Dear Friends of The Grand,
Just one year ago at this time, we were talking with excitement about the shows still to come in the 2019/20 Season. Now just 364 days (and seemingly 25 years later!), so much has changed for The Grand, the entire arts and culture industry, and the world at large.
There is one constant even in this year of incredible change—the unwavering support of you, our Grand Family. Over 1,100 of you have donated to our Ghost Light Fund, setting records for support and helping us continue to move forward. Plus, 85% of you have held on to tickets for future shows—putting your trust in us that we will deliver those shows in a safe and entertaining environment. Believe me, we can’t wait to share those moments with you as soon as possible!
Even though this year certainly hasn’t looked like we intended, I’m incredibly proud of the ways we have continued to deliver our mission. We’ve curated and delivered over 100 alternative programs, viewed by over 53,000 of you (or as I like to say, the equivalent of 43 sell-outs in our historic theater!), almost all free or low cost. We’ve brought over 20 educational programs direct to teachers, students, and parents who have become teachers, and continued to provide opportunities for the best and brightest students to perform through our Central Wisconsin Jerry Ensemble. We brought live music back to Wausau through The Grand On Tour and brought artists from across the world to your living room through our Virtual Stage. We have been dark, but we are far from closed!
All of this has, and will continue to be, made possible because of your support. We are incredibly blessed to be a part of a community that loves and cares about The Grand just as much as we do. We cannot thank you enough.
We are happy to say goodbye to 2020…and hope for better days, as well as a return to our historic space in 2021. Happy New Year to you and yours and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Regards,
Sean Wright
Executive Director
The Grand Theater
Please watch the video below to look back over the past year.
