In Case You Missed it...

If you have ever seen a Broadway show at The Hanover Theatre, you know that our ticket-takers always are dressed to impress!  Since the opening of the theatre Meghan Patrick, Operations Manager, has done a great job of outfitting our volunteers with the best costumes to reflect the nature of each show.  For Peter Pan the ticket-takers wore pajamas, for Young Frankenstein they wore Frankenstein masks, and for Mamma Mia they were decked out in the best 70's gear!

I love going upstairs (the theatre offices are all located in the theatre basement) on a Broadway show night and seeing what the volunteers will be dressed as.  For Rock of Ages I was very curious to see with Meghan would come up with.  It could be anything - grungy jean jackets, leather, tie-dye... but no, their costumes were WAY better than just a leather jacket!

If you did see Rock of Ages then you already know how great the volunteers looked, but if you missed out here are a couple shots to illustrate the brilliant costume choice!

Photo Credit - Charlene Baron

Photo Credit - Charlene Baron

Photo Credit - Charlene Baron

Photo Credit - Nadia Naco

Photo Credit - Nadia Naco

Can you hear the sound of hysteria?

It's calling out to Idiot America!


Even though the goal of this blog is to give you a behind the scenes look at The Hanover Theatre, there are times where I feel the need to share other theatre-related content.  In this case, I made a trip into Boston tonight to see American Idiot and was blown away.  To relate this to our behind the scenes look at the theatre - I can say it is one of the Broadway shows the theatre is looking to book in the next few seasons. No answer as to when it will debut at The Hanover Theatre but I cannot wait to see it again!


For me, seeing live theatre - especially a musical, is an experience that can never be replaced.  Durring a regular concert often times the audience doesn't get the chance to make a true connection with the artist - many times the feelings behind the words are lacking...  But with live theatre you can feel the passion behind every lyric.  If you haven't seen a musical before it is a hard sensation to explain but I always feel a strong connection with person singing and American Idiot was no exception.


The cast was exceptional at this show.  I am slightly biased as I knew one of the main characters from one of my favorite teenage TV shows - but even without him, the singing was amazing.  I am a huge fan of Green Day ever since Dookie was released, and as they have grown and I have continued to love their new material.  And when I heard about American Idiot on Broadway - I knew I had to see it. The Broadway interpretation of the AI album was fantastic, adding violen, cello, and accordion to the instrumentals to add new dimension, with beautiful vocal harmonies throughout the score.


For Green Day fans the show is perfect, and for someone who has never heard any of their music it is just as great.  The story told, is a post 9/11 look at youth trying to figure out their futures.  Three young friends who start off together but choose very different paths - pregnancy at a young age, drugs and city life, and joining the army.  There isn't much dialogue through the show, but you don't need it!  The lyrics, dancing, and gestures tell the story in a way that was so powerful.  When the ensemble came together to belt out "Are We the Waiting?" I got goosebumps!


Here is a clip of the above-mentioned song performed by the Broadway Cast on AOL Sessions:

The show has a little bit of everything - rock, interpretive dance, acrobatics, sex, flight, fights, heart and soul.  Again, I really can't wait for this show to come to our theatre.  I wanted to give one more teaser clip of what this show really has to offer, this is one of my favorite GD songs - 21 Guns.  Again - you will have goosebumps!  Enjoy:

Bodacious Bracelets!

Time for some 80's nostalgia!!


Hopefully by this point you have heard that Rock of Ages is coming to The Hanover Theatre!  As a matter of fact, the opening night is THIS Friday!


As a special treat for all of you 80's music fans out there, we have coordinated an 80's Karaoke Contest at both The Lucky Dog in Worcester and The Celtic Tavern in Northborough.  Each contest will have one winner who recieves two tickets to opening night of Rock of Ages, cast party passes to the post show party at Ceres Bistro & the soundtrack to the show.  It's a pretty sweet prize just for getting on stage and singing a classic 80's tune.


I happen to LOVE karaoke so I am especially sad that I cannot enter to win in this contest - after all, it probably wouldn't be fair for a theatre employee to enter a theatre contest...  But I will still be their to cheer on our contestants.


Perhaps what I am most excited for at these two karaoke nights is the special gift we have for all participants and audience members.  I should probably let this remain a surprise, but I can't contain myself given the fact that the gift is so totally 80's!  We got Rock of Ages SLAP BRACELETS.


Thats right - those bands that were banned from schools, that you spent hours slapping and straightening out all over again, that never loose their shape no matter how many times you slap them!  I literally have been slapping one every moment my hand is not typing on the keyboard.  They are so addictive and fun, but most importantly they are so totally tubular and awesomely rad!


So get your 80's on at our karaoke nights.  Even if you don't want to get on stage and sing, come out and have a good time slapping your band all night long!


Check out the promotion section of our home page to get full details on the contest!


January 25, 2012 at 8:30pm
Lucky Dog Music Hall- 89 Green St, Worcester
(21+ venue, requiring valid photo ID)


January 26, 2012 at 9:30pm
Celtic Tavern- 45 Belmont St, Northborough

PS  Just in case you missed out on this fabulous fad of the 80's here is a picture of a slap bracelet. I was going to post an image of our slap bands but there has to be some element of surprise with this gift.  

20,000 Envelopes

As many people know The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts is a non-profit organization, depending on the generosity of many to build, run and maintain the theatre.  The theatre relies on the membership, annual campaign contributions and corporate sponsorships to sustain operations and ensure success.  Long story short: without raising money to run the theatre- I wouldn't have the job I have today, which is why our annual campaign is so important to me.


Our mission at the theatre is to foster a love and appreciation for the performing arts in audiences of today and tomorrow.  I have always been a theatre lover, since the first time I was on stage, but I was never afforded the opportunity to see real Broadway caliber theatre until much older.  Each time I see a show, the spark I used to get on stage reignites, and I love knowing that the theatre mission is to help spread that joy to others.

The theatre supports this mission directly with our annual Access to the Arts fund.  The Access to the Arts fund supports many programs including the internship program which takes on at least four local college students each year and the motivational speaker program which brought in Erin Gruwell (Inspiration for the film, The Freedom Writers) to speak to Worcester Public School Students.  It also funds the donation of 1,500 tickets to A Christmas Carol every year to kids and families in partnership with the United Way.


With all of that said, one of the main components of this campaign is to raise awareness of where the donation dollars go to and ask for a donation for the next year's operations.  This includes writing a personalized letter to current members and past donators, mailed with an informational rack card and a theatre-addressed envelope.  


One might think this is a small task, but it is a lot more complex than I had ever imagined.  I have been involved with this mailer since the very beginning and I am responsible for much of the design of the piece.  This is a small task for a single printed piece, but when it is being mailed to such a large list - the stakes are much higher.  


Now, most of the letters never actually make it to the theatre, the get printed and mailed from the mail house, but the envelopes and rack cards on the other hand are sent to the theatre as only a portion of that supply needs to go to the printer... In today's case, the envelopes were delivered: 20,000 of them.  That is a TON of envelopes.


I am happy to say 10,000 of the envelopes will be mailed out in the next few weeks, while another 10,000 will be distributed at both Rock of Ages and Shrek the Musical.  So the supply closet will empty our quickly.  In the mean time its a tight fit for all of our promotional materials and stationaries.