Gayle Bowling- General Manager
A Message from
the General Manager
Welcome to Cliffside
Amphitheatre in Grandview, part of the New River Gorge National River. This
facility was a popular state park for many years until 1990, when ownership was
transferred to the National Park Service. Our organization leases the
amphitheatre from the Park Service, but unfortunately, our administrative
facilities are not located in these beautiful surroundings but nearly twenty
miles away in Mabscott, a suburb of Beckley.
Theatre West Virginia has a rich history of achievement over the past
forty-five years. There are now more
than one hundred producers of outdoor theatre in the United States and we are
extremely proud to hold claim to some records in our field.
* We
produce the nation's oldest Civil War drama, HONEY IN THE ROCK.
* We
were first to successfully produce two shows in repertory as of 1971.
* We
were first to add a touring season and become the only outdoor theatre company
to operate on a year-round, full-time basis in 1972.
*We
were first to add a Broadway musical (1984), making three summer shows
performed in repertory, a milestone in theatre history, and remain, to date,
the only producer in the country doing three summer shows, touring and
remaining a full-time, year-round operation.
In the fall of 1998, we began
our newest venture -- Theatre West Virginia's Professional Training
Academy. Our goal was to offer
performing arts training in our community with a fall and spring session,
lasting ten weeks each. Our first
students enrolled numbered nineteen. Our session just completed in mid-April
had seventy-seven students enrolled in classes ranging from
"Pre-Acting" for the little folks, to Acting I, II and Advanced,
Musical Theatre, Stage Combat, Costuming and Make-Up and more. Students have
ranged in age from three years old to, well, let's just say sixty plus.
More than one million visitors
have seen our outdoor productions since the opening of HONEY IN THE ROCK in
1961. In our 2005 summer season 28,174
patrons attended, representing forty-six of the fifty United States and two
foreign countries. Our two touring companies traveled across West Virginia and
into Virginia entertaining and educating more than 100,000 students of all
ages. We employed a total of 150
individuals throughout the year, generating more than $8 million to our local
economy. Our Board of Directors, staff
and volunteers work tirelessly throughout the year to prepare for each season
and the cast you see on stage tonight began rehearsing this summer's shows May
22. I hope you agree that the hard work
was worth the final product.
All of us at TWV fully realize
that we would not be in a position to describe these achievements if it weren't
for the ongoing support of our local businesses and individuals, state government,
foundations and those of you in our audience who come see us do what we love to
do. Like all non-profit organizations, our dollars are in short supply and
becoming increasingly more so with reductions in funding. Simply put, we're
here because you care and, on behalf of our board, management and staff, I'd
like to take this opportunity to say "Thank You!" to you all.
As I experience my seventeenth
summer here, I must say that this is one of the most demanding and rewarding
jobs anyone could have and we all love it! Hopefully, we will provide you with
an entertaining piece of West Virginia history tonight and you'll leave feeling
good about where you've been.
Please come visit us again and
be sure to take in the beautiful sights in the park while you're here!
Gayle Bowling
General
Manager