July 26, 2016
Dear Supporter of the Arts,
It has occurred to us that, after almost 10 years of being Eugene/Springfield’s one and only itinerant theater company, we should introduce ourselves. The Roving Park Players Theater Company is not only a 501c3 non-profit and friend of Eugene Parks and Open Spaces and Willamalane Parks and Rec, but it is also a travelling, busking, storytelling, actors’ theater. RPP is all about people, their bodies, their words, their actions and how that all comes together, regardless of setting, to entertain, inform, enlighten and delight.
Theater on a shoestring—that’s us. We exist entirely on donations and the occasional grant. We never charge for our shows and every penny goes back into the company. In the best Shakespearean tradition, the bulk of our expenses are for costumes and props. The rest of our spending is usually for our portable sound system, an essential part of our mission to make theater accessible to all.
Accessibility and inclusiveness are our watch words. We see our work as a community service and we want that community to feel welcome and included no matter what they bring to the artistic table. Some people choose to support us as audience members, some as actors or technicians—all are welcome no matter what their experience, training or natural ability happens to be.
A typical RPP season includes three to four plays—one indoors in February or March, one in June and another in August in local parks. Our August show is our “mixed-age” show, featuring a number of younger players along with adult actors. We strive to offer seasons which all family members can enjoy and which dip into the rich traditions of language and literature, often showcasing original adaptations and little-known works. Case in point would be our recently completed 8th season which kicked off with Fanny Burney’s late 18th-century farce, The Witlings, followed, in June, by a brand new twist on Much Ado About Nothing, and an original adaptation of The Secret Garden in August. In November, A Christmas Carol was adapted by one of our company members, a dream come true for her and one of our actors.
So much of what we do falls into the category of dream fulfillment. People come to us with ideas and plans and we try to make them a reality within the boundaries we’ve set for the company. We really believe, at RPP, that “we are such things as dreams are made on” and that “all the world’s a stage.” We do believe and we make it so for as many people in this community as possible. It is our pleasure and our privilege. We thank you for reading this and for any support that you can give to help us serve our community.
Sincerely,
Victoria Harkovitch & Lisa Shea-Blanchard
Co-Founders, The Roving Park Players