What We Do at Palm Canyon Theatre
Our Mission:
Provide affordable professional entertainment and arts education for the Coachella Valley.
PCT Development Drive
Palm Canyon Theatre History
Bill and Sylvia Layne had been coming to the desert for years with their family to vacation and visit relatives. They recognized that there was a need for high quality, professional, and affordable regional theatre in the greater Palm Springs area.
Exploring potential opportunities, the City of Palm Springs approached the Laynes to look at the old school at Frances Stevens Park and thought that it could be made into a marvelous, intimate setting for live theatre productions. They spent a couple of years working with the City of Palm Springs to secure a lease. Then they spent an intensive year and a half working with family and friends converting the old gymnasium to a 230 seat banked stadium-style proscenium theatre.
Palm Canyon Theatre opened its doors for the first production in the fall of 1997 with "The Desert Song" by Romberg, Harbach, and Hammerstein, setting the stage, as it were, for a series of award winning productions for more than 10 years.
Now entering it's tenth season, Palm Canyon Theatre is on firmer financial footing, and is delighted that its offerings continue to expand. In recent years we've been pleased and proud to sponsor Jeanette Knight's Third Sunday Improv Jam, Second Sunday Shakespeare and Spotlight on Musicals with Nate Brown in Concert. From its inception, Palm Canyon Theatre has strived to enhance educational opportunities for aspiring professionals and talented children through its Equity Membership Candidates' Program and annual 5-week intensive summer theatre and arts camp.
Equity Membership Candidates' Program
Palm Canyon Theatre has been granted approval by the Actors Equity Association Union to conduct post-graduate training in theatre. Students interested in pursuing a professional theatre career receive on the job and class training, in addition to housing and a stipend. The EMC Program allows students to receive exceptionally high quality instruction while working to master the requirements needed to join the prestigious Actors Equity Association.
Palm Canyon Theatre
Board of Governors 2007-2008
Founder: William J.. Layne
Chair: Mike Layne
Vice President: Joseph W. Layne
Secretary: Suzie Wourms
Treasurer: Se Layne Tethal
Governors: Ray Baddour, Steve Nichols, Gail Hodges, Rodney Tethal, Lindsay Kaufmann, Rob Long
Our Sincere Thanks
We want to express our deepest gratitude to all our wonderful supporters. Thanks to all the people who have supported the theatre by attending performances, donating money, and gifts of time, effort, expertise, costumes and props.
Sponsorship
A LITTLE INSIGHT: As you may know, all regional theatres survive because of grants, sponsors and season subscribers. To date, Palm Canyon Theatre has not received sizable grants and does not have significant financial backers. However, we have received a wide variety of in-kind sponsorship, for which we are very grateful, as well as a small but significant group of generous gifts that have made a major difference.
Donor Categories
Director’s Circle, $5,000 and up
In addition to our deepest gratitude, members of the Director’s Circle receive recognition in our Season Program, are invited to all special events and galas, receive special recognition at our Annual Gala, and will enjoy a special recognition event tailored to their interests.
Angels, $1,000 to $4,999
Palm Canyon Theatre Angels receive recognition in our Season Program, special recognition at our Annual Gala, and are invited to all special events and galas, in addition to our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for their generosity.
Supporters, $500 to $999
PCT Supporters receive our thanks and appreciation, recognition in our Season Program, and will be invited to our special events and galas.
Friends, up to $499
Friends of the Palm Canyon Theatre receive our grateful acceptance of their gifts along with recognition in the Season Program.
Some of our "in-kind" sponsors include The Pepper Tree Inn, which has generously provided comfortable and convenient housing for out of town performers and directors; Tom McCahon, who for the past two years has diligently volunteered to charge into the Palm Canyon Theatre every day and do anything and everything needed; Monte Wilcoxen has been a staunch supporter and volunteer in the Box Office for over 5 years; Joy Meredith created and maintains our web site and supports us; Laura Raymond creates and organizes our program cover to cover; Lyndee Goodall is a professional milliner who skillfully crafts our wigs and hats; and of course we have many additional volunteers on and off of the stage.
This year, we are delighted to announce that we have gratefully received generous cash donations from Mike and Bob Pollack; John Armor and Mario Koppe; Steve Gleba and Jerome Thompson; Mike and Connie Layne; and Joy and Grace Powell, which has taken a huge burden off of our shoulders. Gifts from Tom McCahon and others have made it possible to upgrade our sound system considerably; double our lighting capacity; and made it possible to turn on the air-conditioning during our summer Kids Camp.
We are working on an infrared system for the hearing impaired for the theatre but we don't know how far off that is in the future. Of course we have dreams to grown into a full fledged equity house with full fledged salaries for our staff, but we are where we are and we are much further along than we were this time last year.
Currently our annual budget is about $400,000. We use that money to produce more than 125 events every year, ranging from the eight main stage shows, four Second Stage shows, several special events, and series like Jeannete Knight's Sunday Improv Jam and Second Sunday Shakespeare.
Everything we do is on a shoestring, and we are working on raising an additional $200,000 per year to be able to expand our educational services, extend community cultural outreach, replace outmoded office equipment, and of course make technical improvements to our theatre itself.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Honor Roll of Donors
You already know who you are, but we want others to know, too! We value and appreciate all you do for us, in so many ways. The following people have made significant contributions to the Palm Canyon Theatre over the past year:
Directors Circle
($5,000 and up)
Anonymous (2)
Connie and Mike Layne
Tom McCahon
Mike and Bob Pollack
Se and Rodney A. Tethal
Stephen F. Gleba and Jerome Thompson
Angels
($1,000. to $4,999)
John Armor and Mario Koppe
Joy and Grace Powell
Supporters
($500 to $999)
Nancy Anthony
Janet Johnson
Sally Benson and Steve Nichols
Margie Parzinsky
Patricia A. Medlin Uantis
Dennis and Suzie Wourms
Friends
(Up to $500)
Aileen Alvarez
Charlotte Center Anthony
Dr.Bill Bean
Marsha and Allen Berry
Thais & John Bonete
Eileen Boynton
Harriette Clein
Pat and Don Foster
Patty and Ed Gallagher
Cheryl and Stuart Grant
Lindsay Kaufman
Tricia Kelly
Warren Lavender
John Ledbetter
Scott and Joy Meredith
Blanche and Ray Mickelson
Laura and John Raymond
Charlie Robinson
Kirsten Seebart
Robert E. Smith
Vladimir Tethal
Robert Vaught
Brad Vickery
Community Supporters
A-1 Janitorial Services
Beauty Boyz
Berlin Technologies
Bernard Impressions
Camelot Theatres and Ric’s Café
Canyon National Bank
Casa Cody
Casswood Insurance
The Chocolateria
Jeff Clark, Allstate Insurance
Crystal Fantasy
Jayne Dahl, Coldwell Banker
Desert Friends of Music
The Desert Post Weekly
Flooring Concepts International
IMAX
Inn at Deep Canyon
Kaiser Restaurant Group
Koffi
LaCasita
David Lynch
Design Metaphor Gallery
Morris Desert Media
Palm Canyon Chiropractic
Pepper Tree Inn
PalmSpringsDesktop.com
P.S. I Love Your Hair
R&R Broadcasting
Reliable Roofing
Salon 119
Smoketree Optical
Spikes
Terrazzo, A Men’s Resort
Collin Webster Watson
Zephyr Realty
Special Costume and Fun Clothes Donations
Cheryl Locke Grant
Bobbie Harper
Blanche Mickelson
Ruth Ledbetter
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
The Palm Canyon Theatre is a 501 (c) 3 organization, fitting the IRS definition of a not-for-profit corporation. Gifts given to the Palm Canyon Theatre are tax-deductible. We depend on you, our audience and supporters, to help us reach our goals. Thank you for your past support, and we look forward to a continued relationship with you for the future!
If you would like more information on making a gift to the Palm Canyon Theatre, please call our business office at 760-323-0739.
The Palm Canyon Theatre is a not-for profit, professional, Actors Equity Theatre located at 538 North Palm Canyon Drive (at Alejo), Palm Springs, California. For tickets or information call the Box Office at (760) 323-5123