THE COLONY THEATRE COMES BACK FROM THE BRINK WITH ANNOUNCEMENT OF MAJOR GRANT.
Company proceeds with 2013-14 Season as immediate future is secured.
July
11, 2013...Burbank...After a difficult year, The Colony Theatre today
announced that it is moving ahead with a new season. This is the result
of support from subscribers and the theatre community, underwriting for
the last two shows of its 2012-13 Season, and a major grant from the
Marilyn P. & Wayne H. Kohl Memorial Fund.
According to
Artistic Director Barbara Beckley, “The overwhelming generosity of our
subscribers and colleagues kept us alive; an anonymous supporter loaned
us the funds to mount the last two shows of the season – including our
surprise hit ‘Falling for Make Believe’; and now the grant has made it
possible for us to keep going.” Adds Executive Director Trent Steelman,
“Wayne and Marilyn Kohl were longtime subscribers who passed away.
Their family foundation honored their wish to support the theatre in a
significant way, and provided seed money for our 2013-14 season.
Needless to say, we are relieved and incredibly grateful.”
Last
October, the 38-year-old, award-winning theatre announced that
financial challenges had put its future in jeopardy, citing the
economic downturn that began in 2008 as the cause of reduced charitable
support and audience size, which culminated in a crippling budget
shortfall. The theatre launched an emergency “Save the Colony” campaign
which generated an outpouring of support, enabling it to stay open for
the time being. “Our nightmare was leaving subscribers holding tickets
they couldn’t use, so we were very happy we were able to complete the
season,” says Beckley. “But our future was still in doubt. And then the
Kohl grant came through which changed everything!” Cautions Steelman:
“We will still rely on subscriptions, ticket sales, and the generosity
of our donors. However, in these times it’s just not enough. We didn’t
want to announce a season until we were sure we could deliver it --
and, happily, the grant has filled the funding gap.”
The Colony’s 2013-14 Season will begin in September with the West Coast Premiere of
Breath and Imagination: The Story of Roland Hayes by Daniel Beaty. This will be followed in November by the West Coast Premiere of
Miracle on South Division Street by Tom Dudzick. It will continue in February with
Sex and Education by Lissa Levin starring Stephanie Zimbalist. And it will wrap up with the April opening of
The Lion in Winter by James Goldman, starring Ian Buchanan and Mariette Hartley.
The
Colony has long been a vibrant center of L.A.’s theatre life. Its
subscribers renew at an astounding rate of 90%, and last year the
theatre received nine Ovation Award nominations, including the coveted
one for Best Season.
For more information, press interviews, photos, or for press comps,
please
contact David Elzer/DEMAND PR at 818/508-1754 or at DavidElzer@me.com or
visit
www.demandpr.com.
The company began as a 99-seat Equity-waiver theatre in Silver Lake.
Over the years it was so successful artistically, and built such a
large subscriber base, that in 2000 it was able to move into a 270-seat
state-of-the-art theatre created for it by the City of Burbank. As
such, it became one of only a handful of mid-sized professional
theatres in the L.A. area that produce a year-round season of plays and
musicals, and that employ actors under contract with Actors' Equity
Association.
The theatre is located at 555 North Third
Street, at the corner of Cypress, in the heart of the Burbank Media
Center. For further information, call (818) 558-7000. Fax number: (818)
558-7110. E-mail: colonytheatre@colonytheatre.org.
Or visit our website at www.colonytheatre.