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The National Theatre Annual ReportThe State of the CorporationOctober 1, 1999 through September 30, 2000Go to Reports from Other Years
The goal and mission of the National Theatre Corporation is to keep this historic "Theatre of Presidents," which has operated at the same location three blocks from The White House since 1835, open, with top-quality live stage attractions on our main stage. Additionally, through our outreach programs, we bring free programs and other services to the public. We could not succeed without the wise guidance and dedicated efforts of our Board of Trustees: John B. Adams, Jr., Chair; Donn B. Murphy, President; Sterling Tucker, Vice President; Margaret E. Lynn, Treasurer; Patrick J. Daly; Secretary; Tom Mack; Trustees; Jack Golodner; Frances Humphrey-Howard; Victor S. Kamber; Carol Laxalt; Genevieve McSweeney Ryan; and Robert N. Snyder. Marc E. Miller, Esq., is of counsel to the Board, and our auditors are Bormel, Grice & Huyett, P.A. Loyal patronage is provided by generous annual contributions made by the supporters of our major outreach programs, and by our friends in the National Theatre Circle, Charles L. Eichenlaub; Lee J. Stillwell, Director, Washington Office & Managing Vice President, Government and Political Affairs, American Medical Association; Burson-Marsteller, Buffy and William Cafritz; Caruso Florist; Chuck; Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Cohen; The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; Charles A Fazio and Vision Digital Media; Gannett Co., Inc; The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation; and The Washington Post Company. Our achievements would, of course, not have been impossible without the loyal and robust efforts of our Corporate Staff: Executive Office Manager Natalie Forbes and Accountant, Tracie Powell, as well as our outreach program M.C.'s and Hosts: Todd Clark, Patricia Jennings, Gregory Lee and LaJuan Liles. Management of the theatre is in the experienced and capable hands of our General Manager, Harry Teter, Jr.; Theatre Manager, Carol Hayes; Box Office Treasurer, John Loomis; Director of Group Sales LuAnne P. Origer, Concession Manager, Bill Conn; Head Usher, Beverly Ruffin; Head Carpenter, Richard L. Reynolds; Head Flyman, John Page; Head Electrician, Jerry Williams; Head of Properties, Richardo Whitson; Musical Contractor, Edward Walters; Stage Door Security: Bob Lawrence, Esther King and Elizabeth Doherty; Chief Receptionist, Vickie Lomax; and the entire House Staff and Backstage Staff of the National Theatre. The Shubert Organization has provided us with first-rate productions and impeccable management services, for which we are grateful. Gerald Schoenfeld, Philip Smith, Robert Wankel, Peter Entin, Eliott Greene and Peggy Delany, are always cordial, insightful, and responsive to our needs. We are also very appreciative of the assistance of Robert Gladstone, Chris Gladstone and Janet Stein, all of Quadrangle Development Corporation.
It is with sadness that we report the death of Jack Ryan, who served the National Theatre Corporation for 25 years as a member of the Board of Trustees. Jack served from the inception of the corporation in 1974 until his death, and served as Secretary of the Board for many years. Jack's wise counsel and friendship will be sorely missed by all who knew and worked with him. MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS The National was alive with a variety of shows this year which brought to the theatre large audiences young and old, from a wide demographic spectrum. The presentations were: SPIRIT - October 5 - 10, 1999 - This unique tribute to Native Americans enlivened our stage with vibrant dance, drumming, authentic costumes and folklore. CHICAGO - November 30, 1999 through January 2, 2000 - The popular musical featuring dances by Bob Fosse played a well-received return engagement. This production set a house record for most income in a single week. BLUE'S CLUES - March 3 through 8, 2000 - Based on the enormously popular TV program for pre-schoolers, this attraction thrived amid the cheers and delighted squeals of the toddler-set and the applause of their beaming parents and grand-parents. RENT - May 9 through June 4, 2000 - Paying its second visit to the National and playing its third engagement in the Greater Washington Area, this musical of self-discovery and challenge among contemporary bohemians in New York City was again especially popular with young people. WEBSITE: www.nationaltheatre.org The theatre's website welcomed almost 100,000 guests during this fiscal year, for a total of 229,500 visitors since we went online in August of 1996. DEDICATED SEAT PROGRAM Donors who wished to dedicate seats in the National Theatre this year were able to do so in return for contributions ranging from $150 to $1,500, depending on seat location. A handsome brass plate was affixed to the seat, and a duplicate of the plate, beautifully mounted and framed, was available to the donor. We continued to have significant success this year through the efforts of our Treasurer, Margaret Lynn and the Trustees on the Presidential Row Committee, adding seats both in the Presidential Row and throughout all seating areas of the theatre. Newly dedicated Orchestra seats honor American Presidents, and the Presidential Row now includes Presidents George Bush, Jimmy Carter, William Clinton, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman. Many other individuals and organizations were honored with seats during the year. NATIONAL THEATRE CIRCLE Once again this year we have achieved 100% renewal of National Theatre Circle membership, with new memberships as well. These loyal supporters make a wide variety of outreach activities possible. They have access to best-location house seats in the Orchestra for all performances, and the theatre considers them “family.” 25th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION A reception and dinner to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the National Theatre Corporation was held at the JW Marriott hotel adjacent to the theatre on December 12, 1999. Guests included past and present Trustees, Circle Members, representatives from other Washington theatres, and other guests. Vision Digital Media contributed a comprehensive video of the event, which can be ordered from the Executive Office. The following individuals were honored with inscribed crystal bowls and other trophies: Roger L. Stevens, founder of the Corporation MONDAY NIGHT AT THE NATIONAL Our Monday music, dance, comedy and drama showcase was scheduled with particular attention to showcasing emerging artists and original material, and to reflecting the wide racial, ethnic and cultural diversity of the Greater Washington Area. Good audience attendance showed that we are successfully fulfilling a need and desire for the free programming of this long-running series. This series was sponsored by the Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation and the Trustees of the National Theatre, whose support we greatly appreciate. On the bill this year were the following presentations: 1999 2000 SATURDAY MORNING AT THE NATIONAL Our free family performances continued to brighten weekends for children and their parents this year. The performers - a panoply of puppeteers, clowns, story-tellers, musicians and magicians - have riveted the attention of their audiences week after week, and the programs continued to be enormously popular. We are exceedingly grateful for the long sponsorship of this program by Marriott International and the J.W. and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, and The trustees of the National Theatre. Donn B. Murphy programmed the series. Patricia Jennings was M.C., with Greg Lee and LuJuan Liles as hosts. 1999 2000 SUMMER CINEMA - 2000 Films were shown at the National Theatre during the summer months at 6:30 p.m. on Monday evenings in the Helen Hayes Gallery, where the national portrait of Miss Hayes is displayed. Admission to these screenings was free. The series was inaugurated in 1985. Our theme this summer was AWARD-WINNING CLASSICS. The films were: Jun 19 - SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE Projection Equipment for this series was supplied through the generous courtesy of Charles A. Fazio and Vision Digital Media. Gary Schwartz provided keyboard accompaniment for The Gold Rush. Donn B. Murphy programmed the series. Todd Clark was M.C., with Greg Lee and LuJuan Liles as hosts. NATIONAL THEATRE COMMUNITY VAUDEVILLE
1999 2000 TICKETS Through the Special Patron Ticket Program, discounted tickets for our main-stage attractions were made available to seniors, disabled patrons and students. Through the Annie Oakley Fund, free tickets were made available to students and groups of disadvantaged citizens. In addition, many free tickets were provided to auctions in support of a variety of charitable causes, although it is impossible to supply the enormous and ever increasing demand for auction tickets. DISABLED SERVICES For visually-limited patrons, a live Audio Description Program supplied a live narration of the stage action for one or more performances of each attraction, and continued to be much appreciated by our patrons. Well-trained volunteers from The Washington Ear provide the narration, which patrons hear via radio signal through headsets which are provided free. For hearing-limited patrons, amplification was provided at all performances via an infrared signal which carries a direct feed from the show sound system to headsets which are provided free. Also for hearing-challenged patrons, at least one signed performance was arranged for every attraction. The Executive Office continues to assist disabled patrons with their particular challenges. COMMUNITY AFFILIATION The National Theatre is a member of the League of Washington Theatres, Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, the United Arts Organization, the Combined Federal Campaign and the United Way of the Greater Washington Area. The contribution Designation number is #8663. STAGES FOR ALL AGES In March, 2000, the National Theatre's mainstage production of THE WIZARD OF OZ, as well as Saturday Morning at the National and Monday Night at the National programs of folk-dancers, singers and instrumentalists were part of the "Stages of All Ages" program. This "two-for-one" ticket program encourages adults to introduce children to a live theatre free of charge. The League of Washington Theatres and The Washington Post Company inaugurated the program which is intended to introduce children and young people to the magic of live theatre. ARTS ON FOOT In September of 1999, Saturday Morning at the National was the "kick-off" event for this downtown arts promotion developed and sponsored by the Pennsylvania Avenue Quarter. "Passports" distributed at the National and other places were "stamped" as families and individuals visited the many galleries and theatres which participated with special programs. VISITORS Backstage tours of the theatre are given from time to time, by appointment, when productions are not occupying the theatre. Theatre professionals are invited to the theatre for discussions and tours. Among the distinguished guests received by Dr. Murphy during the past year was Mr. Lenin El-Ramly, a prolific playwright and director from Egypt. He is the author of numerous Arabic plays and screenplays which have been seen in theatres and on television in the Arabic world. He was interested to learn about drama schools and the training of amateur and professional actors, relationships between agents and playwrights, the funding and operation of community theatres, the development of seasons and subscriptions series, relationships between film and stage in the U.S., and the availability and use of special effects for theatre productions. A high-level delegation which visited from Albania included Ms. Zana Cela, General Director of the Albanian National Theater Opera and Ballet; Mr. Xhevdet Feri, General Director, Albanian National Theater; Mr. Petrit Malaj, Dean, Faculty of the Drama Arts, and Professor, Albanian Academy of Arts; Mr. Gazmend Pjeter-Gjoka, Founder and Director, Oasis Acting Company and Actor and Voice Coach, Albanian Academy of Arts; and Mr. Ervin Treza, Counselor to the Minister of Culture, State of Albania. Following the demise of Communism in Albania, the theatre is in a period of considerable reorganization. This group was intensely interested in all aspects of American theatre, and our own operation at the National Theatre, including funding, theatre equipment, free-lance actors, unions, contractual relationships between performers and management, marketing strategies, theatrical support organizations, safety issues, and laws affecting the arts and particularly the operation of theatres. FINANCIAL REPORT The Corporation's 990 Tax Form is available at the National Theatre Corporate Office, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. Respectfully submitted, Donn B. Murphy, Ph.D.
Main Contents
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The National Theatre Corporation,
a 501.c3 nonprofit institution managed by The
Shubert Organization.
|
For
the third successive year, The National Theatre is presenting its Annual
Report via the Internet on the World Wide Web. It is a pleasure
to review for you our attractions, programs and projects, and some particular
activities and achievements of the past fiscal year. Internet links
in the report provide additional information.
JOHN
RYAN
The
National Theatre Community Vaudeville thrived once again during this
fiscal year. Natalie Forbes scheduled and managed the program. Our
performers traveled to senior citizen homes, homeless shelters, community
clubs and other 501.c.3 venues across the Greater Washington Area. The
program continued to bring joy to hundreds of shut-ins and other disadvantaged
clients, at no cost to the venues. Contributions from our National
Theatre Circle members helped fund this program.
