ABOUT

During the summer of 2023, Douglas Kern of Rocking Horse Productions, Aimee Levesque of Inclusive Theatre of WNY and Laurie Oravec of Aurora Players met for the first time to discuss the possibility of collaborating together and, eventually, with other community theaters throughout Western New York. A theatre friend,  director and playwright, Matt Boyle, was there to brainstorm as well.

 

Western New York Alliance of Community Theaters (WNY ACTS!) was born out of that meeting with a simple mission statement:  To elevate and promote community theater in WNY.

 

Our goals for the organization were simple and straightforward:

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• Provide a forum for sharing knowledge and insight.

• Strengthen and support individual member organizations.

• Provide opportunities for cross-promotion.

• Share best practices and support each other.

• Continue to promote and sustain accessibility to the arts within the communities of WNY.

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Knowledge is power and, when shared, it becomes a catalyst for growth. As a group, WNY ACTS! members pool their wisdom, share best practices, insights and resources. As a result, we believe audience members will experience enhancements to the already exceptional theater scene in our communities. In addition, by collaborating to elevate our productions and raise awareness of the excellence and accessibility of community theaters, we will create an environment where our members can flourish and even grow.

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As we like to say, let’s embrace the local stage by discovering the excellence in community theatre!