As part of the fundraising for The REP, Sunburst Beach Vacations and The REP offer a raffle for a week-long vacation at a local beach house. Photos courtesy The REP
October means one thing to members, staff and actors at The Seaside Repertory Theatre (The REP): Beach house party time. Each year, Sunburst Beach Vacations graciously allows The REP to use of one of its beautiful beach vacation homes for a members-only party, during which a week-long vacation at the beach house is raffled off as a fundraiser for the non-profit.
Steve Howard, founder and managing director of Sunburst Beach Vacations, says, “Supporting The REP Theatre, both as individual members and through Sunburst Beach Vacations, is important because of the wonderful, creative programming the organization brings to the community.”
Members of The REP enjoy great benefits, engage in the arts and enable the REP to fulfill its mission. Support from members makes every aspect of the theater possible — from the lights, costumes and sets on stage to workshops for new works and playwright residencies, not to mention the engagement of countless young people through arts education programming. In appreciation for their tax-deductible support, REP members enjoy a host of exclusive benefits, including discounts on performance tickets and up to a 25 percent discount from local businesses such as the 30A Stores, Grayton Beer Taproom, Brunos Pizza and more.
Bert Trucksess, The REP’s board of directors chairman, believes in the theater’s mission. “The REP contributes to our community’s vitality and enrichment by offering diverse programming that is entertaining to people of all ages,” he says. “With funding for the arts under attack, The REP offers camps, education outreach initiatives and partnerships with Escape to Create and the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation help stimulate an interest in the arts for our many seasonal visitors as well as our full time community, including those with limited resources. We encourage folks to become members and help us grow our programs.”
This year is special because the member party will also be a celebration of the The REP’s 2016 Fall Play Series beginning Tuesday, Oct. 18, and featuring United Kingdom theater artists and Escape to Create alumni Nicholas Collett and Gavin Robertson as they present three original plays over a three-week period. “The Six Sided Man” tells the story of a psychiatrist who begins making life decisions based on the casting of the die. “Bond: An Unauthorized Parody” features a French sidekick, the usual female companion, a time machine and the smallest car chase in theatre history. “Your Bard!” begins as a TED Talk-style lecture, which quickly leads to Shakespeare interrupting to defend his reputation.
This year’s membership and season kick-off party will be held on Monday, Oct. 17, at Hopetown on the Green in Rosemary Beach at 6:30 p.m. The raffle drawing will be held at 8:30 p.m. The event is for members only, but new members can register at the door or by visiting LoveTheREP.com/membership. Raffle tickets are $25 each or five tickets for $100. Members and non-members are eligible to win. The winner does not need to be present at the time of the grand prize drawing to win. Raffle tickets are available online at LoveTheREP.com until 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17, at REP performances or by calling (850) 231-0733.
