My Nonprofit Reviews

The Guild, in one form or another, has been around since the early 1900’s; the oldest community theater on the Monterey Peninsula and one of the oldest operating outdoor theaters west of the Mississippi, or so I have been told. I became involved with the Guild when my daughter decided that the stage was her home away from home. Being a backstage mom, led to costume helper, led to becoming a board member, which led to becoming a volunteer interim Executive Director. I am proud to say that my daughter is 4th generation to perform on the Forest Theater stage, having been on stage since the age of 4 and now a teenager, she is serving as a Junior Advisory Board Member in a new program we started to teach the next generation how to be good stewards of our organization. It has been rewarding, challenging, inspiring, hard, sad at times, mostly fun and an experience I don’t think I would trade for anything. What started out as a short term labor of love has turned into a full time passion, rewarded by the smiles of young people when they experience their first performance in front of an audience, by the tears when a coveted role is won by another and then the realization that the role they received was in fact right for them. It is in the applause from a grateful audience and the high five from a crew member when we know we nailed. It is the thank you from a parent or grandparent or the note from a long time summer visitor…it is all of these things and so much more. It is an honor to work with the best actors and actresses, directors, scenic designers, musicians, vocal directors, dancers and choreographers, lighting and sound designers and artists and technicians that our Monterey Peninsula has to offer… all coming together as true community theater…to teach and share and learn. I feel as though this organization has taught me a great deal about what it means to be a part of the community and how together we can do the seemingly impossible. The programs that we have, the needs we fill, the ability to build dreams and encourage others to do the same is simply outstanding. When you watch someone start with just a little spark and follow their dream until it blossoms into a reality is amazing. We work with all ages, all backgrounds, all experience levels and we all learn from each other, building something greater than what we are alone. “The stars are out, the fires are lit and the sky is the limit!” is a quote from a former Exec Dir and poet that really says it all… about who we are and what we do at the Forest Theatre Guild.