We announced our season last night before the Mariza concert, and at midnight, our shiny new tricked-out
website went online. We've got some amazing artists coming to Madison, and Esty recorded fantastic voice overs for the web videos from local notables who are ecstatic about the events. I am exceedingly proud of all the work all the students and staff have done this year. Last night was the first time it hit me that "we're done," which means I'll soon be handing over the baton to our new committee director soon, who will select the Associate Directors and will work hard to determine what the 2010-2011 season will look like. I'm uber glad that I'm not graduating yet and will get to see most of the shows that we programmed for this year.
Not going to lie, it's been a tough year with the economy taking a nose dive, and although we are doing slightly less in quantity next year, I think we make up for it with the quality and diversity of events. This year we branched out and had a mini-Louisiana series of events with Trombone Shorty, The Pine Leaf Boys, and Buckwheat Zydeco. I think we're slowing evolving it into a folk/genre-blended little series that tunes into what the students want to see in the theater, and reaching a wider audience than perhaps ever before. I see the Red Stick Ramblers, the Punch Brothers, and Toshi Reagon as this mini folk-genre series, and I'm very happy to see that it's off the ground, and not just an idea on a post-it note above the committee computer.
