ENSEMBLE STAGE

To grow our audience and donor base, expand our kids programming, provide comparatively affordable access to the performing arts, continue to collaborate with local businesses and assist other non-profits and find a performance space in NC that we can occupy as sole tenants and then expand all of our programming to more regularly provide access to the performing arts throughout a calendar year.

We will continue to carefully choose our play selections so we appeal to the broadest audience yet still produce performing arts that will, on occasion, challenge thoughts, beliefs and prejudices. We will be more aggressive in making people in our region aware of the undefined benefits the performing arts provide. Also, we will pursue more grant and foundation funding for our kids programming and continue to be as frugal as possible with production costs without sacrificing quality. Finally, we will continue to explore and be open to new opportunities in securing an adequate performance space to generate a capital campaign that will appeal to our, and/or completely new, financial supporters.

We have shown, throughout the years since our inception, that we can use creative artistic methods to build our patron and donor base. With a small but strong and dedicated board we stay focused on our pursuits and are willing to modify our methods, when needed, to make them more effective.

Since October 2009, Ensemble Stage has:
-presented over 70 productions and over 300 performances
-seen over 20,000 people attend its shows
-hired over 200 performers, as well as more than 60 designers and crew personnel
-trained over 100 students, ages 5-16, in theatrical and presentation techniques
-won the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce award for cultural enrichment (2010 and 2013)

In addition, Ensemble Stage:
-Collaborated with Watauga High School
-Incorporated Watauga High's orchestra in a production (War of the Worlds II)
-Became the first theatre in the High Country to have a production broadcast over the radio (War of the Worlds II)
-Was the first professional theatre company in the High Country to have a sitting state official in a production (Cullie Tarleton, Winterfest Match Game, 2010)
-Was the first professional theatre company in the High Country to mount a production at and collaborate with a local business (Crippen's, Winefest Murder-Mystery, 2010)

Ensemble Stage has been active in community service
-Donating time each year to the Watauga Education Foundation's production of Shooting Stars as a judge and theatrical coach for all show participants
-Donated more than 1,000 hours to local schools and non-profits
-Volunteers each year with the early morning setup for the Blowing Rock Art in the Park events
-Volunteers each year in the Blowing Rock Town Clean-Up Day
-Coordinated, produced and presented "Anti-Bullying" plays to more than 300 students at Blowing Rock School, including 14 student actors (all Blowing Rock students) who went through six months of rehearsals
-Donated over $1,000 in show tickets to other non-profit agencies for their fundraisers
-Donated over 600 square feet of paver bricks to the Town of Blowing Rock (retail value: $3,000+)