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

I sincerely hope everyone had a wonderful and peaceful holiday season. I want to thank Chris and Stephanie Dillard for hosting our Pull-Tight Christmas party at their home. Turnout was excellent. It was a delightful time of potluck, photo booth (thank you Jeanne Drone!), games, Christmas carols, ornament exchange, and a loving sendoff for our friend Ron Geagan, who is moving to Boston. Ron has been a valuable member of Pull-Tight and a wonderful friend, and we will sorely miss him.

Audiences thoroughly enjoyed our holiday offering A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play directed by JK Gregg. JK directed our previous “live radio show” of It’s a Wonderful Life in 2014 and has a special talent for bringing this type of show to life. The comment I heard most often was how much people enjoyed watching Tom Gregg providing all of the show’s sound effects from the upstage platform. Thank you to the entire cast and crew for a wonderful show and a great way to enjoy the season.

Thanks also to Claudia Finnegan for decorating the theatre inside and out with Christmas décor in keeping with the historic nature of our building and the 1940’s-based show.

Director Heather Bottoms and her cast and crew have been hard at work since December getting ready to bring us the heartwarming show On Golden Pond opening January 25. Tickets go on sale January 14 and they will go fast, so make sure to get them. Watch an interview with actor Greg Grimsley about returning to Pull-Tight after more than 30 years to do the show.

We will be transitioning to a new electronic tablet system for checking in patrons at the door, as spearheaded by Box Office Chair Johnny Peppers.  Door workers will be trained and the new system will be launched with On Golden Pond. The new system offers several advantages, and we think everyone will enjoy using it.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the opportunity to become a Pull-Tight Special Patron and receive a copy of our documentary.

The best possible way to beat the winter doldrums is to spend a summer on the water in Maine, so I hope to see you soon On Golden Pond!

Pat Street, President
Pull-Tight Board of Directors

Read previous blog posts:

November 2018
September 2018
July 2018

Pull-Tight’s 50th Anniversary celebration continues with the roll-out on December 1 of the opportunity to become a “Pull-Tight Special Patron” and receive commemorative gifts as our thanks for your support during our golden year. The roll-out comes just in time for Christmas, and these items will make wonderful presents for anyone interested in our theatre.

Among those items is a copy of our documentary, Pull-Tight Players: 50 Years a Treasure by filmmaker Tom Gregg. This film premiered at our 50th Anniversary Open House in July, and the opportunity to obtain copies has been eagerly awaited. Also included on the DVD are 28 oral history interviews with Pull-Tight members sharing their own reminiscences of Pull-Tight’s past.

Other gift items will include 50th Anniversary window stickers and decals. Patrons will also have the opportunity to order t-shirts separately. All of these items have been requested by our membership, so we are very excited to get this promotion up and running.

Many thanks to Director Daryle Tallent and her cast and crew for bringing us Lend Me a Tenor in October. It was a high-energy, hilarious show expertly brought to life by her team, and audiences thoroughly enjoyed it.

Director JK Gregg and her cast and crew are currently putting the finishing touches on A Christmas Carol: Live Radio Play, a different twist on the beloved Dickens classic. This show is sure to sell out fast, so make sure to get your tickets.

Our Youth Guild had the opportunity this fall to appear in an electric company commercial. It was a truly unique learning experience. Thanks to Peggy Macpherson for coordinating the event, and to Pull-Tight youth Elena Hall, Nolan Wilson, Jolon Watson, Jake Rybczyk, Maddie Logan, Raymond Cruz, Esme Watson, Justin Tholen, and Alec Tassey for participating.

We had a wonderful occasion of fellowship and business at our Artist Membership Meeting in October at the home of Beth and Woody Woodruff, with good attendance despite some pretty awful weather. As a community outreach, Beth and Woody drove over to the local firehouse immediately afterwards and brought the firemen the leftovers from the feast.

Make plans now to attend our Pull-Tight Christmas Party on December 16.

Thank you to all who support our theatre, and I wish you joy, warmth, safety, and love this holiday season.

Pat Street, President
Pull-Tight Board of Directors

Read previous blog posts:
September 2018
July 2018