Dear Most Valued ATG Member,

Happy New Year and all good wishes for a theatre-rich and rewarding 2012!  Your Theatre Guild had a very good 2011—I don’t want to take up a lot of your time with a catalog of its achievements, which you’re probably already aware of anyway, but let me mention a few:  we now have over forty theatre groups as members; our website received some important upgrades this year; we greatly expanded our presence on Facebook and Twitter; you may have seen or heard some ATG spots on KNME (televison) or KUNM (radio); the Albuquerque Tennessee Williams Festival came to a very successful conclusion, with eight of our member-theatres presenting ten plays in honor of the centennial of Williams’ birth.  And there was more, like our increased efforts to reach pupils in Albuquerque-area schools and expose them to the wonders of live theatre.

In 2012 we’ll be working to strengthen our efforts in all the areas I’ve mentioned, but I want to call your attention to a couple of important new projects we’re undertaking:

The first is launching a new ATG arm, the Theatre Lovers Community (or TLC, for short).  Now, for the first time, ATG/TLC membership will be open to people who love live theatre but aren’t actively involved in producing it.  As we sometimes seem to forget, those people are the most important element in any production.  Without them, we’d just be doing those shows for our own amusement, and curtain calls would be pretty lonely, silent affairs!  (For more about TLC, please click here.) 

Our second major effort is going to involve working hard to reach people who never—or hardly ever—go to see a live show.  ATG’s Buzz Committee has done an excellent job of getting the word out to people who are already fans or near-fans (and I hope you do appreciate what a great job they have done, what with the website, the twice-yearly ATG brochure, the social network participation, the radio and TV spots, the ATG tables at public events). But what about all those folks who head for a movie or a restaurant when looking for something to do on a free evening, but never think of coming to see your show?  Can we reach out to some of them and persuade them to give a play or a musical a try instead?  That’s a pretty tough nut to crack, but we’re going to give it our best shot!

Please don’t forget:  your membership is vital!  ATG is still—and we’ve been around for five years now!—an all-volunteer organization, totally reliant on its members for both direction and elbow grease.  No paid staff here!  You, your member-colleagues, and your elected officers are ATG! 

And, by the way, if you’ve got a question or something you want to say about ATG, I want to hear it—at , or , or 341-9590—or the next time I see you at the theatre.  OK?

Warmest regards and lotsa broken legs this year,

Ray Orley
ATG President