Background
The best place to start the STAGE/2 story is with a bit of history. The current building at 143 Compromise Street -- actually two buildings now combined -- was likely constructed soon after Compromise Street was laid out in 1837. The last owner to use the site for commerce was the Shaw family, popular and respected blacksmiths who moved their business out to Parole in 1960. ASGT leased the site in 1967 from the Anne Arundel County Board of Education; it was subsequently transferred to County ownership in 1973 and sold to ASGT in 1990 for $1.00 with the stipulation that it continue as a community theatre and engage only in cultural/educational activities.
STAGE/2 is so named because it is the second time we have faced the challenge to make over our home. The first was in 1967, when we adapted the premises for use as an outdoor theatre. Subsequent modifications have been made, the last around 1990. Overall, the efforts at remodeling and preservation could best be described as “patchwork home improvement.” We have worked – largely with volunteer effort -- to bring the building and grounds up to current building codes; try to keep up with the ravages of time, recover from nature’s cruelty in sending Hurricane Isabel and other challenges, and maintain historical integrity.
At the beginning of 2006, our 40th Anniversary year, the Board of Directors decided that the era of patchwork home improvement should end. Impelled by the critical condition of the building exterior and the inefficiencies of its interior and theatre spaces, we opted for a top-to-bottom makeover – a chance to look at our home as a blank but historical piece of paper and couple our “have-to’s” to our “want-to’s.”
Mission
STAGE/2 is designed not to compromise but rather to enhance our core concept of Theatre Under The Stars. Our mission is worth repeating:
RESTORATION of our building, preserving its historical integrity and protecting our landmark.
RENOVATION of both the building and the theatre to provide us with a modern environment conducive to the best productions we can possibly stage.
REJUVENATION of the spirit of our actors, our musicians, our production teams, our house staff, and our wonderful members, supporters and audiences from the Annapolis area and beyond who have consistently supported us since the beginning.
The overall scope of STAGE/2 is a major undertaking, one which extends even beyond the building and theatre to other major decisions -- equipment, furniture, lighting and sound enhancements, staging advances . . . to name a few.
It will also allow us to put the site to year-round use. We won’t be staging productions beyond our current summer schedule, but the theatre will become the center for most of our activities. (Large scale auditions and rehearsals in cold weather will still take place off-site.) Having a full-time presence in the heart of Annapolis will serve to increase our recognition and public participation.
STAGE/2 is, above all, a challenge. It is a bold attempt to set our sights high and raise the funds necessary to reach them. We managed to raise our seed money fund by providing little more than the basic scope and direction of our plan. We are bolstered by this evidence of public confidence, and now that the project is underway, we have every reason to believe that we can meet its goals.
Development Process
Our first step was to create a Project Outline. STAGE/2 planning is rooted in the collective intelligence of generations of our constituencies – those people who have performed in, worked at and attended forty summers of production excellence at 143 Compromise Street.
Not everyone, however, responds to a “blank piece of paper.” So we primed the pump a bit, asking them to think first about the three goals of this project:
1. Repair the building
2. Upgrade the facilities to make them a better place for all of us to work.
3. Breathe new life into the facility to get everyone even more excited about coming to 143 Compromise Street.
If you think about all of the things we do there, you can bridge to what would make each of these tasks better/easier/more manageable – and what else we could be doing there.
We also spent the summer of 2007 surveying our audiences to find out just what they liked and just what they didn’t. Not only did we get many good suggestions; we also got a couple of “don’t change a thing” responses. (Those people have neither waited in line for the rest rooms nor tried to keep makeup on in a sweltering dressing room!)
Our files quickly become full of information – most of it useful, much of it unique, some of it repetitive, and some of it conflicting. The STAGE/2 Building Committee, consisting of two board members and two non-board volunteers, set about the task of organizing all of this information into a comprehensive Project Outline.
It became quickly evident that the first floor of the building would remain dedicated to the public and the second to performers. The third, now a storage loft, was eyed for administration offices. Utility improvements involved the addition of heating, air conditioning and hot water along with much-needed plumbing and electrical upgrades (replacements!). Theater (stage and house) improvements leaned toward improved audience comfort, lighting and sound. Layered on top is the requirement to meet both municipal codes and Historic Preservation Commission requirements and to stay within our existing “footprint.”
Professional Partnership…
Obviously, the development of a design and a construction plan was not a job for amateurs. So we began a concurrent effort to identify a Professional Partner. Letters were sent to twenty architectural and design firms in the greater Annapolis area. The letter described the ASGT organization and the rationale behind the STAGE/2 program.
The Project Outline was then submitted to the five who expressed initial interest, along with a request for an initial proposal. Our goal was to find out who best understood our requirements, had the experience to fulfill our mission, and showed the strongest interest. Four of the five responded, and three responded to a request for a second, more detailed proposal.
In June of 2007, we were pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Justin Dowling, A.I.A. as our Architect and Designer of record for the STAGE/2 Concept Plan. Michael has proven to be everything we hoped he would be -- and more. He has the right balance of experience and perspective, of history and utility, and of matching uses to users.
Michael Dowling and Don Ferris, ASGT’s Project Manager, have worked through three generations of plans, each refining the previous one. Michael began by detailing all of our existing spaces and dimensions. Then he interviewed us to supplement the Project Outline we provided. His first effort made many usable improvements and changes, but it showed that there was still some “getting to know us better” requirement. It also showed us where we had been lax or incomplete in the specifications we provided. The second set was much closer to the mark. Along the way, meetings have been held with the Historic Preservation Commission, multiple building, zoning and fire authorities, Ward 1 councilors and consulting engineers.
Results and Benefits…
On December 27, Michael provided ASGT with the final Concept Package, consisting of drawings, specifications and a model of the new Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre.
And for most of you, this may be the best news of all: There will be no roof. It will still be Theatre Under The Stars.
When STAGE/2 is completed, we will be able to make everyone’s experience at ASGT better -- keeping or improving the things that you’ve come to love while eliminating the inconveniences you’ve had to live with! Here are just a few of the benefits:
- An improved box office system
- Expanded rest room facilities (a 250% improvement!)
- Better lobby traffic flow
- Easier access to the theatre
- Significant courtyard improvements and improved exterior lighting
- Vastly improved sound and lighting facilities and equipment
- A lowered stage and sloped house floor with comfortable walking surface
- More “leg-and-elbow” room without sacrificing seating capacity
- A permanent orchestra location
- Larger and more efficient backstage area
- Vastly improved dressing rooms; offstage “green room” area
- Flexible staging and set creation
- Fully acclimatized building, heated and cooled by geothermal energy
- An administrative office and conference room
- Greater safety and security and fire protection
Your Role
The STAGE/2 Concept Package will be unveiled at a special presentation to be held in downtown Annapolis in late April. Please watch this website for details – when they are available, there will be an announcement on the Home Page.
As you may imagine the price tag for STAGE/2 is significant. It is approximately equal to the gross receipts from our box office for the next eleven years!
Of course, most of our box office revenue is used to fund the performances themselves. So it’s not the answer.
ASGT will seek funds from many sources. From local, state and federal agencies. From philanthropic organizations. From individual, business and corporate donors, large and small, public and private.
Keep in mind that as an all-volunteer organization, ASGT will require the support of the core – our most avid fans and volunteers. They will not only donate but will also urge others to do so, either directly or by participating in financial acquisition planning, grant writing and other ancillary skills.
Here are some of the areas where you can help:
Capital Fund Raising: Work is already underway in the effort to secure state and local level funding through legislative efforts. If you have any experience and/or contacts that can enhance this effort, tell us.
Grant Writing: There are two requirements in this effort. The first is identifying organizations that may be willing to contribute funds. The second is meeting the requirements to solicit them
Corporate Giving: Many companies have funds earmarked for charitable purposes. Finding them and earning them are the gist of this challenge.
General Fund Raising: If you have any experience in soliciting funds from the public, through direct mail, e-mail, appearances, etc., you can help.
Event Organization: Getting potential donors together to discuss the project and present its goals are valuable sources of contribution. We are hoping, for example, that regular theater patrons will hold parties in advance of attending an evening’s performance. If you're a “social butterfly,” you can play a part in encouraging this option.
Special Projects: Special projects are as limitless at the imagination, and they serve two worthwhile purposes: fund raising and exposure.. The only caveat is that they must have the potential of raising funds in proportion to the effort (and cost) that goes into them. Put your thinking caps on!
Early volunteers will have an opportunity to view the Concept Package by appointment in advance of the public unveiling.
Other Needs . . .
Administrative and clerical help are always welcome. STAGE/2 will be carried out by professional contractors; if you fit that role and would like to help, let us know. There will also be parts of the effort that skilled volunteers can handle, but such decisions are way down the road.
Sign On . . .
If you love Summer Garden, join us now in this effort.
Follow the STAGE/2 story on our website.
Talk to everyone you know about the major contribution ASGT provides to your community, and urge them to join in.
ASGT is an all volunteer community theatre located in the heart of historic Annapolis, Maryland.
We are recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
