Community Arts Access Project Grant

As a result of this project, the Pequot Lakes Theater will expand the way we typically do theater by offering a variety of special effects, quick scene changes, the use of real food, real gun shot sound effects, and fun giveaways and activities. To make this murder mystery feel as real as possible, we will challenge our cast and crew by using authentic props, not fake look- a-likes. To pull this off we will need the help of an experienced stage manager who will also be mentoring a new stage manager. This mentorship will help to teach a rookie the tricks of the trade and help us foster celebration of our local talents and abilities. Together, these stage managers and the director will bring our audience an engaging and genuine theater experience unlike any other production we have done in the Pequot Lakes Community Theater. We want people to feel like they are not just watching a show, but experiencing it. This goal will be evaluated in two different ways. The first being the reactions, comment and input gathered from the audience members. We are planning on sending an electronic evaluation out to all attendees. This will be a first for our theater, as we have only done paper evaluations in the past. Did they feel like the production was an experience or just another performance? Did they like the extra activities and giveaways' Secondly, this goal will be evaluated by looking at the interactions and mentorship between the experienced stage manager and the rookie stage manager. Are they able to pull off this engaging and genuine theater experience? Was the rookie stage manager able to reflect and grow, giving us future options for our pool of stage managers'