Two ONE-WAY Tickets To Broadway Productions

Dear friends of TOWTTB:

 

It is with heavy heart that we, the Board of Directors of Two ONE-WAY Tickets to Broadway Productions Society (TOWTTB), announce that this, our 10th season of producing Broadway’s best musicals, was unfortunately our last. It is somewhat fitting that our final production was one of the first and most successful shows we produced under the TOWTTB name, and our VIP Member voted winning show – RENT!

 

This has not been an easy decision, but was the only one that felt right based on our current situation. Over the past several years having to balance increased operating, venue rental and royalty costs while maintaining production value and affordable ticket prices, has been a struggle. As well, while the city is full of amazing talent, it is also a relatively small pool of people based on the number of organizations vying for said talent, and we have had major challenges securing key personnel to ensure the caliber of our productions is maintained. The final factor was the resignation of the driving force of this company, Artistic Director, Martin Galba. That further justified the Board’s decision to close doors, as we felt that the company could not continue without its anchor…without its heart and soul. Martin has dedicated his talent, time, passion and vision to this organization in so many ways. He was completely invested...and now after an amazing 10 seasons, has decided that it has been…just enough.

 

The first of our twenty-two productions under the TOWTTB name was at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in 2007 with Stephen Sondheim’s musical Passion. Over the years TOWTTB made a name for itself in Edmonton and area as a semi-professional theatre company producing quality productions that bridged the gap between community and professional theatre – giving artists a place to gain valuable experience before moving on to their professional careers. Many of our alumni have done just that and are now working all over Edmonton, Canada and beyond. Over our 10 seasons we tackled shows that nobody else dared to produce therefore we were often able to bill them as Edmonton premieres by a local (non-educational) company. Sweeney Todd, RENT!, Titanic, Avenue Q to name a few.

 

During our 10 seasons we have had the absolute honour and privilege to work with the most amazing, dedicated, talented, supportive group of actors, singers, dancers, musicians, directors, musical directors, designers, stage managers, assistant stage managers, builders, painters and everyone else behind-the-scenes…many of whom came back time and time again to grace our stages, wings, shops and booths. Thank you. Thank you for trusting us to give you a space to play, grow and make magic. If we could take the time to recognize you all individually, it would take us another 10 seasons…

 

We have also had the fortune of a very loyal following of patrons – our VIP Members who came to every show without fail (sometimes more than once!), appreciating all that we brought to them and supporting us in every way.

We could not have made it without our strong and loyal media advocates, whose previews and reviews were keys to our success. But probably our biggest media supporter was Colin MacLean, who not only hosted one of our fundraisers, An Evening of Sondheim, but attended almost every single one of our productions over the last 10 seasons, complete with his always honest, heart-felt reviews.

 

The majority of TOWTTB’s productions came to life on the La Cite Theatre stage. It has become like a home for us. Thank you to everyone at L’Unitheatre, past and present, that have made us feel like residents. While La Cite felt like our home, we also had the honour of performing at The Winspear Centre, Myer Horowitz Theatre, Stanley A. Milner Library Theatre, Catalyst/C103, Azimuth and Workshop West’s Third Space.

 

Gratitude to our board members, past and present, who helped shape this organization and made the difficult decisions when they needed to be made. Every success was because of your dedication and commitment to this company, and your never-ending love of the arts.

 

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors, granting and support agencies that have helped us along the way…Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton Arts Council/City of Edmonton, Tix on the Square, Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer (RMRF) LLP, Denis Noel and Brian Deedrick.

 

Last but definitely not least, our most sincere gratitude goes to our biggest supporter and advocate – Sir Francis Price. Thank you for always believing in us and reminding us of the value of our little company in this big theatre-rich city.

 

Even if you didn’t get the chance to join us at RENT! for our ‘final curtain call’, please be sure to continue to support local theatre in Edmonton.

 

La Vie Boheme!

 

The TOWTTB Board of Directors
Stephanie Galba, Lamoine Maryniak, Joseph Caruk, Josy Macdonald, Ruby Swekla, Lyndsey Cohen, Pat MacKeage