S4E7: Raise the Region: We're Worth Funding!

All about Raise the Region and why you should donate to BTE! Amy chats with Theatre School and Mainstage parents, Amanda Figueroa and Tim Sutton about their support of BTE, their daughter Margot's involvement, and how Tim ended up on BTE's Board. Listen in as they focus on Raise the Region, BTE’s largest annual fundraiser, emphasizing how even a $25 donation can be amplified through matching prizes during the 36-hour event run by Blaise Alexander.

Raise the Region runs March 11th–13th! 

Recorded and Edited by: Amy Rene Byrne

Original Music by: Aaron White

Transcripts of all Season 2-4 episodes are available on our Buzzsprout website.

Check out our current season: http://www.bte.org
Ensemble Driven. Professional Theatre. Arts Education. Rural Pennsylvania. For Everyone. With Everyone.

Transcript

Amy: Welcome to Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble Down Center, a podcast that needs to raise money to keep our company, our people, our art, and our town front and down center.

It is nearly that time of year again, our retired Managing Director's Super Bowl of fundraising. And yes, Jon is still helping us out with Raise the Region. BTE has not been in existence for 48 seasons without a massive amount of fundraising and Raise the Region has become our largest annual fundraiser.

It's a moment in time when our entire community and people all over the literal world who have been touched by BTE take a moment to say. Yeah, this matters. 

And we are joined today by two awesome humans to chat about this massive fundraising push. One happens to be on our Board. They are both Theatre School Parents, BTE, Main Stage Parents.

You may have seen their daughter, Margot and A Charlie Brown Christmas or The Little Prince, and they're avid, BTE supporters and in my opinion, just all around super cool people. Alright, we have Amanda Figueroa and Tim Sutton. Hello Amanda. And Tim, would you take a moment and introduce yourselves? ? 

Tim: Sure. I'm Tim Sutton. I am a returning resident of Bloomsburg. I grew up here and came to see shows uh, at BTE, throughout my childhood would come with the school. And, after moving back to the area and bringing Margot and Amanda along, it was nice to reconnect with the theatre and our, our daughter fell in love with it. 

Amy: Well, we fell in love with your daughter, so she's a really cool kid.

Amanda: Thank you. Yeah. I'm Amanda, I'm Tim's wife. We met in New York City and we've lived throughout. And being back to this area for Tim and in this area for me, has been a welcome change in the sense of finding a, true community here. And a big part of that has been through BTE and the opportunities it gives to the children. And just an opening to be able share with your community 

Amy: did, uh, where did you come to Bloomsburg via? 

Amanda: we

Were last in, outside of Charlotte, so we lived in North Carolina for about four years. Four or five years.

Tim: We, we met in New York City. Yes. And then we moved to Puerto Rico. Yes. Then we moved to Asheville in North Carolina. moved outside of Charlotte. 

Amy: Oh I like Asheville. 

Tim: Asheville is a beautiful 

Amanda: lovely 

Tim: --great arts community. think love of the arts was something that we bonded over pretty early on and we've continued with Margot, but just sort of wherever we've lived it's engaged in, whether it's it's music or going to museums and just engaging in art out in the public and, and going to theater or shows, like those kind of things are things that we've done throughout our relationship and it's nice to be able to continue on with And to have something like that in, you know, a rural community.

Amy: Yeah. Are you originally from Puerto Rico Amanda? 

Amanda: Yes. I was born and raised there and I did my college there and left after college. I was gonna pursue law and that didn't work out, but it put me in New York, which I loved. Anyway, before I had interned through college and, and then I just never came back, so I lived in New York. I lived in DC after that for about three years, and then back in New York for about a decade where I met Tim. 

Amy: I love that. That's such a nicer story than how Kris and came, got introduced. 

Amanda: we, met, well, I mean met bar

Amy: That makes me feel better. 

Tim: Alright. Yeah. It, it was a real meet-cute. It involved alcohol.

Amanda: Yes.

Amy: Those are the best ones. 

Amanda: And the owner of the bar saying, have you met Tim?

Tim: Yeah.

Amy: Ah, yeah. Yeah, 

Amanda: mm-hmm. 

Amy: So, to kind of talk about, Raise the Region and why I brought the two of you here to talk about it. When I think about Raise the Region, I think about this really wonderful community that, particularly our founders and predecessors had built uh, and thinking about, you know the community that this generation of BTE is building By way of theater school and then main stage parenthood, I feel like we really started to, to form a relationship with the two of you and got to know you more personally.

So you were, some of the people that I know from experience are out on the streets , singing BTE's praises and now Tim in the boardroom, um, we always come on here.

Like, please give us money. you can hear from us all the time but I think hearing from some of our supporters is really important, when we're asking people to open their wallets. And this has become one of our biggest annual fundraising pushes and it's a great fundraiser because if you don't have a lot to give, just like a $25 donation is all it takes.

That's the minimum amount that you can donate and Raise the Region does a lot of really cool matching things. So there might be certain prizes that happen, like if you donate between this hour and this hour and the organization that gets the most unique donors wins an additional like thousand dollars, then that $25 donation can go really far and get BTE so much more.

 So that was a really long-winded way of me getting to why I asked both of you to be here. So I would love to know what, when you did return to the area, Tim, and when you first came Amanda, what, what drew you to BTE? 

Tim: I think that was putting Margot in the camps for the summer. Mm-hmm. We both work, so it started out as, oh, what can we do to help Margot have some stimulating activity over the summer, something she'll enjoy. And she hadn't done theatre before.

so to get her into the summer camps was really her introduction into BTE. And it's not because she's sitting right behind me, but, being there with, with Abby 

Amy: Abby is staring creepily over Tim's shoulder. 

Tim: Um, yes, I can feel the daggers. Um, But I think she ran really good program that was more than just occupying time, it became something Margo really enjoyed and became invested in. So once she was into that, and the opportunity to get involved in the audition for Little Prince, Margo was our entry point into BTE you know, really seeing what it was doing for her to, to become part of the larger BTE community and that sort of engagement. Means a lot. I remember having meaningful childhood experiences, like the karate growing up, but doing that and having adults that, that meet you. You know, where you need to be and, and treat you as a, as a whole human being and not simply treating you like a child. So not only what she was getting out of it, but the way she was being treated and involved and pulled into it. I think that that meant a lot to us as parents. And, and it, it made a good deal of difference for her. 

Amanda: And I'll, and I'll add to that, before we got here, throughout her very young life, she'd shown interest in acting. And maybe not in the, I wanna perform sense, but everything was very "how do they do that? Oh, I bet those kids are having fun acting. Oh. What do you think they felt like when they did that? Or I bet they had to work really hard." So throughout, I wanna say from the time she was maybe four to the time we got here,

That was something that was always going through her mind. And where we were outside of Charlotte is too congested, it's too big a city, right? So. The outlets weren't there for something like that.

Like when I'm looking for camps or any activities she's she's expressed over and over how she doesn't wanna be in a sports or part of a team sports. So we were always looking for something different and that was just not available. We would've had to drive to Charlotte, which is a nightmare. Not that Charlotte isn't lovely, but-- 

Amy: No, but but any large city transportation is always.

Tim: It's a consideration. 

Amanda: Yeah. So when we got here, one of the first things I heard was from one of our new neighbors and friends saying their daughter had participated in some of the workshops. And I asked for the information and we booked her. And it really was an immediate, like, finding your space. Like Tim said, she loves her teacher and she loves the space. Gave her, just this opportunity to be with other like-minded children. And like Tim said, adults that treated her like a peer and not like some kid they're teaching to make some more money out of. So it's, it's been a real's, a real lovely 

Amy: I, had the, joy of getting to teach Margot pretty early on in, I think it was a summer camp and she struck me immediately that, that the way that she processes things and the way that she investigates things. I was watching them do scene work and I was like, man.

That kid has a director brain. She really was going through and was analyzing the scene and being like, okay, well, so at this point it would make sense for this to happen because of this. And then I think if we do that, then we should do this. And I was like, ah. Because that's like that, that kind of like natural way of looking at it is something that's really hard to teach. And I was like, yeah, this is gonna be a fun kid to work with. So I must admit I loved her from the start. So I'm glad that she felt similar. Have, either of you ever had a moment that has made you feel like BTE like this place matters? 

Amanda: I, I feel like that every time I pick her up from a workshop or especially the times she's gotten to work on a play. the community, it builds between all these families and the pride in their community and what they're doing for their community is something that I wouldn't have been able to understand if someone explained to me without seeing it in action. It's not just the kids getting together. It's the parents coming together and the fact that we're maybe one of two or three families that are in Bloomsburg, the rest of them are from--

Tim: far and wide 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Tim: They're in from long distances. 

Amanda: They are like, they're driving long way from the next town over to bring their child to have this opportunity and they're doing it because they know it's not only a positive experience for their child, it's something that carries through the community. I saw it with the busloads of children coming to the Little Prince, and it broke my heart when funding was short for public schools and some schools had to cancel that. And that's the only exposure to theatre that a lot of these kids get outside of where we are. So 

Tim: Well, I think you're hitting on a, very good point there too. Like there's our personal experience with it, with Margot. Mm-hmm. But then there's the community at large. You have the Christmas shows, which are always well attended and well received, but then to see nearly full house for something like Little Prince or to come to something like Misery.

I think the opportunity to engage in the arts in a lot of rural communities, not just Bloomsburg, are pretty limited. You can go out and see individual performers and, and you know, it's great that there's always space for music. Theatre's not something that, it takes a building and it does take space.

And if you're going to host it and you're going to have a professional acting company with professional performers that elevates it beyond standard, community theater. And I think community theatre is also very important. Don't say that to denigrate community theatre at all, I think is incredibly important.

But the idea that there is a dedicated and a dedicated theatre company can come and enjoy and really soak in something that's maybe a little different from the normal offering. And even if it's. know, four or five shows a year, that's four or five opportunities for people to engage and enjoy a show.

And it's not just, you know we watch plenty of tv, but if I'm not putting it down, but it's not just hanging at home and watching TV or doing the same stuff you know, we have these regular routines and it, it is this nice break. And I think as a couple, it also offers a nice break to say, Hey, you know what, this is an opportunity for us to go out together and engage in, or it feels good to expose Margot to it or you know, we'll buy tickets for family you know, get tickets and bring my parents or just even recommend shows to friends and say, this was a really good performance. So I think there is the, community builder aspect of giving people another space to enjoy and appreciate the arts. 

Amanda: And we don't have to travel an hour, right? How lucky. I feel that after living-- this is the most remote I've lived in my life. Okay? This is the farthest I've ever been from an airport in my whole life. This is the most remote and rural I've ever lived my whole life. and it was a choice, right? It was a conscious choice. Tim's family is here, and we wanted something more community centered. But to be able to still have something like this here is pretty amazing to me.

It's great and the fact that it offers, what it offers as a teaching tool as well is, pretty priceless to me Again. Feeling like we were leaving behind this piece of culture when we moved away from a city, but then realizing we didn't. So it's a big part of why we want to be a big part of it. If we can help and we can bring it forward and we can be loud about it and show people how important it truly is to the community, not just as entertainment, but just as a community builder, has been pretty special.

Amy: This is so lovely to sit and hear. I almost don't know how to, to respond 'cause it's so well said and so kind. And it's, always nice to hear that what we do matters and that it has an impact on people. 'Cause sometimes it can feel really thankless to try to make it 

happen in this area.

Amanda: You guys work really hard and a big part of it has been being able to see it through the eyes of our daughter, but also just as friends and. now, Tim, as a board member if people don't know, there are not a lot of them working here and everyone works really, really hard and everyone's very talented and everyone here does this because they truly believe in it and they love it and it shows and they're putting everything into it and it's really great. 

Amy: We'll just make that the tag for everything that, that that we do. 

Tim: But now we get to the portion of this interview where we, we say, mean things,

Amy: Yeah, yeah, yeah. yeah. There is-- there is 

Tim: Excellent.

Amy: a a roast

Tim: I have a bone to pick with Aaron. 

Amy: Yeah. Aaron, get over here. I don't think he's over there. 

Amanda: No, he left. 

Tim: He bailed. 

Amy: So, Abby, you're up 

Tim: She does improv. I'm not going up against her. 

Amy: Oh. uh, have both of you been around to 

experience a Raise the Region? 

Amanda: I wanna say we were here last year, but in all honesty, I didn't know what it entailed. I read more about it ahead of this today it is a very interesting, I know it's a big part of fundraising for the region. 

Tim: Yeah, it wasn't anything I was familiar with when, you know, growing up, obviously I was an unemployed child, so nobody, was hitting, nobody was reaching out to me for donations 

Amy: You in the coal mines? 

Tim: uh, not until I was 16.

Amy: Okay. 

Tim: So my, exposure to it came through, my board experience so far. it seems like a great initiative and I'm looking forward to participating.

Amy: We, we jokingly call it Jon White-Spunner's Super Bowl because every year its the thing that he would just get the most amped about.

Tim: Because who could say no to Jon White-Spunner?

He, 

Amy: that voice on the phone saying, we really, we just we need, we need your money. 

Please. 

Tim: He's charisma, charismatic, and he has an accent, right? Yeah. 

Amy: That's a, that's a, a double whammy. Yeah, so just in case any of our listeners are not familiar with Raise the Region, it's an annual fundraising event that is ran by Blaise Alexander and all of the local nonprofits that want to participate in and raise money can participate, and it's, 36 hours of fundraising where, they have all of these prizes and initiatives and there's matching and the grand prize winner gets X amount of additional money and second place gets this much extra money.

So it's a way to kind of maximize our donors money and, Is a cool moment to kinda like turn focus on all of the different nonprofits in the area and you can go through and see like every organization that's participating and see what they do. And they put out stuff about like their mission and everything.

So sometimes you find out about organizations that you didn't even know were operating in the area. And I think that that's really cool Tim, I, I feel like you kind of spoke to this a little bit, but is there any particular reason you chose to serve on our board?

Tim: Yeah, this organization is, really sort of a, a gem. for me, I'm so thankful to have BTE that I wanted to be involved, especially with Margo's involvement. But just I think even if you were to remove that and just engage in BTE in, just the sort of more casual fan level that we exist at too, where it's like we really do love it and I would feel terrible if I wasn't doing something to support it and try and make sure that it, it gets to continue on one of my favorite things about coming out of any given show is listening to the chatter in the audience and then walking out into the lobby and hearing the chatter and just getting that sort of live reaction where people come away from those shows happy and engaged. 

Amanda: Talking about it 

Tim: and talking about Yeah. You know, I, I think just modern life and everybody works and, and it's busy and we're inundated with bad news and, and everything that we all have to contend with as modern people. When you have those moments, they're special and every time we come to a show, BTE, we get to experience that. And I think that's, that's a wonderful thing and so I joined the board, you know, a The kid that's part of it for sure. However, join the board is a larger effort to say, Hey, you know what, I think I have some skills in my tool chest that I can use to help the organization and giving a little bit of my time is a great trade off for trying to do anything to help secure the future of what I view as a, as a tent pole for the community. I think it's so important needs to be maintained and it cherished. And I don't want BTE to ever become a thing that people only appreciate in its absence or something like that. I don't, I don't ever want a scenario where that would be the case. So something like Raise the Region is super important. The fundraising efforts that go on outside of that are super important. Being part of the board to me is, is very important because I want to see Be healthy sustain. I'd love to even go so far as to see it grow.

Amy: Oh, we would love for it to grow 

Tim: Yeah. But, and it, it is, it is those experiences that happen in the lobby, it's the positive experiences of shows where people talk about it afterwards or invite their friends along that boy, the more people that come and sit in those seats, the better off.

The more people talk about it, the better it is. I think people got really turned around during the pandemic and we all turned inward. And I think that that kind of just sped up a bit of a decline in, in this, you know, engaging in society, engaging in your community, and being out there and being a part of it and socializing.

Yeah. And engaging in humanity. and, you know, that's not just in the confines of the doors of BTE, but BTE is a part of it and I want it be an even bigger part of it. 

Amy: We are, We are not alone in that, inward shift affecting us so many organizations businesses uh, you name it and I feel like everybody is still feeling affected from that internal, focus that, had to happen during COVID. I mean, we, we had to turn and then. It has just, it's changed the way that we consume, it's changed the way we interact with with, our community. 

Amanda: Mmhmm with eachother.

Amy: Yeah. And I wish so often that I could be in the house, like listening to that chatter post-it show. 'cause I wanna know, you know, what people are saying. During Radiant Vermin, since the seating was on stage, our Stage Manager got to hear a like immediate, like post show comments and it was just. Some of them were so wonderful, like, oh my god that was crazy but I loved it. it 

Amanda: Yeah. my my favorite so far is after a the Charlie Brown Christmas, we were walking toward the theater to pick up Margot and there was a like a young, like or three couples, between and maybe in their twenties or something. And we're walking like, we pass each other and we hear this guy say, those kids were actually good. 

Amy: Ugh. I Ah, I love it. 

Amanda: Those kids love it. Those kids were actually good. That right? That was actually, that was good, right? 

Amy: Like That was actually, good. like, kids are actually good. 

Tim: I see that as a person who will remember that the next time the next show up and say, wow, they did a good job with that. Let me see what's happening. this time. And I think that's word of mouth still matters.

Amy: Yes. It really really does.

Amanda: in a place this small, in a town like this

Amy: Yes. And so many people only come out to see our Christmas shows and being the only professional theater in the area, do have this mandate to sort of provide as broad of a theatrical experience to our audience as possible.

So we do have our family friendly holiday shows. We do a family friendly show in the summer generally, and then the rest of the season we're trying to find, you know, something different that will have enough audience appeal to keep our doors open. But that can challenge us as artists or that is an interesting story to tell or whatever, you know, we feel like tackling, uh, in, in a particular moment and that's a really hard thing to balance.

It's not like a larger metropolitan area where you have able to be niche theaters, like this theatre is doing new works, and if you wanna go see a new work, you go to that theatre. This theater's doing family friendly stuff. If you wanna see family friendly stuff go there, this theater is doing experimental, trendy, crazy work. Yeah. So go there like we, we've got our hands in. All of those cookie jars, and I worry sometimes that like when somebody comes to like the wrong thing that they've soured on us for the rest of it, I think. I, I went down, I can't remember what I was doing. I was googling BTE for some reason to like look up a date or something. And I happened upon our Yelp reviews and there are some unkind Yelp reviews about our Christmas Carol, our most recent Christmas Carol that we did. And I was reading them and they're like this was weird garbage. It was so abstract and strange. I just wanted to watch a Christmas Carol and I, I was thinking like. God, I hope these people know that that's not the only show that we're ever gonna do. That show will never happen again. That show is done and it may not have been for you, and that's okay, but we've got other shows. We've got other stuff you can come and see. Yeah.

Amanda: It's the beauty of art, 

Tim: I think. Yeah. If art made you feel something, and it and it got a reaction out of you. It, it succeeded. 

Right. Um, it doesn't mean you had to have loved it. but I don't engage in anything thinking that I have to love everything. Not everything has to cater to me, 

Amanda: Or I don't engage in things that I think are gonna be, you know? 

Tim: Yeah. I don't want people to play it safe all Right. Um, yeah. What can you do? I mean, it, it's, I get that and I think it's also important also getting to be part of the board and really talk about making sure that. Maybe, I don't know that everybody understands the resident artist model. I don't know that they That's very true. I don't think they understand how you're involved in, play selection. I don't think they understand, what it is to be a performer, or an artist. And to have to walk that fine line between commercial appeal, which is necessary to keep the lights on and personal satisfaction, which is so important because. if collectively the resident artists are not happy and the people who have to perform this material are not happy with it, then what is that? Is that it? I don't want people to live like that either. Like that, that's not, 

Amy: putting on a Christmas Carol for the 400th 

Tim: It, it is, It, is, my job to be miserable work. I don't, I don't want the actors, to be miserable at their work. I'd like to think some people love what they do 

Amy: We do. love what We do, we do, it's so nice to hear that from someone outside of the organization because we're in the middle of Play Selection right now. We really are at the point where have decisions made for the next season because we have had scale back so much because attendance has decreased so much since COVID and hasn't returned and, and was decreasing a little bit before COVID too, just with like the advent of so much streaming and other ways to consume. That, our audiences are gonna see a little bit of a shift next the way that we are producing. We're gonna produce one less mainstage show. We're gonna have a lot more outside, groups coming in. Like we had Gabe Stillman most recently. These are our Presented Events.

But because we are so small, we're not able to do as much. And that's one of the reasons I would so desperately love to see that growth that Tim was talking about happen so that we could get back to sort of, the, the golden age of BTE which I don't know if that actually, is a real thing or not.

but there were definitely times in BTEs past where we had a larger, Ensemble, more Resident Actors. Right now there are three of us, which is the smallest number ever. when I joined the organization, there were eight. And you know, that's five more creative people to have ideas and to bring energy into a space and to champion projects say, Hey, what if we did this?

And five different perspectives because that, difference of perspective matters when you're looking at putting a season on the stage and, offering a to 'cause everybody has different tastes that growth can't happen unless we can find a way to start getting, more audience members in, in the seats so thatwe can continue on which I so, so desperately want us to be able to remain a staple in the community nd I, I love the way that you phrased it, Tim, to be something that isn't appreciated in its absence. I think that's a, a lovely way of putting it and, you know. So many of our decisions are driven by what do we do stay here right now? What can we do? It would be so lovely to see BTE at a place of prosperity where, we

Amanda: not being in survival mode,

Amy: I can't even imagine. I really, my, my candidacy year was 2020 and so I got a quarter of a season normalcy, quote unquote, and then pandemic hit and we have been in survival mode ever since, and I am now the person who has been an Ensemble the longest. So like. None of us have known a time here without being in survival mode. And granted, I think sometimes that can make for interesting art and necessary art, but it would be to like not be creating in that way. Um, Amanda, you already threw one wish, that something that you wish people knew, that they may not out there. Do you have any other things about BTE that you wish people knew that they don't? 

Amanda: Um,

a big one for me was that seeing the involvement of everyone that works here and seeing how much is done by few. so that's something I would love for people to understand and, and how professional everything is. Trust me, if we'd gotten here and we'd come to a show and it was a mess, or we felt like it didn't feel like this beautiful, cohesive theater experience, we would not be here as involved as we are now. It's, it's amazing. It's great. I was very pleasantly surprised the level of professionalism, conviction, and love for the arts that everyone involved with BTE has. And I think everyone should know that. And I think the best way for everyone to see that is to come to the stinking shows Please. And they're great. And it's lovely. And you sit in a theatre and they sell you wine and beer or juice and soda and candy 

Amy: very reasonably priced wine and beer 

Tim: extremely 

Amanda: reasonably reasonably, 

Tim: priced 

Amy: thank you so much. That's I'm trying not to tear up. That's thank you.

Amanda: It's the truth. You're welcome. 

Amy: Anything from you, Tim, that you wish people knew? 

Tim: Mmm.. You're all in the Epstein files. 

Amy: Oh dude, I am. I am so thrown by the amount of school children that are in there just because of the photo ID thing that is messing with my brain.

We are all in the, Epstein. I don't know.

Amanda: Its like actually, everyone is. 

Tim: to, if, if I were to answer honestly, I, I think, I would mention, Theater in the classroom? Yes. And again, not because Abby's sitting behind me.

Amy: She is again, listeners staring Tim down with a fiery laser beams. 

Tim: If you were to tell me to. Close my eyes and think about BTE I'd picture the front of building. I'd picture the marquee, I love the lights always did. I'd picture your logo, I'd picture sitting in your theatre. But it's all the stuff that also happens out in the community. We've talked about the education the camps, but also Theater in the Classroom, the stuff that it is more than the stage it is part of the community it is out in the and it makes a difference in people's lives. I am a firm believer that arts have an important role in all of our lives, you gotta let it in, but if you do, it'll enrich your life. But the idea that it's out there and it's accessible people who need it. I think there are kids that come to camps that, you know. They find something that they attach to. They, you know, they, they find a thing they love and they engage in, or they find a group of people who are like them, um, and think the same things, and they want to do the same things and have that shared interest. And it's, you know, maybe our daughter didn't have an interest in sports, but man acting is just as much of a team sport as anything else. 

Amy: It can be very physical I 

Tim: Very physical, but you have to not only be physically available, you have to be emotionally 

Amanda: and you have to be a team member. 

Tim: Yes. So it, it's. It's to, to be engaging in kids, not only through the camps, but in the classroom and opening up that world of experience to them, I think is so important.

not to be, you know, cliche about it, but you know. They are, they are the future. And it's like, I think it's, I I if you were to look at it from a pragmatic perspective, these kids are learning to perform and and be present in a moment. It's more than just life life life skills, perform. life Um,

Amanda: it also teaches empathy. Yeah. And it puts, it forces you to put yourself in someone else's shoes if you're acting as whoever. Yeah. So it, it opens up your world and it does. F force you to the world through countless different eyes you're on stage or off. 

Amy: Some of the, the moments when I'm feeling particularly, down, it's nice in those moments when we're either working on a show with kids or I'm in a Theater School classroom and I always walk away you know what? the kids are okay, they are the future and, and they're okay. I'm glad that we can be a space for them to o that. I, don't know if they realize that we also get something out of it, that there's a reciprocity, uh, to that us. But it does reaffirm, uh, what am I, what is the word I'm looking for? It is very, 

Amanda: your faith in humanity? 

Amy: Yeah. Yeah. 100%. okay, so this is, I think Tim's, roast section. Do you guys have anything for, me?

Tim: For you personally?

Amy: Yeah. Or BTE in general? I mean, I can, I can be the conduit. 

Tim: No, I don't, I'm not gonna rush you guys. I love you guys. 

Amanda: For real. I have nothing. 

Tim: I have nothing and it's the middle of the day. I haven't been drinking, so I'm on my best behavior. 

Amy: We'll pick this up later. Off, off mic. Off mic.

Tim: Oh, it's, I, I really do, I have nothing but the deepest affection for all of you.

we've been fortunate that we've gotten to know you. Yes. Even Abby. 

Amanda: all 

Tim: Oh, Abby. All of you, I was gonna say all of you. Even Abby collective, all

Yes. but, but I do consider myself fortunate. 'cause I definitely am a bit of a fan. gonna say fan girl. I'm a bit of a fanboy about, you know, sitting there. And I think it speaks to your ability as professional acting company that when I sit there. I'm not watching Kimie and Aaron and Amy on the stage. 

I am watching your characters perform and I am endlessly impressed with your abilities. I'm endlessly impressed with how you guys deliver so much, and put so much into it. So the opposite of a roast. I truly, I love watching you all work. I like to say I'm your friend. I also fully mean it when I say I am a legitimate fan of the work you do and I'm so appreciative of it, love watching it and I look forward to it. so just, it's really cool to have gotten involved with BTE I consider ourselves, pretty privileged to have developed that connection and, you know, be in a spot where you thought say, Hey, why don't you guys come in and talk to I really appreciate it. 

Amy: One of these days I'll learn how to take a compliment without into a turtle. Um, that's, uh,

Amanda: it's generational. It's okay. I, us. It's okay. 

Tim: anybody saying anything. Not, I know. I, it's none of it's true Amy. 

Amy: none of It's true. I know. I'm like, well, these are all lies, but they're very nice lies 

Amanda: If you feel that way. I mean, I guess sure. I don't see it.

Tim: I don't see it.

Amy: No, that's, some of the nicest compliments, an actor to, to know somebody personally be able to say that you saw them on onstage and be able to say that you didn't feel like you were watchingthis person that you know is such a high compliment. And because we are an ensemble and people over and over and over again, knowing that we still got it is, is good 'cause we don't want our audiences to fatigue on, oh, I'm just gonna go watch Amy do do her schtick again. 

Amanda: And it has never, it has not felt like that at all, which is a testament to all of you Again, that goes into the coming to see you guys and feeling how professional it all truly is, and the level of artist 

Amy: Thank you all so much So, uh, you all heard everything that they said. It's all 100% true. We are worth funding. Please give us your money. No, that's, uh, I'll edit that bit out. 

Tim: It was all true excecpt for the Epstein bit. I bit that a lie. That that was just topical. Really gross, dark humor.

Amy: Which is my favorite. This has been Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble Down Center. Ensemble Driven. Professional Theater. Arts Education. Rural Pennsylvania. For Everyone. With Everyone. Raise the region is March 11th through 13th. We often angle for specific prizes that require you to donate during certain windows. So if you're interested in doing that and it's your first time donating and you wanna know how to best support us, please send us an email at bte@bte.org. We will give you all of the information. You can check out and buy tickets to any of our shows at shows@www.bte.org.

Amanda: it You 

Tim: did it. You did it I