Welcome to New Canon Theatre Co.’s first production of Season 2! It has been an exciting and informative first year for us—full of memorable experiences, challenges, joy, and celebration shared with the beautiful community in which we serve—and we thank you for being a part of it all.
The performing arts are facing a perilous time. Institutions across the country are facingunprecedented funding hurdles, societal pressures related to programming, and waning attendance numbers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The formation of New Canon Theatre Co. in 2022 was ambitious and risky during such a time of profound change, and the aforementioned challenges faced by our industry are felt particularly viscerally by a burgeoning arts organization such as NCTC.
Yet in light of these challenges, I firmly believe that the need for live theatre is stronger than ever. In a world increasingly succumbing to digital platforms, fast content, and the emergence of AI, allowing ourselves the space and time to gather and experience communal storytelling can be a balm for a divisive world—and the very fact that you are here, in this garden, is a testament to the great equalizer that is the theatre.
So, today I thank you for being here. For gathering with friends and/or loved ones and sharing in a timeless story of romance and reconciliation, for spending an evening at alocal business, and most of all—for making the arts a part of your life by supporting our humble and growing theatre company. You are what keep us motivated, and through your investment in us we will continue to invest in our community by producing theatre for everyone, one production at a time.
You are New Canon—and we are grateful for you.
Justin Gordon
Artistic Director
