It’s mid-November and we’re all smack-dab in the middle of the season for gratitude, of giving thanks for all that we have.
Jobsite is very thankful for the year we’ve had. To start 2009 with the smash hit Picasso at the Lapin Agile (the #1 attended show we’ve produced on our own) and end it with Night of the Living Dead (#2) was a major success for our company, and hopefully those are numbers that we will continue to build on each and every year. To have been offered a long-term deal by TBPAC, just yesterday renamed the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, to remain Downtown as resident theater company was a distinct honor for us. We premiered a brand-new rock musical in Pericles that was almost two years in the making that we’re now working on giving a life outside of Tampa. This year was full of productions that have pushed Jobsite to the extreme in terms of using the space, of our technical capabilities, of producing things that may not be “easy” but that were more than worthy. We were able to give work to close to 50 Bay area artists this year.
As you’re preparing your holiday feasts and gathering your family and friends this season, we hope that we’ve given you something to remember fondly. From the powerful performances in Rabbit Hole to the comic ultraviolence of Inishmore, Jobsite has worked relentlessly to bring Tampa Bay a unique and daring theater experience unlike any other.
We are a completely independent not-for-profit organization, and ticket sales only account for a small portion of the revenue we need to survive. The economy has taken a bit of a toll on what people have been able to give this year, which we fully understand. Times are tough out there for many, and if it comes down to making a donation or buying tickets, we’ll choose that people see our shows every time. We’re now trying to make up those donations before the end of the year so that we do not start 2010 behind.
On December 5, at Ybor’s New World Brewery, we will have our annual fundraiser/wrap party Jobsite Rocks. In an effort to get as much mileage of all these special effects and costumes we have laying around from Halloween, we’ve got a Zombie Christmas theme going on. There will be four bands, periodic raffles from the stage and special surprises along the way from 8p until late that evening. Admission is a minimum donation of $8 at the door. Raffle tickets are sold separately.
We’d really like to see you out, even for just an hour. We’d like to meet those of you we may not know, reconnect with those of you we may not have seen in a while and thank everyone for helping us have a great year.
If you or your business might like to offer up a prize for the raffle, we’d like to hear from you. Write djenkins@jobsitetheater.org to get the ball rolling.
If you can’t make it out – would you please consider making a donation before the end of the year? There is truly no such thing as a small gift, every penny is meaningful for Jobsite and vital to our continued success.
Don’t forget that Jobsite is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization, and all gifts made to Jobsite are fully tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.
From all of us at Jobsite, we are very thankful for your continued support and hope to see you all soon.
