The National Theatre Annual Report

Introduction

For the fifth successive year, The National Theatre is presenting its Annual Report via the Internet. The Theatre, in Washington, D.C., is a not-for-profit, 501.c.3 organization, operated by a board of trustees and managed for the board by the Shubert Organization.

It is a pleasure to review for you our attractions, programs and projects, and some particular achievements of this past fiscal year.

Operations

The National theatre is operated by the National Theatre Corporation, a not-for-profit 501.c.3. cultural, educational and charitable organization.

Trustees, Officers and Administration

John B. Adams, Jr., Chair
Donn B. Murphy, President & Executive Director
Sterling Tucker, Vice President (and Acting Treasurer as of July, 2002)
Margaret E. Lynn Treasurer (until June, 2002)
Tom Mack, Secretary
Patrick J. Daly
Jack Golodner
Frances Humphrey-Howard
Victor S. Kamber
Carol Laxalt
Genevieve McSweeney Ryan
Robert N. Synder

Corporate Administrator: Natalie D. Forbes
Accountant: Tracie D. Powell
Of Counsel: Marc E. Miller, Esq.
Auditors: Bormel, Grice & Huyett, P.A.
National Theatre logo design by Ken Dresser ©1975 The National Theatre.

Appreciation - Support - National Theatre Circle

Certainly the theatre could not prosper without the wise guidance and dedicated efforts of our Board of Trustees, as well as the loyal patronage given by the supporters of our major outreach programs, and by other friends in the National Theatre Circle.

Circle Members contribute a minimum of $1,500 each year, which helps make our free outreach activities possible. The theatre considers them “family,” and we are continually grateful for their continuing support.

Members of The National Theatre Circle as of September 30, 2002: The American Medical Association - Lee J. Stillwell; Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, former US Ambassador to Portugal and Mr. Smith Bagley; Bender Foundation, Inc.; Buffy and William Cafritz; Caruso Florist; Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Cohen; Jean Cooper and Charles L. Eichenlaub; The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; Charles A. Fazio & Vision Digital Media/Vision Creative; Gannett Co., Inc.; Hermen and Monica Greenberg, Mrs. Shelly Skeens Hazel; The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation; Panasonic; and William L. Ritchie, Jr.

Our achievements this year would, of course, not have been possible without the loyal and robust efforts of our staff: Corporate Administrator Natalie Forbes and Accountant, Tracie Powell, as well as Eric Blum and Licia Spinelli in the Executive Office and our outreach program MC’s and Hosts: Todd Clark, Patricia Jennings, Gregory Lee and LuJuan Liles, our General Manager, Harry Teter, Jr., our Theatre Manager, Carol Hayes, and the House Staff and Backstage Staff of the National Theatre.

The Shubert Organization has provided the National with first-rate productions and impeccable management services, for which we are grateful. All profits from the Shubert Organization go directly to The Shubert Foundation, which supports a wide array of arts, cultural and other organizations nationwide.

The Property

New seats were installed in the spring of 2002 -- probably the first time the standards themselves have been replaced since the 1920's, although the seats have been recovered a number of times over the years. The new chairs are ergonomically designed for better back support and more comfortable viewing. The entire theatre was re-carpeted and given a fresh coat of paint. During the summer, the fire alarm/emergency warning system was replaced, with new wiring run to more than 100 loud-speakers throughout the building. While minor improvements were being made to the air-conditioning system, a leak caused water damage to the auditorium, and a piece of ceiling plaster fell. A temporary but sturdy and safe false-ceiling was installed so that the production schedule would be uninterrupted while necessary inspections and repairs are made.

Mainstage Productions

The past season has been the busiest at the National in a number of years. Eve Ensler's THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES played successfully twice -- October 16 through 21, 2001, and again February 22 through February 22, 2002, with the creator of the piece, Eve Ensler starring: her last performances in the piece. Susan Stroman's sophisticated and imaginative dance attractionCONTACT followed. The show, which told three different stories, almost entirely in dance, played from February 19 through March 16, 2002. Full houses marked the first Washington performances of the extraordinarily popular MAMMA MIA!, the show featuring the music of the rock group ABBA. Patrons danced in the aisle each night during the extended curtain call. The attraction ran from March 28 through June 8, 2002. Then SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, a musical version of the well-known screenplay, played June 11 through 30, 2002. Finally, from another movie, came the rowdy but touching story of five out-of-work guys trying to make a buck in the buff in a strip-joint: THE FULL MONTY took the stage from July 9 through July 21, 2002. These last four shows were part of a subscription series. In late September, MAN OF LA MANCHA arrived to rehearse for a run beginning in October - the new production's only engagement prior to its opening in New York.

National Players

The National Theatre was host once again this year to free performances for high school students of the Greater Washington Area, presented by National Players, in their 53rd year of touring. The students enjoyed Much Ado About Nothing on January 8. America's longest-running classical touring company, National Players is a subsidiary of the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts, and the Official State Theatre of Maryland. National Players is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Maryland State Arts Council as an educational outreach program of The Olney Theatre Center, and the National Theatre is pleased to help fund the performance here in our house.

nationaltheatre.org

During the summer of 2002, the National Theatre web site was re-designed visually and given a more sophisticated navigational system. Text was updated and new images added. Web consultant Mike Miller worked closely with the site manager, Donn Murphy, to effect these far-reaching changes, and will continue to assist in the more complex operations of the site. The National first appeared on the Internet in March, 1995, among the first web presences for a theatre in the Greater Washington Area. The revamped site came on line in July, 2002. In 71 months between 1966 and 2002, the site had registered 87,000 hits (request by visitors for individual pages of the site). With its new systems of meta-tags and search capability, the site attracted 63,000 hits in its first 2 months. Current statistics can be accessed by clicking on the globe icon at the right bottom of the site's home page. The National Theatre is indebted to eXTReMe Tracking for making this service availablepro bono.

Dedicated Seat Program

Donors wishing to dedicate seats in the National Theatre may do so in return for a contribution. A handsome brass plate is affixed to the seat, and a duplicate of the plate, handsomely mounted, is available to the donor. We continued to have significant success this year through the efforts of our Treasurer 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, William Clinton, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman. In the balcony, 18 seats have been taken to honor four generations of one family. Other balcony seats are dedicated to Helen Hayes, and to a couple who had their first date in the seats which now have plaques with their names. A plaque on a Mezzanine seat was the means by which one Capitol Hill staffer made his proposal of marriage to his fiance.

2001 - Fall

SCREAMING PUPPETS IMPROV - MIKE YOUNG

MICHAEL SNYDER - HOLLYWOOD TROUBADOURS

2002 - Spring

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 continue to be enormously popular.

We are exceedingly grateful for the long sponsorship of this program by Marriott International and the J.W. Marriott Foundation, and the trustees of the National Theatre.

2001 - 2002

ADVENTURE THEATRE - LION, WITCH, WARDROBE

THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL

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 films drew near-capacity crowds for each film, and the audience included young and old, Greater D.C. area residents and tourists. The series was inaugurated in 1985. Our theme this summer was THE FILMS YOU MISSED ~ OR WANT TO SEE AGAIN.

2002

O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?