Dear Friends,

 

Last week, I sent you the most difficult letter I’ve ever written. I shared with you that, because of the financial strain of the COVID pandemic, for the first time in 65 years Theatre Southwest (TSW) was on the verge of shutting its doors forever.

 

To our delight, we received such an outpouring of love and generosity that we were able to exceed our minimum goal within a matter of hours. With that, we were able to put our immediate crisis behind us: I am happy to report that we will now be able to pay our current rent and meet all expenses necessary to mount our next shows, The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh and Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon. We are so very grateful to all those who made that possible!

 

But we could still use your help.

 

While this immediate crisis is now behind us, it does not yet mean that we are back on solid financial footing. In case you missed our last email, I shared that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were forced to cancel most of our 2019-2020 season, our two fundraising galas, and, even now, we continue to operate at half capacity in order to maintain current COVID safety standards. This has had a devastating impact on our revenue and ability to operate and will take us some time to recover from.

 

Though we are a 100% volunteer organization (which means no one, onstage or off, gets paid), we still have expenses associated with mounting a season of quality plays. Until we are able to operate at full capacity again, we will continue to be more dependent than usual on gifts from generous individuals like you.

 

Would you help us close our funding gap by making a one-time or recurring gift today?

 

Every penny you donate will go toward keeping the theatre open and putting on the great productions you love. And, of course, all donations to TSW are tax-deductible. Visit the “Support” page of our website at www.tswhouston.org, or call us at 713-661-9505 to make your donation by phone and find out other ways you can help.

 

TAKE ACTION!

Here are some easy and fun ways you can help us:

● Donate (of course!)

● Buy tickets to our next two shows, The Lonesome West and The Sunshine Boys now.

● Buy ad space in our programs or underwrite a production -- call us at 713-661-9505 for rates and terms.

● Become a season subscriber -- season tickets are still available at a discount!

● Reserve your spot at our New Year’s Eve Gala!

● Help grow our community -- Like us on Facebook and Instagram and use social media to spread the word to other theatre lovers who might want to support us, too!

● Go Shopping! -- Add Theatre Southwest as your charity of choice at Randall’s, Kroger, and on AmazonSmile. TSW will receive a percentage of every dollar you spend. Click here for details.

● Volunteer -- volunteers are always needed to keep this theatre running smoothly.

 

Your support and patronage over the years has meant so much to us, and it has never been more needed than it is right now. Thank you for any help you’re able to provide.

 

We have a really wonderful season planned for you and I hope to see you at the theatre soon!

 

Sincerely,

Mimi Holloway

Artistic Director

 

P.S. -- Between us, I have to tell you that our next show, The Lonesome West, by Martin McDonagh and directed by Sean K. Thompson is one you REALLY don’t want to miss! It’s a dark comedy set in western Ireland and the script, cast, and director are truly superb. It runs November 5th through November 20th. Click here for reservations and information.

 

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Mimi Holloway                      Artistic Director

Justin Holloway                      Board President

Schrenia Bockholt                  Vice-President

Brit Garcia                              Secretary

Sriram Vengalathur                Treasurer

John Stevens                           Trustee (3-year)

Sam Martinez                          Trustee (2-year)

Joseph Moore                          Trustee (1-year)

Rest assured we are keeping abreast of the constantly changing events and our primary concern remains the health and safety of our patrons and members. Notifications regarding upcoming events will be shared as available and we thank you for your patience during this difficult time. In the meantime, the theater is being sanitized regularly.

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While we know everyone is going through difficult times both emotionally and financially because of the pandemic, Theatre Southwest asks for your help with our campaign to “Keep our Doors Open to the Future.”  We still have many bills to meet during this time and ask that anyone who can support TSW please consider making a donation to Theatre Southwest either through the “Donate” link, or by sending a check to the theater directly at:

Theatre Southwest, 8944 Clarkcrest-A, Houston, Texas 77063.
 

Thank you!
Mimi Holloway
Artistic Director