Blog 11:
Family Part 2

August 7, 2018

This week has been a very important week in our season, especially for development. This week on August 3rd we had our 2018 CRT Gala: There’s No Place Like Home. This is the biggest fundraising event of the year, and it turned out fantastically. Combining ticket sales to the gala with donations made at the event, including sales from both a silent and live auction, we made well over $100,000. It was an incredible event, and I feel lucky to have been a part of it. It went up in the Rio Grande Country Club, about a half hour’s drive from Creede Rep. The location was absolutely beautiful, and the dining room was completely packed. We managed to fit 152 guests into a tiny little space, and while crowding was a problem, the feedback we got from those guests was overwhelmingly positive. The food was fantastic, and we had several musical numbers to entertain the guests with throughout the night. The last number, the finale, was especially poignant for me. The music was so upbeat and happy, there was a dance number with about ten company members involved, and at the end there was a huge burst of confetti over the entire dining room. It was inspiring and I feel so lucky to be part of this theater. Getting the chance to experience what it takes to put on an event like this is a huge opportunity for me, and I have a new appreciation for just how much work it is.

I’ve been feeling a little homesick lately, and the entire theme of the gala was home and coming home (themed around the phrase from the Wizard of Oz), which really cut deep emotionally. I started crying after a particularly poignant piece, done by three young people from the KID Show and one of my fellow interns, Kietraille. When they said the words “I love my home. I wouldn’t change it for anything” I really felt my homesickness deeply. I miss my biological family back in Madison and I miss my Cornell family in Iowa. At this point in the season, I’m glad that I’ve had this experience, but I’m getting ready to go back to school. I’m ready to swap one small town in the mountains for another in the cornfields.

Speaking of family, a part of mine came to visit me this week! My mom and my younger cousin, Elizabeth, came to visit me, and I’m very excited. My cousin is interested in theatre, and I got to show her a bit of behind the scenes as to how my job really works. I showed her around our ticketing system and she’s gotten to shadow me a little bit at work. She’s even ushered for three shows! Not only has it been an educational experience for her, I’ve got to be around my family more, which is nice. It helps with my homesickness to have a little piece of home right here in Creede with me. They’re seeing every show we have to offer too, which is a nice way to spend a week in my opinion. My mom even got a ticket to the gala, and loved it! Her feedback matters a lot to me, so I feel especially pleased with the gala knowing that my mom really enjoyed it. I also got to see 9 to 5 with them, which was a really fun experience. This is my third time seeing 9 to 5, and it holds up just as well as it did the first time. Better, even- the actors and technicians know the show even better, and it runs even more smoothly than it did before. I have been consistently impressed with the quality of CRT shows, and I love being a part of what makes this theater run.