TETA Board of Directors
Treasurer / CFO
My thanks to every member for making TheatreFest 2013 such a great success. We had record registration: just over 1800 people. We picked up a record number of room nights. And we received so much nice feedback (Thanks, all!) regarding our guests and programming.
Still, as in any effort of this magnitude, there were some people who were not happy about some things, and that feedback is also important to us. Primarily, we need to remember that TheatreFest is run and operated almost entirely by volunteers. Almost every staff member at our convention carries the same work load as any of our members. Most of the very good suggestions we received would require additional human resources, so…. I urge you to VOLUNTEER to be part of the TheatreFest staff. If you can volunteer for only half a day, that will make a difference. We are seldom limited by financial or space requirements, although both of those do occasionally happen. But the single item which limits us most is people willing to work hard. So please help us by VOLUNTEERING to work at TheatreFest 2014 in Dallas.
There is no way to single out every individual who made a contribution this year, so my list below is highly subjective. Just remember that if you attended TheatreFest in any capacity, here’s a big shout-out to you!
Here’s my entirely subjective list of people who made TheatreFest 2013 the record-breaker that it was:
First and foremost, Jenny Nichols, whose contributions were vast and stellar;
What would we have done without Charlcy Nichols, Heather Hatton, Eric Vera, Phillip Taylor, Laura McNary, and David Kersh? Champions all!
Our sincerest thanks to Caitlin Deckard and Afsoneh Esfandiari, for their patience, hard work, and perpetual smiles.
Tyne Daly, who wowed a crowd of almost a thousand, wins our Humanitarian Award for donating her appearance fee back to TETA to fund scholarships.
What an amazing team at the Hyatt Regency Houston. Our repeated annual appreciation to the entire staff, but especially Ciara, Herman, Damon, the Sensational Shea, and our perpetual supporter Stan.
This list could never be all inclusive. That would take pages more. But every exhibitor, every administrator, every staff member, every chairperson, every Board member, every committee or section member: THANK YOU! TheatreFest is very much meant to be a holistic event, and, as the saying goes, “Without you, we’re nothing.”
Finally, my very personal thanks to outgoing President Melissa McMillian-Cunningham, who was a model of determination, objectivity, and class throughout her two year term. On so many levels, a special thanks to you!
See everyone in Dallas at the downtown Hyatt Regency in 2014! Hope your year ahead is filled with standing ovations and personal breakthroughs.