Every show we present has to start somewhere and this one started with Gail. Gail Edgerly is the Executive Director of the Homer Council on the Arts and it was her dream to bring Quixotic Fusion to Alaska.

You see, Mica Thomas, Quixotic’s Associate Artistic Director is from Homer and Gail wanted to bring Mica and his amazing work, back home. It was an enormous undertaking for a small community and Gail put everything HCOA had into making it happen. She needed a presenting partner in order to get a grant to support the tour. That’s where we came in. Gail got the grant and Quixotic planned their tour.

Then reality set in and they realized they couldn’t bring 18 people to Fairbanks without getting travel funded as well. Nope, Fairbanks was out of the question. Unfortunately we had already announced their performance.

Era to the rescue! They pitched in with the tickets and saved our show. This production and in fact all productions, has been a series of challenges met, obstacles overcome. NATC pitched in with ground transportation, businesses and community members pitched in and contributed to our Education Partnership campaign. In the end, we all came together to make it happen. When the ASYMCA wanted to distribute tickets, you all came to our aid and helped.

Now Gail’s dream has become our dream and that dream has come to pass.

This morning, I received this email from Gail:

WOW!! Both Homer shows have sold out!!! It was crazy here yesterday. The on line ticket sales were going so fast I had to shut it down so we could catch up and see if we had any tickets left. Then the line grew in our gallery as people waited for us to figure out if we had any tickets left. Holy cow!

And then the students who went to the assembly (2 more assemblies to go) started calling, wanting tickets, asking to join workshops, which were full. Great problems but now we enter the disappointment chapter which is going to be 4 days long and then some…

I have only seen one assembly so far. Great show. The students LOVED it. A bit too loud so they are going to tone it down. It was so exciting to see such creativity and invention. They are wonderful to work with. It is awesome to see our theatre used to its potential.

What a fabulous experience. I am going to need a week to recover and bring order back to the office!

I am so grateful you joined this tour.

Thank you so much!
Gail

I’ve just been reading a study on what is really important to people about the arts – about how the arts matter to them.

There are two – and the umbrella for both is the ripple effect that the arts have on a community.

The first is that it creates places that people want to be. Exciting, unique, vibrant places.

The second is that it brings people together. Different kinds of people, who wouldn’t meet otherwise – and helps them get to know each other in a way that creates that kind of civic fabric that is so important in a community.

This weekend, we will address both of these. Quixotic Fusion promises to be more than just a dance production, more than a “cirque,” more than a light show, more than music, but to blur these disciplines while presenting new ideas. That creates an exciting place to be!

We have donated tickets to members of the community who otherwise might not attend. Combine this with the tickets we’ve sold, and we will indeed pack the house with people who probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. And we’ll give everyone an exciting place to be!

Thanks to all who supported these efforts!