Letter from the President

I want to bring you up to date on our progress to reopen this historic building as a cultural arts center benefiting the economic future of Tybee Island, and the surrounding community.

This year, for the first time, we opened our doors for performances.  This milestone was possible due our successful plan of action over the past few years.  Please take a minute look at my 2010 president’s report and after you do I hope you make a tax-deductible gift to the Friends of the Tybee Theater, by December 31, to keep our momentum going into 2011.

Construction is Continuing

Our most recent construction project, the facade, is now complete.  We are so excited to show the world what a beautiful building this is and how important our theater will be to the local economy.  All of our important work since acquiring the property in 2006, replacing the roof, exterior wall repair and restoring the facade, puts us in a position utilize the building for events - so that the potential of this space becomes real, tangible, and exciting.  Next up is the interior construction required to receive a permanent certificate of occupancy.

In October we had a full weekend of activities including a comedy night on Friday and a Sunday afternoon concert featuring noted blues guitarist David Jacob-Strain. The sound was incredibly good and thanks to the efforts of our sponsor, Host South, the theater was transformed into a beautiful performance space astounding everyone in attendance.  This magnificent effort is just a hint of what the theater will mean to the community when fully open.  This month we were very proud to host the State the City address by Mayor, Jason Buelterman.

Community Support

Our friends at Leadership Tybee, part of the Tybee Tourism Council are sponsoring a major fundraising campaign through January 15, called Casting for Stars.   Headed up by Amy Gaster and Greg Stoeffer, in this campaign, eight local candidates are competing to raise funds.  The community response has been overwhelming and we are extremely gratified that Leadership Tybee and the Tourism Council have recognized the importance of the Tybee Post Theater to the local community.  Please check out the campaign website:  Tybeestars.com.  

We are also actively seeking available grants and have recently received funds from Georgia Power,  Levy Family Foundation and the JC Lewis Foundation.   In addition, we are working on the planning for our 3^rd Annual Tybee Wine Festival, our biggest fundraiser of the year, which will be held April 15 – 17, 2011 with a whole weekend in celebration of wine; craft beers.  Tickets are already on sale at http://tybeewinefestival.com.

The Challenge

Impressed with our progress and the major increase in community support, The City of Tybee has agreed to match dollar for dollar up to $65,000 towards the renovation of the theater.  This means we must raise an equal amount of money by the end of the city’s fiscal year in June 2011.   This means your donation now will be doubled and will allow us to make significant improvements to the interior and allow greater use of the theater.

Conclusion

Some did not think the rebirth of the Tybee Post Theater was possible. The Tybee community, as well as the entire Savannah area, has rallied to this project with money, volunteer hours and attendance at our events.  This proves that not only is this project possible, but the theater will also be successful. 

This report has shown you the highlights of what we have accomplished and your past support has helped make this all possible.  I want to encourage you to make an immediate and generous gift in 2010 to Friends of the Tybee Theater Inc.  Thanks to the Tybee match, your donation will be doubled and will bring us closer to our goal of reopening the Tybee Post Theater in 2011. 

Very truly yours,

Gordon Matthews

President

Haviland Stillwell in a special one night performance