Theatre in the Square joins list of endangered theaters

• Theatre in the Square

This evening Georgia Shakespeare holds its Go Big or Go Home Cabaret fundraiser, part of a campaign to save the beloved, beleaguered company. This afternoon, however, yet another local playhouse puts its name on the endangered list as Marietta’s Theater in the Square announced news of its own dire financial straits. Co-founder and producing director Palmer Wells has announced an emergency fundraising drive to raise a quarter of a million dollars by Oct. 15.

Ironically, at a time when Theatre in the Square is celebrating the beginning of its landmark 30th Anniversary Season, we are — quite bluntly put — on the brink of financial disaster.

This is not a letter I relish writing. The need is real, it is critical, and it is immediate.

That’s why we’ve come up with an emergency drive to raise $225,000 by October 15, 2011, through our SAVE YOUR SEAT campaign ($1,000 for each seat in our Main Stage theater). Your gift of $1,000 will secure an engraved plaque to go on the back of the seat you choose - first-come, first-served. (More than a dozen seats have already been purchased, so don’t wait!)

When Michael Horne and I started the Theatre in 1982, we never dreamed we would come so far. We certainly never imagined reaching a point at which closing would be such an ominous option. And we have never experienced the compelling need we are faced with now.

Our brand-new façade, marquee and spacious lobby, paid for a couple of years ago through a capital fund drive, are impressive, but they belie the fact that we are undergoing the worst financial crisis of our existence. As you may know, ticket sales cover only 65% of the cost to stage our season. The remaining 35% is made up by donors, like you, along with other funders. Over the last four years, those investments have dropped steadily with the sinking economy. Our internal cutbacks, though extensive, have not been able to keep pace with the decline.

for more information on how to donate, visit: http://www.theatreinthesquare.com/page/49/Save-Your-Seat