Isaac Capp and Eliana Nunley in ACT’s Mary Poppins, Jr. earlier this summer.

It’s barely begun, but the 2018-2019 Season is already rolling along at full throttle! MARY POPPINS, JR.  is just a memory (a wonderful memory!!) and we are already into the third week of performances for  A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM. Time flies when you’re enjoying great live theatre, doesn’t it?

Before we get too far along in the season, we’d like to take a minute to thank a few folks. Did you know that ticket sales cover only a little more than half of our budget? It’s your donations — along with generous grants, sponsorships and in-kind support — that bring the lights up on every intimate SLO REP performance. Your gifts — in any amount — are the most important piece of this amazing puzzle called live theatre. Thank you.

And speaking of lights and donations… thanks to a generous grant from our friends at The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County  (now celebrating “20 years of impact” in our community!) you may notice a difference in the lighting and sound when you come to a show this season!

Staff and Board Members, along with ACT Summer Camp families, accept the $8,000 check from The Community Foundation earlier this summer.

Thanks to an incredible $8,000 grant from The Community Foundation, we have purchased new equipment and technology that will improve the lighting and sound for our productions and greatly enhance the experience of our actors, our technicians, and especially, our audiences.

The Proteans and Pseudolus in the opening number of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

According to Managing Artistic Director Kevin Harris, “It’s incredible what you can do with a 20 year old computer system when that is all you have to work with. But it was way past time to upgrade. Thanks to the Community Foundation, we’ve taken an enormous step forward in our technical capabilities this year. Our new Q-Lab® system combines audio, video, and lighting control in one system, providing a more seamless, artistically-integrated show experience for our audiences, technicians and artists.”

Production Stage Manager Amanda Johnson works with the new system.

The new Q-Lab® system, along with several new lighting instruments, cabling and a new Mac Book to run the system, were fully installed just in time for opening night of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and it’s made a big difference! If you haven’t seen Forum yet, get your tickets NOW. You’ll love it. And you’ll love our new lights  and sound.

Students in this summer’s Broadway Camp strike a pose.

But that is NOT the only grant we have to shout about! SLO REP has also received two generous grants to fund tuition scholarships for students participating in our Academy of Creative Theatre (ACT) throughout the 2018-2019 Season. These grants were provided by the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust and by the Janssen Youth & Youth Sports Fund, held at The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County. The two grants totaling $4,000 will underwrite need-based tuition scholarships for students participating in ACT’s extensive education program serving more than 250 students annually.

The cast of ACT’s Mary Poppins, Jr. “step in time!”

“ACT provides a creative, artistic, educational and FUN outlet for children who might not otherwise be engaged with their peers or other important adult role models” says Kerry DiMaggio, Education Director. “These two generous grants will allow us to welcome every child who has a desire to participate, to any and all of our programs, without regard to their family’s ability to afford tuition.”

ACT After School classes build skills, inspire self-confidence and are a lot of FUN!

Interested in an after-school theatre class for your child?  We’ve got FIVE great classes, designed for ages 5-18, starting September 4th! Check out all of our classes HERE and sign up today! If you need tuition assistance, email Kerry DiMaggio. We’ve got you covered, thanks to the Miossi Trust and the Janssen Fund. Over the past four years, they have provided over $20,000 in scholarship funding for SLO REP’s ACT educational programs. How about a round of applause for these tremendous local foundations?

SLO REP staff, board members and the cast of Mary Poppins, Jr. thank Rabobank for their generous support.

And just one more thank you (for today anyway!) Rabobank has been a generous sponsor of our ACT program for the past four years. Their annual support underwrites everything ACT does, from hiring fabulous teachers and coaches, to providing scripts, costumes, props and more. Thanks to their support, our Academy of Creative Theatre is thriving!

Summer is almost over, but our season is  just beginning. Thanks to these generous businesses, foundations and YOU, it’s going to be a great year!

“Something appealing, something appalling. Something for everyone, a comedy tonight!”

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum runs through September 9th! Treat yourself to a fabulous musical comedy! Great seats are still available for Sunday night shows on August 26 and September 2 at 7 pm, and we can still squeeze you in for most other performances. Check out seating availability HERE. But you’d better hurry….we’ll be sold out soon!

Have a great weekend everyone!