20 seasons. Whew. It’s incredible to think that we, a not-for-profit community theatre in Marshfield, Missouri, can be at this point.
There are not many other not-for-profit organizations that have reached this point, with the National Center on Charitable Statistics saying that almost 30% of nonprofits fail to exist after 10 years. And we’re about to double that lifespan.
That is due solely because of our community; because of people like you. Nearly all our income over the past 20 seasons has come from ticket sales to our productions, meaning your interest in seeing our productions is the reason we’re still here.
All of this means that our 20th season is a pivotal moment in our organization. It’s a time for us to look back at all we’ve accomplished and look forward to what they next 20 years can bring. A time to celebrate and to breath fresh ideas and perspectives into everything we do.
We’re already planning so much for our 20th season, in addition to the seven amazing shows in our season, which are:
- Almost, Maine from Feb. 16-18
- The Great Gatsby from April 13-16
- Hello, Dolly! from June 22-25
- The Little Mermaid, Jr.
- Peter Pan, Jr. from Sept. 28-30 and Oct. 5-7
- Night of the Living Dead from Oct. 27-29 and on Oct. 31
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever from Dec. 7-9
Photo by DeAnne Rader
Theatre with Heart: How you can support MCT
At the center of everything we do in 2023, is reaffirming our commitment to being your local theatre, your theatre with heart. At MCT, we all love what we do. We are passionate about theatre, but even more passionate about sharing our love for theatre with our community. Whether that’s through education classes, mentorship opportunities and finding people’s superpowers to maximize their volunteering, we believe that everyone can find a place within the arts.
At this vital point at MCT, we’re focused on bringing more people into the fold. At the end of the day, without people, our work doesn’t matter. So, we need to find people who are committed to the idea that the arts matter and that want to share that idea with our community. To help with that, we’ve grown our leadership team from 9 in 2020 to 18 in 2023. In 2022, we had around 100 volunteers helping across our productions and events. While that was an amazing amount of support, we can’t allow ourselves to stop there.
If you’re looking for a place to belong, to showcase your creativity or somewhere to give back to your community, reach out. We have so many ways to be a part of the MCT family, including:
- Being on production teams – i.e., directing, music directing, choreography, lighting/sound design, set design, costume design and more
- Staffing our shows – managing our box offices, running our concessions stands, being an usher and more
- Working throughout year – in things like hospitality, marketing, fundraising, grant writing and more
We need you. End of story. Even if you’re not sure how you can get involved, reach out. We’ll help you find your place and make a difference with MCT.
Here’s to 20. We’ll see you soon in 2023.