 x 80 foot addition to the south side of our existing performance hall. This new space is intended to serve as a new, larger, and flexible space for larger on-stage productions, events, educational forums, camp activities, and more. As we continue to grow ideologically, philosophically, and physically this new space is the product of the vision of many of our trustees, particularly Spotlights founder and President Emeritus Annette Phelps, Education Director Tim Anderson, Vice President of Growth & Development Ryan Bergeron, and additional support from the entire board of trustees.
This new opportunity also gives us the ability to expand the number of productions we will be able to offer the community in the future, as we will be also maintaining the original 63-seat theater. The intimacy that the audience is able to experience with the actors on stage is one of our strengths, a unique experience you don’t typically see in local community theater, and it is important for us to preserve that. Our 2018 season helps support this growth with a step up from what we have achieved in 2017. The re-launch of the Spotlights Cabaret series after a two year hiatus, a longer season of seven shows instead of five including two new offerings we have for young audiences, and additional special events to engage to the community are all important initiatives that we are excited to begin working on in 2018 to help propel us into the flexibility we will have under this new era.
We are bound to confront challenges along the way. While we are negotiating our strategy for erecting the new space, we also need to outfit it with a new stage, accessible seating, stage lighting and sound, and additional enhancements to continue providing the exceptional theatrical experience that our patrons are accustomed to experiencing at Spotlights. Therefore, 2018 is also when we will be launching a capital campaign to help raise funds for these improvements. We are in the process of partnering with local businesses to help us structure this campaign, and looking forward to further collaboration with the business community in Broadview Heights and the surrounding areas to support this ambitious goal. The launch of this campaign has started with in-depth discussions about revitalizing our brand for a new future and generations to come, with a fresh mission statement, values and vision. You’ll see these exciting changes take shape in our identity as you see the physical changes when concrete will begin to pour in the spring, with more information to be announced shortly.
Please be sure to check back with us for further updates. We look forward to continuing to delight, entertain and engage with you in 2018 and beyond!
Best,
Adam Bowers
President
Broadview Heights Spotlights
