protecting the arts, one community theater at a time

After a very sad, inactive blog week, I was in need of a way to make up for it to myself. And what better way to raise your karma for the week than by volunteering for a good cause?

I am convinced that my fiancé works for the absolute best company in the country, perhaps in the entire world. They do all sorts of amazing stuff for their employees, but what I admire most is their concern for the community. To get in the company spirit, the new hire in the family and I woke up insanely early (for a Saturday, at least), threw on some work clothes, and trekked out to the Arts Center at Dunham, a great little space that is in dire need of some TLC… and maybe a few sizable arts grants!

I fell in love with the building immediately; I don’t know if it was all of the history surrounding the space (it was once part of a huge sanitarium complex that was active from the Civil War era until the 1970s) or its uncanny resemblance to my hometown’s little theater, but I was hooked.

Sometimes volunteering for an organization is frustrating because you spend all day working your butt off, and there’s little to nothing to show for it. As my AP European History teacher used to frequently remind our class, my generation is all about that instant gratification. However, today we buckled down and cleaned up… literally. We reorganized a storage room, moved hundreds of props and set pieces, painted a hallway, a rehearsal room, and two bathrooms (post-shower, I still have blue paint in my hair to prove it), redid part of the ceiling’s very art deco paint job, and cleaned everything ’til it sparkled more than it had in decades. I’m seriously so proud of the work that we did, and I can’t wait to check out the Sunset Players as they begin their season in October with the new musical, The Addams Family! You can read all about the show and check out this great community theatre group here.

The performing arts was “my thing” from age 6 on, so it has always been important for me to keep them alive. However, I wholeheartedly believe that it is in the best interest of our entire world to have a thriving arts culture. Historically speaking, the fine arts have been significant as a statement on the success of one’s culture and how it would be remembered in the future. For me personally, it was a creative outlet where I could learn to be completely myself as a child and take a break from those difficult teenage moments later on. Regardless of why, this morning’s volunteering refocused my love for the arts and made me excited to get to finally share all of these thoughts with you all! Go to the opera, see a play at a local theater, attend an orchestra concert, walk through an art gallery; whatever your favorite area, protect the arts.

Do you have a favorite community theatre group, arts organization, or other little bit of culture that you make a point to patronize?  Have you upped your karmic level with some mad volunteering this week?  I’d love to hear all about it, so leave me a comment below!