Last weekend, I wasn’t able to attend what I just knew was going to be a fantastic fundraising event. The Coterie Theatre holds their annual fundraiser every year in early July, and it always seems to collide with my husband’s family reunion. I have never been able to go. Ever.
I was there in spirit. stuff trumped me, though: stuff was there in the form of two foot tall fully-lit carnival letters. I’ve written about them before, but the back story on how these letters became a part of the Lucky Lounge at the Coterie event is one of my favorites to tell.
My friend Jeff Church is the Producing Artistic Director at Coterie Theatre, and I met him for the first time 13 years ago in the T-shirt sales tent at AIDS Walk. Here was this happy, smiling man who had sparkling eyes, and he was very spirited and passionate about the cause. I immediately liked him. I’ve learned, as the years have gone by, that the tent he has worked in every year at the Walk is know for its “early in the day” cocktails. The tent I work in features Lamar’s donuts and Jell-o shots; his serves mimosas, bloody Mary’s, etc. Maybe that explains a bit of his “spirit”, but probably not.
So…early in 2009 I was out in front of the store setting up a new window with Casey. Jeff walked by and stopped in his tracks – and not just to talk. He was mesmerized by the letters Casey was hanging on the other side of the glass. He mentioned right then that the Coterie was doing a show in summer 2010 called “Lucky Duck”. He wondered out loud what the possibility was of borrowing these letters for their fundraiser in 2010. Now, here is where retailers and theatre producers are a bit different. Retailers see 12 months ahead, and theatre directors go even farther, planning whole seasons of shows 18 months in advance. He sees seats full of people at great shows taking away great memories, and we see everything we bring in walking out the door in the hands of happy customers.
I said, “No problem.” I knew it was highly likely that we would sell the letters long before then, but I was certain we could order in what we needed to fulfill his wish.
One month later, I was sitting in one of the Coterie’s sold out shows and knew a call to Jeff was in my future. I wasn’t looking to talk to the top dog because I was having a bad experience – not at all. I was just right then needing to know if stuff could borrow some of the set pieces and backdrops from “The Breakfast Club” when the set was struck.
The very next day on the phone, he said, “No problem.”
Our back to school window last fall was amazing, and his event last weekend was successful. I adore Jeff. Our friendship suffers from no problems.
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