Grosse Pointe Theatre Inc

GPT'S MISSION IS TO CONNECT, CREATE, AND INSPIRE COMMUNITIES THROUGH THEATRE. THE VISION IS TO BE BE RECOGNIZED AS A NATIONAL LEADER IN COMMUNITY THEATRE THROUGH ARTISTIC, EDUCATIONAL AND OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.

(CONTINUED) COMING OUT OF A SEASON WITHOUT LIVE SHOWS AND RETURNING TO LIVE PERFORMANCES WITH THE CONTINUED UNCERTAINTY OF COVID-19 MADE THIS A CHALLENGING YEAR FOR GROSSE POINTE THEATRE (GPT). WE ROSE TO THIS CHALLENGE IN OUR 74TH SEASON AND CAME THROUGH THE PANDEMIC A STRONGER ORGANIZATION WITH A KEEN EYE ON OUR PURPOSE AND AN INVIGORATED DESIRE TO PERFORM. GPTS MISSION IS TO CONNECT, CREATE AND INSPIRE COMMUNITIES THROUGH THEATRE. THE PROGRAMS WE OFFERED THROUGH THE GRANT CYCLE WERE DONE WITH THOUGHTFUL CONSIDERATION TO POSSIBLE CONTINUED COVID ISSUES INCLUDING MASK MANDATES, SOCIAL DISTANCING OR POSSIBLE QUARANTINES OF CAST OR CREW MEMBERS DUE TO COVID EXPOSURE. GPT MADE THE DECISION TO BEGIN THE SEASON WITH SHOWS WITH SMALL CASTS AND ORCHESTRAS, AND LESSEN THE CHANCE OF SPREADING THE VIRUS DUE TO AEROSOLIZATION. WE OPENED THE 2021-2022 SEASON, TITLED WELCOME BACK TO LIVE THEATRE, WITH SOME ENCHANTED EVENING, THE SONGS OF RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN, A FIVE-PERSON MUSICAL WITH A THREE-PERSON ORCHESTRA. IN DECEMBER, GPT WANTED TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS FOR OUR PATRONS WITH ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE, THE RADIO PLAY. THE NEW YEAR OF 2022 SAW ANOTHER SMALL CAST MUSICAL OF NUNSENSE, FILLED WITH COMEDIC FUN TO ENTERTAIN AND BRING LAUGHTER TO THE AUDIENCES, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER COMEDY, THE PLAY I HATE HAMLET. WITH HOPES THAT BY THE SPRING COVID WOULD BE LESS OF A CONCERN, WE PLANNED THE LARGE-SCALE MUSICAL, THE SOUND OF MUSIC. THIS SHOW SAW GPT RETURNING TO PRE-COVID ATTENDANCE LEVELS AS THE INDOOR MASK MANDATES WERE COMPLETELY LIFTED AND AUDIENCES BECAME COMFORTABLE INDOORS. RETURNING TO LIVE THEATRE NOT ONLY ALLOWED THE AUDIENCES TO BE ENTERTAINED AND INSPIRED, BUT IT ALSO BROUGHT JOY TO THE ARTISTS TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM AGAIN. THE PROGRAMMING DURING THE YEAR WAS SUCCESSFUL, ALTHOUGH NOT AS EASY TO EVALUATE AS A PRE-COVID SEASON. WE COULD NOT USE USUAL ATTENDANCE FIGURES AS A BENCHMARK, SO WE ADJUSTED OUR EXPECTATIONS AND EVALUATED THE SEASON ON A DIFFERENT SCALE. GPTS PLAN WAS TO BEGIN SMALL AND END BIG FROM SMALLER CASTS AND ORCHESTRAS TO LARGE MUSICALS, AND WE ACCOMPLISHED THAT GOAL. OUR GOAL WAS TO INCREASE ATTENDANCE AS THE SEASON PROGRESSED. PATRONS WENT FROM TENTATIVELY COMING BACK TO LIVE THEATRE WITH FACEMASKS AND LIMITED SEATING TO NO MASKS AND FULL AUDIENCE LEVELS. TICKET SALES INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY WITH EACH SHOW AND RETURNED TO NORMAL LEVELS WITH OUR FINAL MUSICAL. GPT ENTERTAINED OVER 7,000 PATRONS DURING THE YEAR AND HIT ITS BUDGET TARGETS FOR ALL SHOWS, THUS ACHIEVING A SUCCESSFUL FINANCIAL SEASON. WE ALSO GOT BACK TO LIVE PERFORMANCES AND BROUGHT AUDIENCES BACK TO THE THEATRE, WHICH OFFERED ANOTHER BENCHMARK FOR SUCCESS. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL YEAR, GPT RECEIVED A SHUTTERED VENUE OPERATORS GRANT AWARD TOTALING JUST OVER 245,000. THIS INFUSION OF FUNDS FOR SPECIFIC GENERAL/ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROGRAM SUPPORT WAS SIGNIFICANT AS IT ALLOWED THE ORGANIZATION TO SAFELY AND SUCCESSFULLY REBUILD TO PRE- COVID ATTENDANCE FIGURES. IT ALSO ALLOWED FOR MUCH NEEDED BUILDING MAINTENANCE PROJECTS TO BE ADDRESSED. TWO OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST FISCAL YEAR WERE THE AWARDING OF SCHOLARSHIPS TO GRADUATING LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS OR JUNIORS WHO WERE ATTENDING EITHER COLLEGE OR NATIONALLY ACCREDITED FINE ARTS SUMMER PROGRAMS. GPT GRANTED 7 STUDENTS A TOTAL OF 7,250 IN MAY OF 2022. THIS HAS BECOME AN IMPORTANT AND WELL RESPECTED GPT TRADITION OF GIVING BACK TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND SUPPORTING YOUTH ARTS EDUCATION. THE SECOND HIGHLIGHT WAS THE AWARD RECEIVED BY GPT FROM THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR ITS RESILIENCE IN BUSINESS DURING COVID. IT WAS RECEIVED FOR OUR ORGANIZATIONS ABILITY TO PROTECT ALL OF ITS ASSETS PATRONS, EMPLOYEES, MEMBERS, AND PHYSICAL ASSETS DURING A DIFFICULT TIME. THE AWARD WAS PRESENTED AT THEIR ANNUAL DINNER AND AWARDS NIGHT WHICH HAD BEEN POSTPONED FOR TWO YEARS. IT WAS A TESTAMENT THAT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY APPRECIATES AND RECOGNIZES THE EFFORTS THAT GPT STRIVES FOR IN ITS MISSION TO CONNECT, CREATE AND INSPIRE COMMUNITIES THROUGH THEATRE.