So the good and short news is that Colorado ACTS is committed to doing a full Spring season. Every class that is scheduled will perform. You can contact any teacher or the office if you have any questions about specific classes. If you need or want more information here is the much longer version.
1. Historically for our first 15 ish years we were nomadic finding comfortable places at times in churches for performance and rehearsals and sometimes only being in a space for a single show, keeping our stuff in garages and basements and semi trailers. When we settled into the place at Ralston road (where the Walmart sits directly on top of our cute little theater) it was the first time that we could afford a single place to rehearse, perform and store. We moved from there to the place on the Frontage Road in Wheatridge and didn’t realize what a blessing the Landlord Kirby Kunz was as he retrofitted our space and was a curmudgeonly but clear and honest landlord. Just before the Pandemic he sold all his property to a new company that very definitely didn’t want us to remain in the building after our 10 year lease was up unless we paid a great deal more. Our classes were literally bursting at the seams. We found realtors who assured us that we were financially in a great place and would be easy to find a new theatre space. 6 months later, with no options at all, we let them go, replaced with another realtor who in 3 months showed us one available place that was very definitely NOT our theater. We moved everything into storage and had only one show (Newsies!) during our summer season. After reaching out to an old old friend realtor, we found this current space and were introduced to contractors who said they had worked on the space before and could do exactly what we wanted in 6 weeks. Almost 4 months later they had finally finished, spent most of our buffer money and left us with a number of still unfinished expensive problems. YUP we have been now in our building since last September, but our first shows on the stage were in January.
2. During this last year a couple of things have combined to make our current financial condition more difficult. Losing our buffer should have only been some concern, but we have had dwindling class enrollment (yes, there are lots of ideas about why, but nothing has been clear), this means less income from tuition, box office and even concessions, but still the same expenses. Summer was a terrible failure, but still of course the same expenses to maintain the space. Our grant writers this year have failed to bring in any money, of course they don’t guarantee anything (but you can see in the budget, usually $30,000 or more in a year) and they were paid $8,000. Our CAM (those are the extra costs associated with the lease) have almost doubled, which we had not anticipated. The details associated with each these things can be explained again. But the bottom line is that our expenses are higher than our income and we have been drawing from our savings account to cover them.
3. We have two serious questions with no answers yet. We have 3 grants pending that could bring in $30,000 or absolutely nothing. The one would ease our problems almost immediately and the other would end us in serious trouble. We have the end of year CAM reconciliation (Like at the end of the year with your escrow) that could be $2,000 or FAR more. We have literally no idea. Again, the one would be a small problem and the other would end us in serious trouble.
4. Spring, we have invested in 3 Disney shows this spring. Unusual for us, but hoping that the Disney names will boost our enrollment. Of course they are also an extra expense. One that we hope will pay off in higher enrollment and audiences. We will still have all the fun and unique flavor that ACTS brings to everything and are hoping that audiences will come along as well.
5. We have cut most of the expenses that we can. Changed phone companies, emptied even our single shed, kept our teacher salaries at less than McDonalds teenagers make and done our best to keep ticket and tuition prices as low as possible. (We are still way under other theaters and after school activities). But again, bottom line is that our expenses are greater than our income.
6. In order to turn that around, We are looking for ideas. We really welcome your input and thoughts and ideas. We hope to find some fundraising that doesn’t just “fish in the same pool”. We would love to be sponsored by any businesses. We know there are people with the wealth to invest in our mission and students and we hope to find them (or be introduced to them.) We would love to have a new grant writer on board. We would love to add interested parents to our working board.
7. We are continuing to trust and believe that God wants us to continue. We honestly don’t know exactly how that will look in the future. But we are committed to our students and families and to continue to follow our mission statement of offering quality children’s theatre education.
8. Final word from Cindy: I keep saying. “I’m stressed, but not worried.” I know the difference and, honestly, I know that God’s in control. I know this to be true, because I know God’s character that worrying isn’t His plan for us. There are lots of inspirational words, quotes, scriptures and I see and hear and am reminded all the time!!! I am surrounded by Family and Friends at the school who keep working and laughing and creating and we plan to keep doing that.
9: So sign up for a class, come see a show, call or email. We are doing theatre this Spring! Pass this along to anyone who cares or is interested.
Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts
ct 303 456 6772