Dear Friend of Keegan,

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Happy Holidays -- and Wow, What a Year!

As we head into 2012, The Keegan Theatre has much to celebrate. It has been a remarkable season so far – audience attendance is breaking records, show after show. We couldn’t be prouder of the work we’re doing at Church Street, just as we couldn’t be happier to be a part of the Dupont Circle community – and the greater Washington DC theater community as well.

In today's economic environment, it's more important than ever to support the arts.  We know we’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: We cannot do what we do without the generosity of donors, supporters, and audience members like you.

Did you know that Keegan Theatre receives no public funding or grants?  We are 100 percent funded by ticket sales and private donations – your support makes a huge impact!  We hope you will keep Keegan in mind as you contemplate your end of year giving. Every little bit counts as we keep our dream alive and strong.

A few highlights from 2011:

• The current run of world premiere AN IRISH CAROL is enjoying critical acclaim and sold-out houses. We hope to make this a Keegan holiday tradition, thanks to the overwhelming support this show has received!

• Another wildly successful Ireland tour – Keegan’s 13th annual –brought Arthur Miller's award-winning epic THE CRUCIBLE to Ireland this fall.  Keegan is the only Washington DC-based theater company that regularly tours overseas.  This was our largest production ever to tour Ireland, with 23 members of cast and crew travelling to Galway, Cork and Kilkenny in September.

• In 2011 we produced two musicals, the world premiere of NATIONAL PASTIME and THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE.  We also presented the world premieres of Peter Coy's A SHADOW OF HONOR and Rosemary Jenkinson's BASRA BOY.

• All told, Keegan Theatre produced eight shows in 2011! There are very few theater companies busier than we are, and we are extremely proud of this distinction.  And here’s a nice statistic:  of the eight shows we produced in 2011, seven were given the distinction of a Helen Hayes Recommendation. 

• During this first year in our renewed five-year lease at Church Street, we continue to develop relationships with our Dupont Circle neighbors, from residents on this street and beyond to restaurant and other area business owners.  We participated in the 17th Street Festival in September and had the honor of being a part of this year’s Dupont Circle House Tour – introducing hundreds of people to our theater, and giving them a peek backstage and a chance to see us in action.

Your donation this holiday season will enable us to move forward with exciting programming and planning:

• 2012 is going to be a big one – starting with the rest of the 2011-12 season, which includes TWO musicals, a riotous Neil Simon, the heavy-hitting classic TWELVE ANGRY MEN, and the achingly brutal, punishingly funny AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, one of the most awarded and respected plays to hit the American stage in recent memory.

• Also, we’re producing another world premiere by Rosemary Jenkinson, propelled by the stunning success of last year’s BASRA BOY.  Her new work CUCHILLAIN reunites the artistic team from BASRA BOY, director Abigail Isaac and actor Josh Sticklin; this premiere opens in June.

• Speaking of musicals:  WORKING and SPRING AWAKENING will be heartstoppers for sure – we can’t wait for you to see these amazing shows and enjoy the talent, new and familiar, that will grace our stage this spring. 

• And of course, we continue to upgrade the Church Street facility to better serve audiences, from small design improvements to the look and feel of the space to improving our technology to help better serve you at the box office.  There is much we want to do, but on a limited budget we can only do so much. Your donations help.

On behalf of the board of directors, staff and artists of The Keegan Theatre, we wish you and yours Happy Holidays and a New Year filled with prosperity and success. Thank you for being a part of this amazing journey – and we'll see you at the theater!

Mark A. Rhea,
Producing Artistic Director

p.s.  No gift is too small: even a ten-dollar donation can make a difference!