In the Spotlight Cabaret
Sunday, November 6 at
4 pm to 7pm
WHAT’s Julie Harris Theater
Wellfleet
Tickets can be purchased at www.capecdp.org/info/events.php
or call 508-240-7873, ext. 25.
In the Spotlight features talented local singers, musicians and entertainers will be performing jazzy show tunes, strong melodies and the greatest classics. Appearing are singers/actors/composers Jon Arterton and James Mac; actor and vocalist Elizabeth Bridgewater; vocalist Elena Mancheva; singer/actor/playwrite Larry Marsland, pianist-composer John Thomas and mezzo-soprano Ashley Wade.
Three nonprofits partner to present cabaret fundraiser -
When Elizabeth Bridgewater, executive director of the Community Development Partnership, and Larry Marsland, her counterpart at the Lower Cape Outreach Council, met last year to discuss how the two organizations could work together, they didn’t expect it would actually occur on stage.
They quickly realized each shared a passion for singing and performing. Entrepreneurs both, they found themselves creating a novel way to raise money for both nonprofits: a Cabaret show featuring themselves and other local talents. “We came cheap,” joked Bridgewater, who is classically trained as a singer. “It also was a great marketing angle: two executive directors on stage,” she continued with a wink.
Their collaboration since has expanded with the arrival of a third executive director, Andi Genser of WE CAN Corporation, whose theater experience as a producer proved a perfect match.
On Sunday, November 6, all three are collaborating to present “In the Spotlight,” at WHAT’s Julie Harris Stage in Wellfleet. Benefiting all three Lower and Outer Cape organizations, the cabaret will be hosted by State Sen. Dan Wolfe and State Rep. Sarah Peake. Bridgewater and Marsland will be joined on stage by Jon Atherton and James Mack, Ashley Wade, John Thomas and Elena Mancheva. Gensler, who helped found the Wheelock Family Theater in Boston, is the ‘In the Spotlight’ producer.
WHAT ‘s Julie Harris Stage proved to be a perfect location, not only for its 220 theater seats, but because of its growing commitment to collaborate itself with nonprofits and to open its state-of-the-art venue to the community. “After the summer theater season, the Julie Harris Stage is available for nearly eight months for the widest variety of performances and events – some produced by us, and many others presented by community organizations,” said WHAT’s newly appointed executive director, Mark Hough.
“I fell in love with the Julie Harris the first time I saw it,” recalled Bridgewater. “We brought the CDP’s annual meeting there previously because we wanted something special. We also want to support the theater. A lot of people have not been inside it yet since it is only a few years old,” she added. This is a way for CDP supporters to see the building and learn all the other events and productions planned this fall and winter.”
That was the economic development spirit that rises from Bridgewater constantly in her role as the CDP’s executive director. “The arts economy on the Lower Cape is a major driver, attracting visitors and second homeowners, while employing many residents year round,” she explained. “When you think about what is unique in our community, theater and the arts surely come to mind.
“With the growth of our second-home population – many living within two hours of the Cape – the performing arts have become a year-round endeavor, as exemplified by W.H.A.T.’s $6 million-plus investment in the Julie Harris stage,” said Bridgewater.
Producing the cabaret show last year and again this year not only is helping to raise needed funds for all the CDP, LCOC and WE CAN, but it also is proving a powerful force bringing all three organizations together for year-round work serving the region’s critical needs – from housing and fuel assistance to career assistance to business assistance.
“We have been able to transfer the experience and trust that comes from working on our stage production to our daily professional relationships,” said Genser. “When you are performing in front an audience, you have to totally trust the people you are working with. That creates a unique environment and nurtures a collaborative spirit.”
Adds Genser: “We have found that what happens on stage extends to how we work with each other off stage, not only among the executive directors, but also among our board members and volunteers who get to know each other through the annual productions. The artistic endeavor has been the catalyst.”
All three executive directors speak forcefully about the need to collaborate among nonprofits with common missions and constituencies, and to limit if not avoid duplication of efforts and expenditures. “Especially in this economy, with state and federal money drying up, it is critical that nonprofits break down barriers among each other and share resources for common benefit,” said Bridgewater.
While the three organizations have to share the funds raised by ‘In the Spotlight,’ it is the combined talents of each and the individual audiences they attract that will make the Nov. 9 performance all the more successful.
Hough is very appreciative of the trust the three nonprofits have also lent to W.H.A.T. “When the Julie Harris Stage was built, we didn’t quite appreciate just how important it has become to the entire community. It is a world-class venue that not only has an extraordinary stage for live performances, but also state-of-the-art HD technology and screens that can be used not only theatrically, but also for organization meetings.”
About the CDP
The Community Development Partnership (CDP) nurtures a vibrant Lower Cape region by promoting environmental and economic sustainability, expanding opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents and preserving the region’s unique cultural and historic character – from scallop fishing to the arts.
About LCOC
The mission of the Lower Cape Outreach Council is to provide emergency assistance of food clothing and financial support to individuals and families in Brewster, Chatham, Eastham, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown, Truro and Wellfleet which will lead to healthy, productive and self-sustaining lives as part of the Cape Cod community.
About WE CAN
For 10 years, WE CAN – Women’s Empowerment through Cape Area Networking - has empowered Cape Cod women of all ages to successfully navigate challenging life transitions such as divorce, career change, job loss, illness, retirement, isolation or personal loss.
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