Hello, and a happy July to you all!

I must say, I have pretty large shoes to fill. It’s not easy to hype up the big 5-1 after our Golden Anniversary, but I promise to follow Pat Street‘s sterling example of poise in leadership in my aim to make this next season at Pull-Tight something truly memorable.

So what’s memorable right now? For starters, our 50th Anniversary Knot Awards Banquet, organized by Steve and Pat Evans, was a wonderful evening of camaraderie and class. Pull-Tight Players of past and present gathered for a night of celebration, honoring the founding days and the last year of plays and musicals that graced our stage.

We also inducted two lifetime voting members into our ranks – Walt Micksch and Lyn Sullivan Pewitt, both instrumental in helping bring the theater to where we are today.

Also in the “news to write home about” department, season ticket sales are through the roof … again! We have almost 700 in season ticket sales for the 2019-2020 slate of shows – a new record for us here at Pull-Tight. From our earnest beginnings in various hotels and locations around Franklin to the momentous accomplishment here before us, all of this is thanks to you, our loyal patrons.

Our popularity does come at a price sometimes – sold out shows mean we’re the hottest ticket in town, so we have continued to roll out holdover performances whenever possible to accommodate those in the community searching for that great date night opportunity. After evaluating various options to make sure we are serving the needs and wants of all of our patrons, we decided to take immediate action. Our current solution is to turn two Wednesday evenings each show into added performances available to the general public. Hopefully this will alleviate some of the demand for tickets when they first go on sale. And we expect the demand again this season, because who wouldn’t want to see these great shows?

The 2019-2020 season, too, offers a journey of emotions, with familiar names and new ventures. Our shows include Moonlight and Magnolias, a comedy that explores the making of Gone With the Wind; Irving Berlin’s classic, White Christmas; a touching Noel Coward dramedy about the kooky perils of aging, Waiting in the Wings; Tom Stoppard’s intellectual stage farce, The Real Inspector Hound; and the well-known Cabaret, made famous by the 1972 film version starring Liza Minnelli.

But first – William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker! This timeless work unites two Pull-Tight veterans – Director Jeanne Drone and Producer Cindy Davis Massey – with material near and dear to their hearts. The show, depicting the story of teacher Annie Sullivan as she begins her work with Helen Keller, was last performed on the Pull-Tight stage during the 1990-1991 season with Massey as Director and Drone playing Sullivan. We can’t wait to see the two usher in a production of the show that means so much to them. The 2019 version features Megan Roberts (last seen in Steel Magnolias) as Sullivan and Esther Jane Pope in the pivotal role of Helen Keller.

Stay tuned, and always check out our online presence for continuing updates! Our fantastic behind-the-scenes team, including box office guru Johnny Peppers and savvy social media expert Savannah Aiello, do an excellent job at keeping the public apprised of the theater’s news. If there’s something you wish to see or to learn more about, reach out to one of us.

Best,
Matt Grimes
President, Board of Directors
james.m.grimes@vanderbilt.edu

As Pull-Tight President this year, one of my goals was to be involved in some way on every show this season. For South Pacific, I served as Producer; I had the good fortune of being cast as Julia in Lend Me a Tenor; I created vintage posters for A Christmas Carol: Live Radio Play; painted set for On Golden Pond; served as Production Advisor for Steel Magnolias; and helped with various set decor and prop items and am currently working backstage on Big Fish. It has been a lot of a fun and a great opportunity to watch all of these wonderful shows come together. Those experiences as well as the chance to work closely with all of our various volunteers in every department and on every committee have filled me with pride for this organization that has lasted for 50 years and shows strong promise going into the next 50.

Another one of my goals this year was to work toward cultivating young new volunteers to steer us into the future. So, I am very pleased to hand over the reins to Matt Grimes, voted in as President of the Pull-Tight Board of Directors for the 2019-20 Season. Matt is a bright, energetic, talented young man with an encyclopedic knowledge of theatre and I look forward to his leadership.

Congratulations also to our three new Board members elected in May: Mark Buchanan, Jeanne Drone, and Dan Kassis.

I have also enjoyed watching the many younger folks on our production teams this year who are bringing new energy to the theatre. Being involved with Big Fish has reminded me that putting on a show in many ways involves solving a continuous series of problems, and it is fascinating and gratifying to watch the dedication and talent our volunteers bring to doing so in such a way that when the audience sits down to watch the show it all seems seamless. Bravo!!

Many thanks to Director Lenny West and his cast and crew for an outstanding production of Steel Magnolias. Our audiences were eager to see this show and they did not go away disappointed. Four holdover performances were added to meet audience demand, and many glowing comments were heard about the great attention to detail on the set, costumes, and direction and the perfect casting.

It is a true delight to end our season with the musical Big Fish. Director Justin McIntosh has a great heart for this show (see his Director’s Note). He and his cast and crew have pulled out all the stops to bring us a spectacular evening. The show is a feast for the eyes and ears, funny, entertaining, and moving, and I sure hope you have your tickets! Two holdover performances have already been added to the schedule to meet audience demand.

Please join us June 29 for a very special Knot Awards Banquet. Banquet Chairs Pat and Steve Evans and their committee members are hard at work to ensure that this will be one very special evening and you will not want to miss it.

It has been a true pleasure serving this year as your President. Thank you for the opportunity, and thank you for all of the many ways you have supported Pull-Tight, either as a patron or as a volunteer.

50 years? Let’s do it again!

Pat Street, President
Pull-Tight Board of Directors

As we near the end of our 50th season, what sinks in for me once again is this:  It’s all about the people. One of the true pleasures of being president this year has been having the chance to work a little with every show this season and with every committee member, renewing my admiration for all of the work and love people put into this theatre.

A recent Stanford Center on Longevity study noted a current 5-percent drop in social engagement for middle-aged Americans. The study prescribed this as the antidote: “Volunteer—bonds are best made between people who regularly do meaningful activities together.” Here’s a salute to our Pull-Tight volunteers of all ages who have already figured this out, and here’s wishing all of them the long and happy life associated with meaningful social engagement.

In spite of a dreary winter weather-wise, Pull-Tight has not stopped for a second. Audiences enjoyed the delightful On Golden Pond and the entire world of a Maine summer on the lake created for us by Director Heather Bottoms and her cast and crew.

One of the highlights of the show was welcoming Greg Grimsley back to the Pull-Tight stage after an absence of more than 30 years. Watch our interview with him about now and then.

I was especially moved by Heather’s Director’s Note in the program, in which she touches on the significance for her of directing this show during the season’s 50th Anniversary.

I wanted to give a shout-out to Pull-Tight Artist Members JT Landry and Melanie Haldas McBurney for their very entertaining podcast, “The Disney Buzz,” a fun look into all things historic and current about the Disney franchise. In the first episode they talk about meeting at Pull-Tight and discovering their mutual love of Disney during the show Boeing Boeing.

Speaking of “buzz,” our patrons are very excited about the upcoming Steel Magnolias brought to us by Director Lenny West and his cast and crew. The run is already completely sold out, with two additional holdover shows also immediately selling out and talk of adding more. So, watch the website if you do not yet have tickets. Lenny is very “buzzed” about his cast, and they are more than ready to bring this entertaining and heartwarming show to Franklin. This event is especially touching to a lot of us who have known and worked with Lenny since he was a super-talented very young man.

Our overwhelming demand for tickets continues to be a “good problem” to have, but frustrating for our patrons. This is an issue being explored by your Board of Directors. Remember that you can always reach out to your Board with suggestions.

Heads-up to please save the date for the Pull-Tight Banquet, known this year as the Pull-Tight 50th Gala, on the evening of June 29 at The Martin Center in Brentwood. This will be a formal, glitzy, fun evening of reminiscences, entertainment, and looking ahead to another 50. Stay tuned for more information.

In the meantime, our annual Artist Membership voting meeting is coming up.  Mark your calendar for May 5 at 5 p.m. for this meeting, and watch your snail mail for ballots. For full information on what it means to be an Artist Member at Pull-Tight and to check your own status, visit our voting membership page.

Happy Spring to all, and not a moment too soon!

Pat Street, President
Pull-Tight Board of Directors

Read previous blog posts:

January 2019
November 2018
September 2018
July 2018