I hope everyone had a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday weekend! It’s been a time for me to reflect on the goodness of the many individuals who love and work hard around here. This includes a lot of people. It can easily fill a day. To slow down, quiet and still, and think about everyone there is to be grateful for, is a moment to live in for a day. And for at least a moment every day. Carrying that kind of gratitude around puts a spring in your step and a song in your heart. Especially with a gorgeous show like Beauty and the Beast spinning in your head, man, that music really stays with you! (I saw Sunday’s matinee, first time since press night opening, and fell in love all over again!)
Tonight, our Paramount family is going to get together to thank the many volunteers who usher in our audience throughout the year. Our ushers are the most remarkable humans! Each one of them has a unique way of welcoming and assisting our patrons. Their enthusiasm greeting you is unmatched. Their appreciation for your attendance, “Thank you for coming!” rings up the aisles out into the lobby. It’s remarkable. They engage everyone entering into the theater as if you just came by to their own house. Well this is their house. And they make you feel at home. There’s comfort, courtesy, and caring for you here. All by means of our volunteer family looking out for you.
So we’re gonna give them a dinner party tonight to thank them! Front of House Manager, Jenna Gagliano, has reached out to Paramount Nation to put on a cabaret of singing and comedy and I’m always blown away at the talent among our staff! There will be high spirits and lots of laughs shared with a group of folks who could not be more deserving of our thanks. Come to think of it, next time you’re at the theater, why not give them a nod and a wink and a word of appreciation, won’t you?
With every dollar, we can grow our non-profit school to ensure everyone has access to the arts.
And today is Giving Tuesday! Just received an email this morning from Paramount’s Development Manager, Michele Bergeron, announcing that this year all donations will go to Paramount School of the Arts with a goal of $24,386. “With every dollar, we can grow our non-profit school to ensure everyone has access to the arts.” Live here. Give here. Click on this link and share it with family and friends as it takes you directly to our giving page: https://bit.ly/2rUlGoI. The future of the arts in Aurora is in Arts Education!
Love and thanks,
Jim