So I don’t know what you were so worried about.
The show went great, exceeding attendance goals and fundraising goals.
We actually didn’t have enough seats set up for people so they were standing on the sidelines and finding other places to sit.
The show itself fell together smoothly, transitions worked well, everyone was spot-on. I really don’t have any complaints at all. And everyone seemed to have a good time. Every single person involved was professional, upbeat, punctual and helpful.
I feel huge relief about it all! And gratitude to everyone who helped it come together. And a sense of accomplishment too. So many moving parts, so many conversations, so much setup. Woohoo!
People made extra donations to take guesses at the tentacle guessing game. Dr. Becker supplied extra art prints for people who added money. And a few people at the door paid twice the price (or more) for tickets.
I keep trying to think of anything that went wrong, or that I might possibly change if I were to do it again, and I can’t really think of anything right now (except maybe that we ran a little longer than I wanted to, and that some people in the back of the theater had a little trouble hearing certain performers when the a/c kicked in; pretty minor stuff).
SO GLAD IT’S OVER!
And I can maybe maybe maybe even imagine doing something like it again. In the future. I dunno.
Maybe the most rewarding feedback I got was from Ellie, who’s spent her life in theater and has a keen eye for details (and who has been very blunt about my work in the past (in a good and usually helpful way)). She reached out on Sunday night and said how great it was. Smooth, fun and entertaining. She even said she was going to seek out more live music (hello Possum Posse, Luna & Kiya!) because of it.
So phew. And now a few photos here so I can remind myself that it really happened.
Grateful to Lisa and Patti at Ground Floor Theatre too for being so flexible and encouraging and easy-going with all the last minute updates and ticket sales and donations.
AND it’s even possible that I got the word squid out of my system.
Nah, impossible.
oh, p.s. here’s a pic of our listing in the Chronicle for posterity too; I was semi-stunned to see it when I opened the paper at the store the other day (who in their right mind would put on a show about squid? I mean really!)
and oh, p.p.s. I got this sweet note from Samantha in San Antonio the day after the show. She and her husband drove up to drop their daughter off at a concert and saw our event listing so decided to stop by. She had requested an aisle seat for her husband and followed up with this:
Dear Mr. Langert,
Last night’s benefit was amazing! We had the best time. The talent was incredible and our souls have been enriched for having been blessed enough to be there yesterday evening. It was hard to choose a favorite performer but that Luna Tart was extra special! Thank you for reserving the aisle seat for my husband. He is a large man with a bad back and knee and seating is often a problem for us. He could not stop laughing and clapping along!
*****
Aww, thanks Samantha!
