December 2, 2011

Cal Shakes builds community. Our work—whether onstage, in classrooms, or in community settings—helps people of all ages discover and develop vital imaginative tools that improve lives and strengthen our society.

By giving to Cal Shakes this year, you will directly impact individuals  and communities, many of whom desperately need creative resources to survive, let alone thrive. You make a difference when you invest in Cal Shakes. You became a fundamental partner in our distinctive service: Fostering a vital culture of creativity that makes the Bay Area the most innovative, inclusive, and interesting super-neighborhood in our country.

Cal Shakes needs a major influx of donations in order to successfully meet our financial goals this year, and to ensure that we’re in the strongest position to meet the challenge of fulfilling our mission in 2012.

As government funding for the arts and arts education continues to decrease, many people are less and less able to access the creative tools and experiences that connect us as people and help our communities thrive. That’s where Cal Shakes comes in. And that is why I need your help, as our partner, to sustain and expand the work we do: building community through theater.

With your support for our Annual Fund, we can:

• Respond to the ever-growing demand for Cal Shakes arts education programs, and serve more Bay Area students.
• Ensure that future generations of artists and theatergoers—including your children and grandchildren—will be able to experience the beauty and power of Shakespeare and the classics.
• Create new outlets for marginalized voices, as Cal Shakes makes new American plays in collaboration with members of disparate Bay Area populations.

Your support makes the work of this Theater—your Theater—possible, and impacts thousands of people, many of whom would not have access to the arts or arts education without you.

Your investment in our work is an investment in building our community. Please make a 2011 contribution today.

Thank you for all that you do.

Sincerely,

 
Jonathan Moscone
Artistic Director

P.S. Click here to make your gift online; or to speak with someone personally, contact Donor Relations Coordinator Ian Larue at 510.548.3422 x107. Gifts can be made in installments.

P.P.S. By giving $100 or more in a 12-month period, you become eligible for benefits as a Cal Shakes Champion. If you’re already a Champion, increasing your gift may make you eligible for additional benefits.

Photo by Kevin Berne.

Congratulations to Kayla Moreno, who presented the most charming case for being our Valentine during a contest we held on our Conservatory Facebook page; Kayla will be attending the dress rehearsal of her choice this summer at the Bruns. Here’s the love letter she wrote us on Facebook:

Why should I be your Cal Shakes Valentine? Oooh … where do I begin? Three years ago I joined the Conservatory just for the sake of something to do over the summer. The end result was something to do over the summer for the next (at least) four years. My favorite summer is hard to pick, because they’re all so awesome!! I anticipate each newsletter, expecting it to be registration time. Why? Because it means that I am just THAT CLOSE to being back with all my Cal Shakes besties!

I can honestly say that most of my best friends are from the Conservatory. What I love most about them is that I can tell them (well, my closest ones!) anything from my biggest fears to my deepest fantasies. They’re the people that I know won’t laugh when I tell them that I wanted a pet unicorn when I was a kid and actually thought that my unicorn stuffed animals would come to life. OK, so, maybe they’ll laugh. But in a friendish way! They’re the people that I can anticipate auditioning for American Idol with next year when I’m of age ;) lol you know who you are.

When the second semester rolls around, I always start up a Countdown to the Conservatory and hang it up on my wall. I’m a little slow on that, but I’ll get to it tomorrow, I promise! :)

Cal Shakes has been a part of my life since I was just starting middle school and it’s helped me through all the twists and turns of just starting to become a teenager, in a strange way. I know that I won’t be scared for high school next year because I’ll have had such a great summer that thoughts of fear won’t even have time to cross my mind. My self esteem is never higher than those five weeks of summer. The Conservatory is a place for someone like me to be able to just be herself without the worry of someone judging her for being a theater geek. Because, hey, it’s a camp MADE of and for theater geeks! :)

SO EXCITED FOR SUMMER!!

Happy Valentine’s Day :)

Summer Shakespeare Conservatories are enrolling now in Lafayette, Oakland hills, and San Francisco.

Pictured: Sandy Serwin, Kayla Moreno, and Margaret Williams in the 2010 conservatory production of The Comedy of Errors; photo by Jay Yamada.