The Scioto Society closes most ambitious season in its history
Lead Summary
By
Press Release-
As the last run of the Headless Horseman went through the covered bridge set at Sugarloaf Mountain on Saturday night, the books also closed on the 2019 season. It marked the end of a highly ambitious year of presenting and producing which saw the theatre in use for a record number of days.
The season began in May with the highly acclaimed production of “Mamma Mia!” produced by Brian Clowdus Experiences in partnership with The Scioto Society. Ten performances over two weeks ushered thousands of patrons into seats.
“The production served as a test run of sorts,” Scioto Society CEO Brandon Smith said. “There have been a lot of ideas over the past few years that we thought had some merit, and a spring musical was one of them. Our relationship with Brian Clowdus allowed us to work with another organization to make it happen.
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You never really know if something will work until you try it, and ‘Mamma Mia’ was a big success on a number of levels. Of course, ticket sales are the ultimate measure of success for a production, and while we didn’t quite get to where we wanted to be, it was strong enough to do it again.”
The summer season saw a production of “The Winter’s Tale,” part of the Shakespeare on Sugarloaf initiative. Since its inception in 2015, nearly 10,000 people have taken advantage of free tickets to over a half a dozen professionally produced shows. The free performances have been funded through generous donations from patrons, local businesses and the Ohio Arts Council.
The inaugural Boomin’ Bluegrass Festival took place in August and featured Grammy Award-winning band The Steeldrivers, along with Dale Ann Bradley, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers and Chillicothe native Jerry Salley. While concerts have become an annual tradition in recent years, the concept of a mini festival was new in 2019 and was a success. The festival will return in 2020.
Attendance for the Society’s main product, “Tecumseh,” continues to be an issue.
“We’ve lost 19 shows over the past two years to rain. That’s a tough obstacle to overcome,” Smith said. “The 2018 season saw a record 10 rainouts, and it put us in a tough spot financially. This year, we tightened our belt and worked hard to end the season out of debt. That’s a milestone we achieved. However, we need to continue to find new ways of reaching and creating an audience for Tecumseh.
“Attendance for outdoor dramas across the country has continued to decline over the past decade, and a lot of shows have not found ways to survive that. The story of Tecumseh is more relevant today than ever, and we are determined to continue telling it.”
Smith continued that he would “like to see attendance numbers go up by 20 percent over the next couple of summers.”
“We will do that by continuing to remove barriers to attendance including pricing, scheduling and interpreting,” Smith said. “The longterm health of the organization is solely dependent on attendance for Tecumseh. It is our number-one priority.”
The Scioto Society wraps up its year on Nov. 8 with its third annual Bourbon Dinner. The event is sold out.
About “Tecumseh:” First staged in 1973, “Tecumseh!” (a 501-c3 nonprofit) is one of the nation’s top outdoor dramas. Written by Pulitzer Prize nominee Allan W. Eckert, the 48th anniversary season plays June through September 2020 at The Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre, near Chillicothe. Curtain time is 8 p.m. For tickets and information, go to www.tecumsehdrama.com or call 1-866-775-0700.
The season began in May with the highly acclaimed production of “Mamma Mia!” produced by Brian Clowdus Experiences in partnership with The Scioto Society. Ten performances over two weeks ushered thousands of patrons into seats.
“The production served as a test run of sorts,” Scioto Society CEO Brandon Smith said. “There have been a lot of ideas over the past few years that we thought had some merit, and a spring musical was one of them. Our relationship with Brian Clowdus allowed us to work with another organization to make it happen.
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You never really know if something will work until you try it, and ‘Mamma Mia’ was a big success on a number of levels. Of course, ticket sales are the ultimate measure of success for a production, and while we didn’t quite get to where we wanted to be, it was strong enough to do it again.”
The summer season saw a production of “The Winter’s Tale,” part of the Shakespeare on Sugarloaf initiative. Since its inception in 2015, nearly 10,000 people have taken advantage of free tickets to over a half a dozen professionally produced shows. The free performances have been funded through generous donations from patrons, local businesses and the Ohio Arts Council.
The inaugural Boomin’ Bluegrass Festival took place in August and featured Grammy Award-winning band The Steeldrivers, along with Dale Ann Bradley, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers and Chillicothe native Jerry Salley. While concerts have become an annual tradition in recent years, the concept of a mini festival was new in 2019 and was a success. The festival will return in 2020.
Attendance for the Society’s main product, “Tecumseh,” continues to be an issue.
“We’ve lost 19 shows over the past two years to rain. That’s a tough obstacle to overcome,” Smith said. “The 2018 season saw a record 10 rainouts, and it put us in a tough spot financially. This year, we tightened our belt and worked hard to end the season out of debt. That’s a milestone we achieved. However, we need to continue to find new ways of reaching and creating an audience for Tecumseh.
“Attendance for outdoor dramas across the country has continued to decline over the past decade, and a lot of shows have not found ways to survive that. The story of Tecumseh is more relevant today than ever, and we are determined to continue telling it.”
Smith continued that he would “like to see attendance numbers go up by 20 percent over the next couple of summers.”
“We will do that by continuing to remove barriers to attendance including pricing, scheduling and interpreting,” Smith said. “The longterm health of the organization is solely dependent on attendance for Tecumseh. It is our number-one priority.”
The Scioto Society wraps up its year on Nov. 8 with its third annual Bourbon Dinner. The event is sold out.
About “Tecumseh:” First staged in 1973, “Tecumseh!” (a 501-c3 nonprofit) is one of the nation’s top outdoor dramas. Written by Pulitzer Prize nominee Allan W. Eckert, the 48th anniversary season plays June through September 2020 at The Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre, near Chillicothe. Curtain time is 8 p.m. For tickets and information, go to www.tecumsehdrama.com or call 1-866-775-0700.