The popular Popcorn Theatre, featuring the professional Tibbits Summer Theatre company, returned to the historic theatre this summer for the first time since Covid. This is just one of the aspects of the 2021-2022 fiscal year for the Tibbits Opera Foundation to be reviewed at the theatre’s annual meeting January 26, 2023.
COLDWATER – The annual meeting of the Tibbits Opera Foundation & Arts Council, Inc. will review the historic theatre’s 2021-2022 fiscal year at 5:30pm Thursday, January 26, 2023.
According to Tibbits Executive Director Christine Delaney, “Overall the theatre is doing well. We certainly are not back to pre-pandemic levels in terms of attendance, ticket sales or even volunteers, but it has definitely improved.” She added, “We have so much gratitude to our members and everyone in the community who continue to support us. The meeting gives us a chance to share what’s going on.”
The annual meeting will offer members and the community a chance to meet the board of directors and staff over refreshments before the meeting highlights the activities, events and financials of the theatre’s fiscal year which ended Sept. 30. As a nonprofit organization and according to its bylaws, Tibbits must hold a general meeting of its membership each year. The purpose of the meeting is to present an annual report and elect members to the board of directors.
The meeting will be held in the theatre and open to the public. Tibbits Opera House is located at 14 South Hanchett Street, Coldwater. For more information call 517-278-6029 or visit Tibbits.org.
COLDWATER
– With the addition of entertainment and check presentations, Tibbits Opera
Foundation & Arts Council, Inc. held its annual meeting as a combined
virtual and in-person event at the historic opera house Thursday, January 27,
2022.
Tibbits Board member and Smith Memorial Concert organizer Diane Pridgeon presented $1000 checks to Coldwater High School, Reading High School, Union City High School and Pansophia Academy’s choir programs at Tibbits’ Annual Meeting. Dr. Jacob Simmons accepted the check for Coldwater High School.
Highlighting
area choir programs, the evening opened with a recap of the Smith Memorial Benefit
Concert and master class held in September and a performance by Lexie Galliers,
one of the students who participated in the master class led by Coldwater High
School graduate Chelsea Hart Melcher and her husband Paul Melcher. For
participating in the master class, the choir programs from Coldwater High
School, Reading High School, Union City High School and Pansophia Academy each
received checks for $1000 presented by Diane Pridgeon.
Students
from Coldwater High School’s production of “Little Women” performed several
musical numbers from the show. Attendees then enjoyed a video of Tibbits Summer
Theatre which shared the behind-the-scenes perspective at the end of the
season.
Tibbits
Board President Chris Donbrock led the business portion of the meeting with an
overview of the flexibility and adapting of the past year, commending the staff
on their dedication. Tibbits Executive Director Christine Delaney commented on
the year in terms of the importance of the membership. She said, “It’s the
foundation of everything we do and in the past year it’s because of membership
and the donations we’ve received that we have been able to remain strong.” She
also related the positive bottom line to the lack of programming the theatre
has been able to do through the restrictions. She pointed out, “Membership
allows us to provide programming that is often offered at discounted ticket
prices or presented at a break-even or sometimes even a loss. The profit you
see should have been spent on our programming. You can see how much it was
limited this past year.” She referenced the theatre’s annual report which had
only a single page of events listed where there would normally be two and the
pie chart of expenses which in other years half the chart would have
represented the programming versus less than a quarter this year.
Students from Coldwater High School’s production of “Little Women” performed several musical numbers from the show as part of the evening’s entertainment prior to the business portion of the annual meeting.
The
Annual Report for the organization provides a comprehensive view of the year. Board
Treasurer Ken Norton pointed out the amazing support from the community which
has carried the theatre through another year of challenges. Those donors are
recognized throughout the book.
Also
during the meeting, Jose Albarran, Donna Gardner and Joe Hughes were elected their
second terms on the board. Officers for the Foundation were reelected at the organizational
meeting which followed the annual meeting, Chris Donbrock president, John
Bolton vice president, Ken Norton treasurer and Joe Hughes secretary.
Copies
of the Tibbits Opera Foundation Annual Report are available at the
administrative office at 93 W. Chicago St. or online at https://tibbits.org/about-tibbits/ under
the organizational information tab. For more information on Tibbits or its events
visit Tibbits.org or call 517-278-6029.
