PREVIEW: How Fundraisers Help Theatre Communities Learn, Grow and Thrive
Curtain Call Performing Arts Company (CCPAC) has been working at establishing themselves over the past few years. They, like their mandate, have grown since 2019, performed several top notch musicals and have learned many important lessons on how to thrive and survive in the arts community. Now, CCPAC is looking to find themselves a permanent home to further develop their many performance-based programs such as Novice Musical Theatre, Pop Choir, Intermediate Musical Theatre and, new this year, the Masterclass Series.
I had the pleasure of a virtual interview with the Artistic Directors Danielle Viola (she/her) and Kat Baronowski (she/her) to discuss their upcoming Concert Fundraiser which annually supports the CCPAC endeavours.
Artistic Directors Danielle Viola (Image One) and Kat BARANOWSKI (IMAGE TWO)
SCR: Describe the inspiration for this concert piece and how it was finalized by the production team.
Danielle and Kat: The concept of CCPAC The Concert began last year; we wanted a way to kick off the Curtain Call season that celebrated musical theatre and the performers that we have worked alongside in our past season. This year, we made the decision to make the concert an annual CCPAC event that highlights performers from our youth, teen, pre pro and professional sections of Curtain Call while also fundraising to create our permanent home, a studio theatre.
SCR: What have been some challenges in creating and workshopping the concert performance and how have you overcome them?
Danielle and Kat: Creating a concert is no easy feat; it has taken hours of going through the music from hundreds of musicals trying to choose a combination of music that creates a fantastic concert for audiences members while also highlighting each performer. It has taken weeks of vocal rehearsals before we even started blocking and choreographing the pieces to make sure that everything is sounding crisp and blending perfectly together. We have a phenomenal cast and crew that make the difficult process a ton of fun. We have been together almost every weekend since the beginning of August and by Sunday afternoons we are still laughing and having a fantastic time. Everyone has a great attitude and are really pouring their hearts into this project.
It means the most to us that our team believes in us and supports the company by putting the time in to create a fantastic concert.
SCR: What have been some of your favourite moments putting this concert performance together?
Danielle and Kat: Although creating a concert is a ton of work it is also a great experience for the creative team and performers. We all get to perform songs from musicals that we may never have the opportunity to perform in, which is really special. Each person shows up to support the others, not only is this a phenomenal professional cast but our teen and youth performers are really growing and learning from the adults which is creating a beautiful relationship and instilling the environment that Curtain Call has always had, a supportive theatre family.
Rehearsals have been really amazing, the pieces are sounding phenomenal and we are still a few weeks away so we are so excited to see how blown away audiences will be on opening night!
SCR: How will this fundraising concert speak to Hamilton audiences or audiences in general?
Danielle and Kat: We hope that our audiences come to celebrate the love of the arts in the community and see pieces from musicals that take them away from the day to day and let them laugh, celebrate and dance along with us. Hamilton will recognize some of the faces on stage and will be able to also witness some very talented up and coming performers that are in the community. They will also get the opportunity to see the amazing Gasworks space used as a theatrical concert which is a delight.
SCR: What excites you about this fundraiser and how can the Hamilton community support your efforts this season?
Danielle and Kat: Not only is this concert a fundraiser but it is also a phenomenal concert with a remarkably talented cast. We are excited to start our journey in our year of fundraising with a concert styled show with over 100 costumes, full dance numbers, concert lighting and amazing harmonies. We had to switch gears with rental spaces this year very fast and it has affected us a lot for our small, young company. We will also be hosting a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction at the concert that already has some amazing items donated by local businesses including Starburst Dancewear, Caro Restaurant and many more with all proceeds going towards our goal of creating a studio theatre space.
Buying a ticket to the concert is one of the best ways the Hamilton community can support our goals this season, every ticket sale makes a huge impact on our ability to make a home for CCPAC and to continue fostering a love of the arts in the local youth. We also encourage the community to purchase tickets to our season that are all available now; shows include The Wizard of Oz (Youth Edition), Mean Girls (High School Version), our Pre Professional Company presents The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical and Jesus Christ Superstar presented by our Passion Project Company.
We also have a sponsorship package for businesses and individuals that would like to be a season sponsor that has a variety of benefits depending on the level of donation. Our Curtain Call merchandise will be for sale at all performances, and our programs get started in October so it is not too late to register your budding star or audition for some of our older programs.
We appreciate every bit of help we can get in reaching our fundraising goals this season, we want to be able to continue offering all performers, no matter what age, and inclusive and supportive space to practice their craft and to learn, grow and perform.
