June 22, 2021 Club Meeting

Posted by Phil Murphy

The meeting was called to order by President Mack Beers before Sakura Takano gave the moment of Gratitude and Reflection reminding us once more of the importance of Service above self and the 4-Way Test.

"This past Saturday, our nation recognized a new federal holiday, officially commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans, called Juneteenth National Independence Day and historically known as Jubilee Day,[3] Emancipation Day,[4][5] Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day[6]). The commemoration is on the anniversary date of the June 19, 1865 announcement by Union Army general Gordon Granger, proclaiming and enforcing freedom of enslaved people in Texas, which was the last state of the Confederacy with institutional slavery.
 
While we celebrate this recognition, we should also be mindful that oppression is still alive and active in our world. As Rotarians we are called to put service above self in supporting more just, open and welcoming communities for all people.
 
God of the Universe, help us to bring our best efforts to what we can know. To love our friends and family. To treat neighbors with kindness. To seek justice and to help those in need with our voices and action. To be the best that we can be, And to live by the four way test: Of all the things we think, say or do: Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?  
 
Let it be so"
 
Sakura then led announcements with her short reminder that Rotary Charities is just about to open the fall Grant Cycle for both “assets for thriving communities” and “for systems accelerator “ grant categories. New applications are due September 1, 2021 following a pre-grant meet with Sakura and Freya Bradford

President Mac announced the marriage of Kate Redman who married Chad Kirchner and Lisa Pointe who tied the knot with Dan Brady! Congratulations to all.

Fill out the survey for next meeting: They are seeking a head count for an “In Person” meeting at the Great Wolf Lodge next Tuesday! Yea! It’ll be good to see everyone for real again, after 18 months!

LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU.

The day’s program, introduced by Steve Wade, featured Joe Beyer, recently appointed Executive Director of Parallel 45 Theare company, following the tenure of founding director Erin Anderson who together with Kit McKay (Artistic Director) founded P45 Theatre just over 11 years ago. From its humble beginnings with Our Town at HERTA in Elk Rapids through it years at Inside Out Gallery and into their new home under the canopy at the Civic Center Amphitheatre P45 has produced consistently high quality, visceral and youthful professional theatre. 

Joe joined P45 as Executive Director following a period working as the ED for Crystal Mountain Legacy Art Park, and short stints with My North Media and the TC Film Festival/State Theatre, which saw his return to Traverse City after a decade long career with Sundance leading them in digital content creative and the Redford Center in Marketing and Distribution. He is actively involved with area arts also as a volunteer.

Joe took on the challenge of P45 at the height of the Pandemic with short notice to prepare for the oncoming season as circumstances have shifted and changed dramatically and quickly. He assures he’s well up to the task. P45 had just gotten through a first season in their new home when all was shuttered and many challenges needed to be faced. With Joe’s able assistance, they have done just that and he and the rest of the staff are ready to present a new season of popular fair with a twist, and some new initiatives that they anticipate will charge forward adding new and different programming to fill the areas thay can tackle well.

The 2019 season was a success before the group being held in check. Now they are prepared to reenter the fray as they gear back up for this summer. Two key presentations are on tap for the summer: The Sound of Music and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. These will anchor a season that will also include a series of play readings and UGLY: A New Pop Musical being created by their YoungQuake youth program under the leadership of Stacia Sexton.

Artists from across the country and around the world convene on P45’s new, state-of-the-art stage to perform adventurous, boundary-pushing musicals, plays, and devised works for all ages--rotating daily. Local food vendors, a well-stocked bar, and live music allow our community to gather in celebration of the theatre and the beauty of northwest Michigan. During the shoulder seasons, Parallel 45 operates a theatre education program and produces a free-to-the-public contemporary play reading series.

Parallel 45 Theatre produces cutting-edge interpretations of plays & musicals, giving familiar stories new life – and fresh relevance – for our northwest Michigan audience. By producing a summer theatre festival of reinvented classics, new works and imaginative adaptations, they seek to entertain, encourage critical thought, and inspire conversation in our community.

Since 2010, Parallel 45 Theatre has brought more than 150 artists — from as far away as Berlin and as close as Traverse City—to create groundbreaking shows for our community. For ten seasons, they have offered the kind of adventurous professional work you might see in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles—right here in northwest Michigan. In 2017, Parallel 45 Theatre’s production of Alice in Wonderland was nominated for a Wilde Award, which honors the best productions, performances, and technical work produced or presented by professional theaters across the state.

With play, joy, and intellectual rigor, they attack the notion that there is one correct way to look at the world. P45 complements an industry of theatre artists desperate for new voices, new material, and new stories by taking a strong look at the canon, breaking toxic values embedded within, and imagining a new path forward. They look to the theatre as the public forum, the town square, a place where ideas can be exchanged with more dignity, respect, and efficacy than in other areas of our society. P45 sees their greatest asset as the joyful, open, intellectually curious audience, that is always ready to explore.