Launching Clear Space’s 20th Anniversary
Post by Joe Gfaller, Managing Director
Jan. 18, 2024
Tomorrow evening, Clear Space Theatre Company starts our 20th anniversary season. It’s a very exciting time for us all – the start of a new year and the start of a new chapter. This season ahead is already filled with so much excitement and promise, as the audiences, patrons, and community around Clear Space continues to grow. As of the close of 2023, close to 19,000 audience members had joined us throughout the year – with the greatest density, as always, in the summer months.
Usually, this moment in January is a quieter time in our community, and as a result in our audience. But – happily! – not this year.
Here we are the day before opening The Mousetrap, the classic Agatha Christie thriller that launches our 2024 season, and ticket sales for the show have been so robust, for the first time ever, we’re adding an additional performance to one of our January productions. So, if you can’t find a ticket to the originally scheduled performances, you now can find tickets on Thursday, February 1 at 7pm. (There are also still some tickets to the Thursday, January 25th performance at 11am.) We’ve come a long way since 2004 when the company was founded, but how thrilling it is to know that what we do is as vital as ever – and as wanted as ever – as we begin Clear Space’s next decade!
It has taken a remarkable village to bring us here – from 20 years’ worth of artists on and off our stages… to board members, staff members, audiences, and of course the many, many volunteers. Volunteers are often the unsung heroes of a non-profit – which is why we are starting the year with a celebration of them. When you come to the theater and and usher is helping you find your seat, you’re encountering one of our many volunteers. When you come to a fundraising event and see how beautifully the decor has been arranged, that was likely the work of a volunteer. The representative of Clear Space you met at a street fair or farmer’s market was very likely also a volunteer. Even some of our most consequential organizational decisions rely on our volunteers on our board of directors. Volunteers help multiply Clear Space’s arms, legs, brains, and heart with their generosity in giving of their greatest gift – time.
If you join us for opening tomorrow night, you’ll get to meet many of the volunteers we are celebrating this year. It’s also when we’ll award our volunteer of the year award to recognize the extraordinary impact and commitment from someone who has gone above and beyond last year. There’s a reception starting at 6pm, an hour before the show starts at 7pm. So consider coming early to enjoy the company of these wonderful people who continue to be the heartbeat of Clear Space.
If you’d like to join this mighty and generous group of supporters, just let Lara Bellistri know. We’ll be glad to add you to the list! Lara’s email is lara@clearspacetheatre.org.
We can’t wait to see you at The Mousetrap and everything we have in store for our 20th season. It’s going to be a wonderful year!
clear space theatre company