Throughout its history, WaterTower's artistic vision, service to the community and growing audience has led to a unique partnership with the Town of Addison, one aimed at the development of an exciting destination for residents and non-residents to experience the best in theatrical arts.
Building on its reputation for being an intrepid producer of new works, WTT has garnered numerous accolades through the years, including recent awards from Big D Magazine for our production of The Play That Goes Wrong and a Pop-Up Grant from TACA for our production of Manic Monologues. WTT's commitment to new work is reflected in its history of world premieres including Song of Motherhood (1998), Blind Lemon: Prince of Country Blues (2001), A Country Life (2005), Creep (2015), The Spark (2015), The Great Distance Home (2017), and Bread (2018). The 27th Season closed with a world premiere musical, Goin' Hollywood by Stephen Cole & David Krane. The conclusion of the 2022-2023 Season saw WTT having produced 184 plays and musicals, including 11 World Premieres and 43 Regional Premieres. In addition, WTT continues its commitment to workshopping brand new musicals right here in Addison, Texas.
Our Needs
In order to survive as an organization and continue to do our part in keeping live theatre thriving, WTT needs the funding to support our production budgets for the 2023-2024 Season. We have reached the end of our 27th season and are preparing for Season 28. We have survived a lot over the years, including rising costs due to inflation, the need for Covid testing, PPE, and new personnel. We are up to that challenge! WTT was one of the first theaters in the nation to obtain approval from Actors' Equity Association to reopen SAFELY with in-person audiences and has kept EVERYONE on & off stage employed SAFELY throughout the pandemic. WTT is proud to have maintained a perfect Covid safety record throughout all our productions.
We are currently researching pathways to improve our website experience to better communicate with and facilitate the accessibility for current patrons and our surrounding community.
Recently, we have joined forces with The Penguin Project, where a group of children take to the stage to perform a modified version of a well-known Broadway musical. These productions are unique, however, because all the roles are filled by young artists with developmental disabilities including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, visual impairment, hearing impairment, and other neurological disorders. They are joined on stage by a dedicated group of “peer mentors” – children the same age without disabilities who have volunteered to work side-by-side with them through 4 months of rehearsals and through the final performance. By providing free access to children's theater, The Penguin Project demonstrates that the special challenges of a disability should not handicap a child’s ability to participate in life’s experiences. We are excited to be a part of this journey.
We have also increased our initiative to form good relationships with the local Addison business community, including many restaurants and hotels in the area. Goin Hollywood saw a rise in attendance of out-of-town patrons, who dined locally and were guests at some of Addison's best hotels. This uptick in travelers to the Town of Addison benefits not just us, but the community we serve.
It is important to everyone at WaterTower Theatre to lift up and listen to all voices and the stories they tell, while bringing entertainment and enlightenment to the patrons of our community.
Through the donations of generous people like you, we can continue on that path.