Sue Kessler, Development Manager from Northern Stage
Sue Kessler
From the Northern Stage web page: 'Sue Kessler comes to the Upper Valley from Chicago, where she has enjoyed a diverse career in the creative arts, from strategic planning and operations management to audience outreach and community engagement. She helped articulate the reimagining of Chicago’s Navy Pier as a new cultural arts district, curating all manners of arts programming – free and open to the public. The Executive Director and co-founder of the theatre for young audiences enterprise, Hamlet’s House, Sue has written several live theatre “epic-sodes” for Hamlet the dog and his friends. An avid marathoner, she parlays her passion for running into significant fundraising efforts on behalf of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and she is currently serving as a St. Jude Hero Ambassador, empowering other runners to similar achievement. Sue received her B.S. in Theatre from the School of Speech at Northwestern University and is honored to have the chance to serve the inspired and inspiring family of Northern Stage"
We learned that Northern Stage moved to its new White River Junction home, The Barrette Center for the Arts, in 2015 after a successful 18 month capital campaign to make it possible to move from the Briggs Opera House to the new Center. The theater seats 240 patrions. If is a thrust theater. In theatre, a thrust stage (also known as a platform stage or open stage) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its upstage end.
Northern Stage is a League of Resident Theatre (LORT). LORT is the largest professional theatre association of its kind in the United States, with 75 member Theatres located in every major market in the U.S., including 29 states and the District of Columbia. LORT Theatres collectively issue more Equity contracts to actors than Broadway and commercial tours combined
Sue Shared info about the joys and challenges of producing live theater. She talked about the costs of obtaining rights to various productions (e.g. $40,000 for Matilda); and maintaining and supporting positive relations with the three unions that allow them to have Broadway caliber talent (Actors Equity, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and United Scenic Artists). She described the leadership team at Northern Stage as being crazy and dynamic.
The current production is Venus Rising. Playwright Marisa Smith, the creative mind behind 2016’s hit Mad Love, is back with a hilarious and deeply perceptive story of aging gracefully – or sometimes not so gracefully – and how we try to care for one another in the face of life’s challenges.
A Scene From Venus Rising
Susan shared stories about various productions and educational programs offered by Northern Stage. Northern Stage’s Education & Artistic Outreach department seeks to broaden our relationship to the community by engaging with theater lovers of all ages through youth training and in-school programs, external events, internships, and adult learning opportunities. To see a larger copy of the brochure posted below, Click Here
Rotary District 7850's District Conference : Sherbrooke, Quebec. May 3, 4 and 5, 2019. The District will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Rotary Club of Sherbrooke, the District's oldest club! Steve Christy has brochures for the Conference. Online registration should open at the beginning of February.
Get your Fundraising Hat On & All Hands on Deck:
Bruce Pacht will be sending everyone details about theGreat American Pie Buffet.Our fund raiser for the eradication of Polio. It will be held at Lebanon High School, Saturday, 6 April 2019. We will be partnering with the Interact Club at Lebanon High School. By partnering with our Interact Club, many fees we may have been charged by the High School will be waived! We will all need to bake sweet and savory pies (at least 3 per person), or have them donated. We all need to sell 5 tickets. Adults $10; LHS students $8; and kids under 5 year old $5. Bruce stress that this is a great opportunity for us to come together to have fun and fellowship. Bruce will send out information on how you can help advertise this event.
Bruce Bergeron announced thatGolf Tournament (The Bedell Classic)Planning Meeting will be next Wednesday, 13 February 2019 at 4 PM at Whitman Building, 10 Water Street. The tournament will be May 23, 2019. Time to start asking golfer to play, consider where you might be able to ask for sponsorships, raffle prizes are needed too.
Suellen Griffin talks about the planning that is underway for Brew Festthat will be on August 17, 2019. A doodle poll will be going out to determine the date for the next meeting.
Are you a part of one of the planning teams?
If no, please offer to help plan one of the events!
We started our meeting with a time to remember Sherry Calkins. Marilyn Bedell shared the following:
We have gathered to celebrate and remember our beloved Sherry Calkins. We are taking time to remember all she accomplished and all that was good and meaningful in her life.
We give thanks for the gift of her life, the joys and sorrow and all the memories we have that hopefully will comfort us as we come to terms with her death.
It is time for us to lift up our sad and aching hearts while we remember and rejoice in her life.
When I read this, it makes me think of Sherry:
From Whistling in the Dark
by Fredrick Buechner – I modified it a little to make it about Sherry.
When you remember Sherry, it means that you have carried something of who she is with you, that she has left some mark of who she was on who you are. It means that you can summon her back in your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between you and Sherry. It means if you met her again, you will know her. It means that even after her death, you can still see her face and hear her voice and speak to her in your heart. For as long as you remember Sherry, she is never entirely lost. When she is feeling most ghost-like, it is your remembering that helps remind all of us that she actually existed.
Take time today and in the weeks ahead to remember Sherry, and as you look up on a starry night think of this Eskimo proverb:
Perhaps the stars are not stars, but rather openings in heaven, where the love of our lost one, Sherry, pours through, and shines down upon us to let us know that their souls are at peace. (Eskimo Legend)
Jean Walpren shared an audio tape of the heartbeat of her grandchild.
Angela Nelson is celebrating the Patriots victory on Super Bowl Sunday.
Ernst Oidtmann had dinner with a former member (sorry...I didn't get the former members name). Sounds like they had a very enjoyable evening. Ernst is off on a family winter adventure...Didn't sound like something you would want to sign-up for...it's call the Oidtmann Death March. An opportunity for hypothermia and frost bite.
Suellen Griffin is retiring after 11 1/2 year at West Central Services. We are some of the first to know this news.
Bruce Pacht announced that he has been elected to be president of the North Country Chordsmen. This was announced at a lovely annual dinner for the group. In addition, he was named Barbershopper of the Year. He reminded us that Singing Valentines can be ordered now for Valentine's Day. Cost $60. If you want your sweetheart to receive a singing valentine click here for details.
Our Rotary Foundation Donations in Work...An Update from Walter Hughes
Dear Rotarians and Friends,
Our team is in Ghana again. The highs so far are:
Dedicated the Abansere Elementary School in an immigrant community that is near the “ends of the earth.”
The construction of two new six-classroom block elementary schools at Soronoase and Nkrankrom is going well. Both schools will have six classrooms, a library, activity room, office, solar-powered lights and eLearning Systems, clean water and Microflush toilets.
The six-step empowerment model is transforming communities.
Micro-credit loans are multiplying the work that we can do with the same investment.
We are on the third round of loans with Stegenor Microfinance.
We visited the site for the Adadease Junction Junior High School. We are raising money for this school now.
Water is flowing in the Upper East Region to many boreholes.
Bolgatanga Goodwill is on track to complete their project in a few months.
We converted our first school pit latrine into Microflush toilets. No bad smell, no mosquitos and flies are a welcome change for the students.
We have a team of eight from many districts in the USA. We appreciate the hospitality of the Rotarians in Ghana. The work in Africa is hard and we admire the Rotarians who live and work here to transform their communities. All the best. We wish you could’ve seen the victories in communities that are being led by local leaders and funded by local funds. Your contributions make a difference.
I was able to visit the Elementary, Junior High and Senior High School in Kumasi that we helped to build in 2005. It was good to see the long-term benefit of investing in education. We are seeing the impact of concentrating efforts in Ghana for over sixteen years. Thanks for your support. Lives are changed thanks to our team.
Join us in promoting the 2020 Rotary Peace Fellowship!
The 2020 Rotary Peace Fellowship application is now available. This fully funded fellowship provides peace and development leaders with the knowledge, skills, and networks they need to advance their peacebuilding careers. Help us publicize this incredible opportunity!
Here are some resources for promoting the program and recruiting candidates:
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