Transformation:
It’s hard to begin any director’s report at this point in our history without immediately being called to the renewal that is happening to our building from the front façade to the inner guts and arteries. It’s so exciting to see the transformation, and we are planning a public celebration around our 39th Anniversary in June.
We have been running with a robust schedule of programs despite the “pardon our dust” appeals. As we anticipated, in the theater it’s mostly business as usual, and other than some readjustment, flexibility, and initiative required on the part of night staff, programs have been continuing mostly without interruption.
We continue to add events to our lounge and have begun booking on Tuesday nights, including the monthly Revolutionary Skype Session that brings our community face to face with current issues around the globe using technology.
This month La Peña recognizes International Women’s Night with events including What do the Women Say? (a Golden Thread Production), International Women’s Day Celebration, Preserving our Bay Area Lesbian Legacies, and more.
Since January La Peña has been participating in an audience research collaborative pilot with Wolfbrown Consultants supported by Hewlett. We conducted surveys at Bill Santiago’s shows in Jan/Feb. This project holds a lot of value for expanding audiences, market research, and strategizing promotion.
Our next few months will include unveiling the renovations, the opening of Los Cilantros, a farm-fresh Mexican offering breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch during daytime hours in Café La Peña, the La Peña commissioned premiere of Ariel Luckey’s Amnesia, new classes in African dance and Latin guitar, and an Anniversary celebration in June. We will also kick off our spring campaign, a continuation of Building Our Future, which will help fund the next phase of La Peña’s renewal!
by Executive Director Kristen Sbrogna
3/24/14