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Remarks from our 2017 Barrymore Nomination Announcement and Reception

On August 21, 2017, Theatre Philadelphia staff and board gathered alongside members of our theatre community to announce our 2017 nominees for the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. At this event, we heard from Executive Director Leigh Goldenberg and Board Co-President Steve Pacek about the work of the organization and ways for the community to get involved. Below are the remarks from Leigh and Steve. 



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Leigh Goldenberg Executive Director

Leigh Goldenberg: 

Thank you Jason and to InterAct and all the Drake partners for having us today. And thank YOU all for being with us this afternoon.

I joined Theatre Philadelphia in January, at a time when the community and our board identified that one of our greatest needs was to connect audiences to your work. My passion for theatre, and I expect for  many of you too, is that it brings us together.  It takes an ensemble to make a play, and as we sit alongside each other in the audience, we have the distinct experience of sharing something live and fresh each night. This connection is even more powerful at times like these, and one we want to share with more audience members. To encourage more people to step into someone else’s life for a few hours, and learn about a world different from your own. I believe this makes us better citizens, and happier people, too.



That said, Theatre Philadelphia is continuing to focus on the Barrymore Awards as a way to bring our community together and amplify your work to the public. We are also working to adapt to a changing media market to reach audiences, which we do through our website featuring productions, theatre news, stories about our local artists and organizations, and opportunities for involvement. We’re expanding who we feature in this work to paint the full picture of what theatre is, and can be, in our region. In addition to our website, we launched a weekly e-newsletter (I hope you’ve all subscribed) and we’re expanding our work on social media through digital marketing campaigns with Capacity Interactive. We’ll be bringing on a marketing manager this fall to help tell all of your stories, too.



Also this year, we’re launching a professional development series  to hear from marketing and communications professionals from outside our sector, to learn how others are innovating in online storytelling, analytics, and more. And of course, this will include opportunities to collaborate and network with your colleagues in the field.



And soon, we’ll announce  a new flagship program to launch in 2018, which will raise our sector’s profile and help even more audiences discover theatre across the region, and in their own backyard.  I’ll be reaching out to companies and artists soon with information on how to participate, and we’ll share more details at the Barrymore Awards Ceremony in October.



This year’s Barrymore Awards will take place on Monday, October 30 at the Merriam Theatre with a sweet after-party celebration at Hamilton Hall. To hear about who we’ll be honoring that night, please help me welcome founding board member and new Co-Chair of Theatre Philadelphia, Steve Pacek.



Steve Pacek: 

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Good afternoon Philadelphia theatre community!  I’m so happy to see so many of you here today! I, along with my co-chair, Erin Reilly and the the rest of the board of directors of Theatre Philadelphia would like to thank Leigh and our new program assistant, Peter Andrew Danzig for putting today together.

I know Leigh has just told you a little about the work we are doing as an organization, and I would like to add that if you’re interested in joining us in support of this amazing community, then ask not what Theatre Philadelphia can do for you...but what you can do for Theatre Philadelphia! We are, in large part, a volunteer organization and we wouldn’t be here today if not for the time and talents of so many generous individuals.  So come to one of our events.  Volunteer to sit on a working committee.  Maybe even become a Barrymore Awards nominator…

Which brings us to the reason we are here today!  Last year was a busy season in Philadelphia. 39 professional companies submitted 107 productions to be adjudicated by our rotating pool of 60 nominators. Then our 12 judges went on to see 81 of these Barrymore Recommended productions, putting them in consideration for nomination and awards in 22 different categories. Combine that with our 4 curated, cash award Barrymores and a Lifetime Achievement Award and you get a whole lot of Philly awesomeness!

 

To learn more about how you can participate in the work of Theatre Philadelphia, visit our Get Involved page

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From Theatre Philadelphia Staff and Board
Remarks from 2017 Barrymore Nomination Announcement
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