This has been a tremendous season of growth and change for Theatre Seven. In May, we brought Chicago audiences Boys & Girls, an evening of two one-act plays which Time Out magazine dubbed the #1 Can't Miss Show in Chicago. Two months later, we unleashed Yes, This Really Happened To Me, a made-from-scratch original conceived by Margot Bordelon and Cassy Sanders. After seeing Yes…, the Chicago Reader exclaimed "if these young artists represent the future of Off-Loop theatre, we're in very good hands indeed!" Immediately on the heels of Yes, we rolled out our political farce, Election Day, which the Chicago Tribune called "enormous fun…from the continually impressive Theatre Seven." Throughout these critical successes, our audiences made Theatre Seven a success at the box office as well by seeing our shows in record numbers. We welcomed over 1,800 friends to our shows in 2008, meaning over three thousand people have joined us in the theatre in just two short years. Behind the scenes, we've been very busy as well. This fall, we added two new members, Cassy Sanders and Brenda Winstead. Cassy is a dynamic writer and director who helped create Yes, This Really Happened to Me and Brenda is the costume designer who gave Killing Women and Boys & Girls their classic looks. We are thrilled and honored to have both of these women on our quickly expanding team In response to the quick growth brought on by our commercial success, we've added a part time staff that includes an Audience Services Manager, a Corporate Finance Manager and a Public Relations team. We've also put together a talented Board of Directors to stabilize our business and help us develop financial consistency that will carry us in to the next decade. As we enter 2009 with these exciting changes afoot, we need your support more than ever. As our nation braces for uncertain economic times, we hope you'll continue to make room for irreplaceable art in both your planners and your pocket books. No one knows exactly what lies ahead, but one thing is certain: private support for the arts is often the first victims of trying economic times. Please, do NOT make this mistake. Theatre Seven cannot and will not survive without the support of our patrons and friends. Without your support, we cannot continue to bring our community the groundbreaking, dynamic, smart, vital theatre it desperately needs. You'll receive plenty of exciting benefits when you donate to Theatre Seven. Donating brings you closer to our artists, gives you peeks inside our artistic process, and earns you membership in an exclusive circle of arts patrons dedicated to enriching the Chicago community. But most importantly, donating gives you the unequaled satisfaction of knowing you've made great art possible. As always, all donations are 100% tax-deductible. We're so excited to have the opportunity to welcome you in to the Theatre Seven family again, or for the very first time. We can't do it without you.
Thanks, Brian Golden Artistic Director, Theatre Seven
