Best gifts go both ways

The best gifts involve both giving and receiving. The last several weeks at Theatre Lawrence prove that point.

Actors, musicians, stage crews, front-of-house volunteers, and more have given their valuable time this month to deliver performances of the crowd-pleasing, nostalgia-filled musical White Christmas. For those involved in the show, this often means missing holiday parties of their own, waiting until the last minute to do their shopping, and enduring long days and late nights.

They have been rewarded by Lawrence and the surrounding area with the gift of a run that will have played to 99% capacity over three weeks. For volunteer performers who share their talents with the community simply because they love it, such an enthusiastic response from audiences is the most meaningful reward. The fact that not just friends and family, but the entire community, chose to make time in their busy holiday schedules to support them and Theatre Lawrence means so much to so many.

This is just one of the many ways we share the gift and impact of the arts back and forth with you, our community. From youth classes at the theatre, to visiting classrooms with Suitcase Stories, to performing at area retirement homes with the re-energized Vintage Players, Theatre Lawrence continues to deliver bright paper packages tied up with strings of favorite things. In return, the community gives us its own gifts by auditioning, volunteering behind the scenes, buying tickets, enrolling in classes, and making donations.



When a community and its theatre make each other better, that is one of the true gifts of a thriving arts organization.