of his events. Aria his eldest daughter graduated Cum Laude with honors from Conway High School and will be attending the College of Charleston in the fall to further her knowledge in Mass-Communication, Multimedia and will also pursue a career in Law. Aria shadows her father and works events along with dad and three of her brothers. IN HIS OWN WORDS My passion for the Winyah Auditorium is to further make this the greatest entertainment venue period using my years of experience and resources. I hope to build on what Debby has spent years and countless hours establishing. I am finding that Debby is very well loved, liked and respected all over the com-munity, and I am thankful that her heart and love for this auditorium will keep her acces-sible to me as she has been. Thank you Debby for all of your dedication.

SO What is the NEW DIRECTION?

More Rentals, More Rentals, More Rentals.

Major TV Productions, Media Arts Acade-

my and use of all technology available.

Wardell Brantley, was hired on May 2nd of this year, filling some very active and dedicated shoes worn by the retiring Debby Summey for many years (who will remain as a board-member).

Wardell is the president of the South Carolina Media Arts Academy and brings 22 years of experience in the Audio-Visual, Multimedia and Marketing Indus-try, which serves companies in over 35 states throughout the country. He has served & worked with many fortune 500 companies and hundreds of nonprofit organizations since 1993 working through: The As-One Media Group, Action Speaks

Inc. and the South Carolina Media Arts Academy. Born in New Haven Connecticut, he grew up in Conway, SC and spent his high school years in Parsippany, New Jersey where he fell in love with audio production and the performing industry. Learning his skills and craft from the best in the New York & New Jersey areas, Wardell started out as a Night Club DJ and producer at 17 years of age. Over a 12 year period he developed his company nationally and traveled all over the United States. In 1999, God “tapped” on his heart and showed him a different way of life far away from the night-club industry and gave him a new vision within “His” (Jesus’) church. The South Carolina Media Arts Academy was birthed out of Wardell’s experience in the Night Club and Hip Hop culture and seeing a desperate need to help other youth understand how to use their creativity and gifts in a more productive environment. Over the past fifteen years the program grew into training-students, providing multimedia, broadcasting, audio-visual and marketing services for community organi-zations. A true “old-fashioned” family man, Wardell’s a true home-body, who spends all of his “free-time” with his wife and children (4 boys & 2 girls). Married 16 years with six children ages 5 to 18 (all a’s & b’s), all children are well trained in multimedia, production and marketing and work with dad in the church and with most

The Auditorium is supported by hundreds of

kind and concerned individuals and alumni.

Special thanks to Georgetown County Council

and The City of Georgetown for your financial

commitment to the Auditorium.

THANK YOU GEORGETOWN!

New Director, NEW DIRECTION

COMMITTED TO THE END

A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E

W I N Y A H A U D I T O R I U M

C O R P O R A T I O N . The PHOENIX

J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 6 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 1

U P C O M I N G

E V E N T S :

Carolina Got Tal-

ent—Auditions

(Every Thursday)

Family Reunion

Georgetown Coun-

ty Library Summer

Events

Fusion Dance Stu-

dio “Spring Show-

case

Visit us on the web at

WinyahAuditorium.org

Join the conversation on

Facebook

To benefit the diverse population of Georgetown County and the Grand Strand by preserv-ing and providing a historic yet modern venue for civic events and the performing arts

R E S E R V E

Y O U R

S P A C E

T O D A Y

The 1908-Cathedral Style

Theater boasts

Great Acoustics & A

State of the Art

Sound & Lighting System

The Elegant Es’Dorn

Room

(for parties & banquets)

P A G E 2

“NEW SOURCE

OF REVENUE,

MARKETING

& TECHNICAL

LABOR FOR THE

AUDITORIUM”

Pelicans Baseball

Game was a blast!

CAROLINA’S GOT TALENT

Ways to Support your Auditorium

Take me out to the Ball Game Winyah Auditorium Staff,

board members and several

invited guests from local

businesses, organizations

and councils enjoyed a night

at the Ball Game. Our

families accompanied us and

it was a great time even

though the Pelican’s oppo-

nents edged them out in the

last inning.

The Auditorium endeavors to

host more fun events for our

supporters and the communi-

ty. Keep your ears and eyes open for

the next fun event from the Winyah

Auditorium.

Twenty Five tickets was given to the Auditorium by TD Bank.

Thank you for a great night!

Auditorium functions. No gift of time or money is too small.

Thank you to

all members who have

purchased the seat

nameplates

There are a variety of ways to

support your Auditorium.

Become a Member. Purchase

a seat. Set up a monthly draft.

Contribute to the Capital

Campaign. Sponsor an event.

Leave a legacy in your will.

Make a contribution of your

time and talent. Donate office

supplies or equipment. Attend

WPDE, ABC & CW 21 Have agreed to air a weekly tele-

vision series that will be filmed at the Winyah Auditori-

um. Filming will take place on Thursday evenings. Audi-

tions will begin Thursday June 9, 2016. All talent is invit-

ed to audition. Additional information will be forth com-

SUB-

SCRIBE TO

THE NEWS

LETTER

TO DAY!

T H E P H O E N I X

This is a weekly rental and a great source of revenue and

marketing opportunities for the Auditorium.

In-Review P A G E 3 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 1

for the Obie-winning play, Crowns

by Regina Taylor: our stage designer,

artist Levon Matthews, costume

designer, Christina Dennison and

sound and light technician Wardell

Brantley, director of the Winyah

Auditorium.

Great show and production by Leslie

Dimitri and the Mitney Project.

The Mitney project hosted their

stage play “Crowns” at the audito-

rium.

Gospel and Gullah in Georgetown

shone the spotlight on some in-

credible artistic talent both local

and national. Some of the skilled

artists and craftspeople from our

area who worked on this project

were part of the production crew

This sad story and Alice’s forlorn haunt-

ing have captured the imaginations of

many, including exciting young compos-

er, Joseph R. Kaz, who wrote the opera

Alice Flagg, which was recently per-

formed at the John F. Kennedy Center

for the Performing Arts in Washington,

D.C. Kaz grew up in Pawleys Island. He

attended Waccamaw High School be-

fore enrolling in Ithaca College in New

York, inspired to pursue his interest in

music by his childhood mentors, includ-

ing Dr. Charles Evans, Dr. Mark Babbitt

and Suzanne Young. He’s now pursuing

his Master’s Degree at the Catholic University of Ameri-

ca in Washington, D.C.

The performance was a true-Success. Tickets sold-out

before the performance.

The many many setup hours and late-night rehearsals

paid-off, the props, set design and lighting design was top-

notch. You just simply had to be in attendance to believe

the sound and the acoustics in the auditorium.

About two-thirds of the audience were new-comers to

the Auditorium and had never attended an event here.

This production successfully introduced a new market

segment to the auditorium. Many were happy to fill out

the survey to help the Auditorium.

Hats-off to Leslie Ayers & the Cultural Council of

Georgetown. Great Show!

ALICE FLAGG...Opera

The Mitney Project presents “Crowns”

“Top-Notch

New York

Caliber Opera

Comes to

Georgetown

and does not

disappoint”

“CROWNS”

Endowment: An endowment will help provide for the future needs of the Audito-rium.

PROJECTED COSTS Sign $13,000 Stage $35,000 Balcony $20,000 Office $ 8,000 Endowment and reserve $24,000

COMPLETION OF MAJOR SYSTEMS

$CAPITAL CAMPAIGN$ For the Auditorium to effectively be-come THE South Strand’s venue of choice, critical improvements must be completed soon. Consequently, the Board has approved a Capital Fund Campaign to raise a minimum of $100,000. We trust that you will respond positively when asked for your contribution.

IMPROVEMENTS Sign: A solar-lit sign will allow for extra advertising and allow those not familiar with our location to find it easier. Stage: F ront, side, and rear curtains are critical for plays, pageants, etc. Choral performances require risers, choral shells, stage seating, and music stands. A rear projection screen will increase our capabil-ity to show movies. Balcony: By refurbishing the existing seats, an additional 100 seats will be added to increase the Auditorium’s capacity to 400. A new fire escape door must be installed Office: Increased electrical supply and heating and air conditioning will help establish a completely functioning office.

New improved L.E.D lights installed in

Auditorium giving us more creativity in

our lighting and saving on power con-

sumption.

A/C in the dressing-rooms installed.

1200 Highmarket Street

Georgetown, SC 29440

Mailing Address

PO Box 3047

Georgetown, SC 29442

Phone: 843-461-1342

E-mail: director@winyahauditorium.org

Volunteer opportunities

To volunteer your time and talent, contact Pat Nooft 843-240-5927 or pnooft@yahoo.com.

We need you!!

Winyah Auditorium

WINYAH OPERATIONS

Www.wWnyahAuditoriu.org

“Did you send in your renewal?” Membership renewals are way down.

If you haven’t sent yours in yet, please fill out the mem-

bership form and return it today.

Board members Jerry Crosby (chair ), Tim Miller (treasurer) Pat Nooft (volunteer coordinator), Michelle Lusardi (secretary), Debby Summey Michelle Randolph Wardell Brantley, director