This summer marked 15 years of being a Twin Cities Theater blogger. My very first post on July 27, 2010, titled Origins, is very nerdy and idealistic. (Go ahead and read it; I'll wait here with my hands covering my eyes.) I've changed since then, my writing has improved (I hope), my worldview has broadened, and most importantly my experiences with #TCTheater have increased by leaps and bounds. When I started this blog in the summer of 2010, it was for the purpose of recording my experiences as a theater-going, and sharing them with others who might be interested (hear more of Cherry and Spoon's origin story on this episode of The Stages of MN YouTube show). I never imagined that 15 years later I would be at the theater 3-5 nights a week, receiving press comps to every theater in town, meeting my favorite artists, and being part of a theater blogging community (follow the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers here). I would like to celebrate this milestone by giving back to the #TCTheater community that's given me so much, and I need your help.
If you've ever gotten anything from reading Cherry and Spoon in the last 15 years, please consider donating $15 to your favorite theater company in honor of this anniversary. If you can't afford $15 right now, you could also volunteer your time. Visit your favorite theater company's website to find out how to donate or volunteer. As an incentive, I'm proud and grateful to be partnering with the Guthrie Theater and Theater Latte Da to give away a pair of theater tickets to two lucky winners. Both of these theaters are foundational in my journey as a theater blogger. I know that I would never have become a theater blogger if I hadn't become a Guthrie season subscriber over 20 years ago, which started the snowball effect of seeing more and more theater and diving deeper into the local theater community. Theater Latte Da has long been one of my favorite theater companies since before I started blogging; their unique forward-thinking envelope-pushing brand of "doing theater musically" gets me every time. So I'm thrilled to share my love of these two theater companies with two of you who give back to your favorite theater company.
All you need to do is go to your favorite theater company's website or box office and donate $15 (or more if you're so inclined) or volunteer to help out with ushering or whatever they need. Once you've done so, FILL OUT THIS FORM (honor system, I will not be checking up on you), and be entered into a drawing to win two tickets to opening night of Somewhere at the Guthrie Theater this December, or two tickets to any show at Theater Latte Da this season (no, you cannot choose which one, the winner of each pair will be chosen randomly, and I'm a statistician in my day job so you can trust that it will be random). The raffle begins today September 21 and I will be accepting entries through Sunday October 5. Winners will be notified that week and arrangements will be made to get you the tickets.
Thank you so much to everyone who's read, liked, or shared Cherry and Spoon posts over the last 15 years, and thank you in advance for your help raising money for our incredible Twin Cities theater community. We need our artists more than ever right now, and they need us. I believe in the power of theater to change the world, or at least to change hearts and minds, one at a time, and that's how you change the world.
