Looking back on 2021 and looking forward to 2022! ✨
Dear Friends,
I'm not really sure how we are already once again closing out a year, but here we are. It can be hard not to dwell on everything that continues to test our tolerance for struggle. However, there also were so many beautiful moments and victories big and small that happened this year. I’m delighted to share some with you here...
REEMERGING FROM OUR SLUMBER
When the calendar turned to 2021, R2P was hibernating. But before we closed up shop for the winter, we had made a plan for the spring. And as the tulips began to emerge, so did we. Resident Choreographer Tucker Davis took on the role of Associate Managing Director, and together, we launched a series of online audition technique workshops. Our hope was to help the kiddos knock off some rust before we fully launched our 2021 season, and we were delighted that the format also provided an easy on-ramp for newcomers to the process. We had a great time singing, dancing, and working monologues with about two dozen students. We were back!
RESTARTING WITH AUDITIONS
At the beginning of the summer, we held a round of auditionsfor our Summer Showcase Musical Revue, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Seussical. We had one day of in-person auditions for vaccinated students who wanted to be in "the room where it happens."
[Choreographer Ms. Harmony Malone leading the dance audition]
We also invited students to submit audition videos. That turned out to be a great example of an accommodation we made for the pandemic that we will continue to offer going forward. After all, for some students, especially those who are younger or new to the process, auditioning in the comfort of their home with the option to try as many times as they like until they're happy with their performance can be the difference between someone having the confidence to give it a try or not. We had almost 70 students audition, and we were delighted to offer every one of them a place in one of the three shows.
SHOWCASING RESILIENCY
And because Summer Showcase was rehearsed and performed, well, in the summer, we were able to mostly rehearse in the fresh air on the patio of the Just Be Cause Center – our longtime home for office and rehearsal space, thanks to the vision and generosity of Jerry Dietz and his company CSP Management. We built a raised stage right there in the backyard along the beautiful inlet and invited audience members to bring camping chairs or picnic blankets so they could choose seating that matched their level of distancing comfort – as for many folks, this show was their first public performance in a year and a half.
Our students performed over 20 numbers, including songs from shows that we had to cancel last year - featuring some of the performers originally cast in those roles. I will always be wistful about the shows we never got to do last year, but getting to hear these brilliant young people to sing songs from their shows sure helped.
HAPPINESS IS…
Next up was Charlie Brown. Our small cast of seven was fully vaccinated, so when the weather didn't allow for outdoor rehearsals, we were safely able to rehearse masked inside the studio. We had been hoping to perform that one indoors, but out of an abundance of caution, we once again built a stage in the backyard ala Mickey and Judy.
Some people see Charlie Brown as a bummer of a guy, but I see him as the world’s greatest optimist. Every day, his kite crashes, his mailbox is devoid of valentines, and the little red-haired girl ignores him – and yet, he wakes up every single morning absolutely certain that today will be great. And he and his friends finish each day reflecting on the little things that make them happy. “Happiness is singing together when day is through, and happiness is those who sing with you.”
FREE FOR ALL!
This show marked the debut of our new ticketing model – as in, from now on, all tickets to our shows are now FREE! This decision is the bookend to us making participation free for the students several years ago. This was not the result of a sudden financial windfall. Rather, it was the result of us re-examining our priorities and principles as an organization and then making a change that puts those values into practice. We want to be a community theatre that is truly for the entire community. Attending theatre is a joyful, communal experience. When we gather together to hear stories, we learn empathy for people who are different from us. Plus, it’s fun! Who in our community should be excluded from these experiences? We think no one should.
R2PATRONS MAKE IT POSSIBLE
To make this change possible, we introduced a new donor/membership support model. Members, called R2Patrons, help sustain R2P for as little as $5 per month. Think of it like NPR – content is made available for free, but those who are able to donate, do so to keep it available for all. (Plus, like NPR, there are nifty thank you gifts, too!) You can become an R2Patron now at www.runningtoplaces.org/join. We’re so grateful to everyone who has already joined as an R2Patron and hope that you will, too! (And remember that encouraging friends and family to become R2Patrons magnifies your impact even more!)
STILL A LONG WAY FROM HOME
I’m sad to say that, despite our very best efforts, our plan to make a permanent home in the mall no longer has a path forward. The facility was in worse shape than we knew and needed far more rehabilitation than was reasonable. We did our best to work with the owners over the course of more than two years, but goodness knows we picked the wrong two year period to try to wring out a miracle.
However, what I choose to hold onto from that endeavor is the overwhelming support and encouragement that we received from our community – people stopping me in Wegmans to ask how it’s going and wish us luck, and of course, the contributions that folks made to speed us on our way. You fueled our spirits and helped us dream bigger than we ever thought possible. While this ultimately wasn’t meant to be the place we would call home, you have inspired us to keep dreaming, and someday we will find a place to call our own.
R2P2GO
Seussical was planned to be performed in January, but with the rising numbers across the community, we have postponed it to the spring. We’re hoping for a better outlook by then (and there’s always the great outdoors in the warmer weather, if things are still iffy!) In order to not go that long without making use of our students’ immense talent and beautiful spirits, we’re launching a new program: R2P2GO! It started as an informal effort by the students themselves, spearheaded by company member Corinne Ford (who you might have seen recently as Snoopy). R2P2GO is a traveling musical revue focused primarily on bringing performances to folks who might not otherwise get them, like Oak Hill Nursing Home, where our students have already performed a few times.
It’s great experience for the kids, both in terms of performance and in practicing generosity and giving back. It’s been a highlight to see the residents beam at the singers (and occasionally sing along!) We’ll be making it formally part of R2P’s offerings starting in January, complete with a process for identifying interested participants - stay tuned for details coming soon!
MORE OUTREACH
We’re always looking to grow the next generation of R2Peeps. Recently, we began partnerships with the afterschool programs at GIAC and Southside Community Center.Working with students ages 3-16, we did warmups, theatre games, scene work, and explored Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.
While the reality of the current public health situation (how’s that for a euphemism!) cut our sessions shorter than originally planned, we’re excited to pick up where we left off in 2022. We can’t wait to see what we can cook up with these amazing community organizations next!
BEHIND THE SCENES
These next ones aren’t the most glamorous, but if you’ve worked in a nonprofit, you will understand why we’re excited. The time we didn’t spend working on shows this year gave us the unprecedented opportunity to do some long-overdue housekeeping. We rebuilt our website from scratch, top-to-bottom. (Check it out at www.runningtoplaces.org!)
Plus we implemented our new database system! (Did I just hear somebody yawn when I said “database”? Can I get some love for a good CRM system, people?) As we continue implementing its features, we’ll be able to do everything from streamlining audition registrations to managing constituents to accepting donations to sending newsletters (like this one!) and more – all under one unified system. I know it’s not a thrilling like a full cast tap dance number, but it will make our work more efficient and effective, while saving us time and money compared to the patchwork of solutions we used before, letting us put more of our energy into working with the kids. Database? More like datawow!
WRAPPING UP
Ok, I hear myself. It’s clearly time to wrap this up, even though we have lots more to share – a new podcast, the establishment of the "Rebecca Ryan R2P Youth Development Endowment Fund" at the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, R2P Unplugged, classes for students AND adults, and of course, the return of live performances.
Honestly, I didn’t plan to write this much, but this ended up being a good exercise for remembering how many wonderful things really did happen this year.
Thank you for being our community – for supporting our mission to make the life changing experiences of theatre accessible to everyone.
However you are marking the holiday season and the end of this year, I deeply hope that you and yours are healthy and well. This may be the darkest day of the year – yet may we all remember that the light always returns. I can’t wait to see you when it does.
From the entire R2P family, wishing you all the best for the coming year.