Published: January 10, 2009 10:33 pm      

TWV effort successful; goal is met, then some

Just a little more than a month ago, Theatre West Virginia officials warned of the demise of the 48-year-old southern West Virginia cultural treasure when a $100,000 cut in state funding was thought to be a hurdle too high to cross.

All fears of the final curtain falling have officially been put to rest, however, as TWV board member and Save Theatre West Virginia chairperson Susan Hambric said Friday the fundraising campaign had brought in more than $133,000.

“This has just been a wonderful, wonderful fundraiser,” Hambric said. “The community has been so responsive and we are so extremely grateful. Now the show will go on.”

Hambric said all the money raised exceeding $100,000 will be used to “secure the future of the theater.”

“There are so many grants that you have to have matching funds for and those funds have to be raised,” she said. “We can use the extra money as matching funds, which should help us secure additional money for the program.”

Although TWV’s future was uncertain for several weeks, Hambric said, in the end she believed the funding cut was a good thing.

“This has had a very positive effect on the theater,” she said. “I think everybody realizes, No. 1, how much TWV means to the community, and, No. 2, there are things we need to be doing to make sure TWV is secure.

“We’ve always written grants, but we need to write more of them and they need to be bigger.”

Hambric says TWV patrons can look forward to an exciting summer of shows, which, in addition to staples “Hatfields and McCoys” and “Honey in the Rock,” will include “High School Musical” and “Seussical, The Musical.”

“We’ll have the Cat in the Hat out there,” Hambric said of “Seussical.” “It might sound like a children’s show, but it’s a show adults will find a lot of humor in as well.”

Hambric says 2010 will also bring big things as TWV celebrates its 50th anniversary.

“There’s no way to go but up,” she said. “Everything is looking bright.”

Although the fundraising goal has been exceeded, Hambric said donations are welcome year-round.

Anyone interested in donating can mail their checks to Theatre West Virginia, P.O. Box 1205, Beckley, WV 25802.

Also, donations can be made over the phone by calling 304-256-6800 or 1-800-666-6800.

Theatre West Virginia is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

— E-mail: mjames@register-herald.com