Scrounging for cash a thing of the past for RAPA

So says Allison Fortier, producer of RAPA’s latest play and chair of the corporate fundraising committee.

In what’s becoming a rather typical turn of events, RAPA picked up two cheques totaling $15,000 last week during staging at Russell High School of “A Few Good Men”, one of the amateur company’s most ambitious efforts yet involving 24 actors, 60 crew and 30 student volunteers.

One of the donations – $5,000 – was from the Russell Lions Club; and $10,000 was presented by Russell Township Mayor, Ken Hill, proceeds from his latest golf tournament.

In recent times, RAPA has become a well-respected recipient for area organizations and individuals for cash donations, Fortier said. It now has a long track record and credibility for staging solid productions.

Where once the association would have been scrounging for cash with which to mount a play, “A Few Good Men” had a ready budget of $6,000 carefully controlled by Fortier as the show’s producer. She noted the tally hasn’t yet been completed of ticket sales to determine how well the production fared financially.

Fortier and RAPA’s Kathy McKenzie agree that the turning point for the company came with relocation to Russell High’s new cafetorium which has a traditional stage along with professional audio and lighting equipment. “A Few Good Men” was the first production in the new venue.

Thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the township and the Lions Club, RAPA has been able to invest $65,000 in the lights and sound. Additional sound equipment remains to be purchased.

Prior to the relocation, McKenzie said that staging “Grease” at the Russell Arena had a huge impact on the community, causing many residents to see RAPA in a whole new light.

With its foyer ideal for hosting receptions, the cafetorium has boosted the company to a new level of professionalism, the women say. It was there that RAPA hosted a gala evening last Thursday (Jan. 21), inviting sponsor registrations in three categories: Patron which costs $80 a year and includes two tickets to each production as well as a “thank you” in each program; Business at $140 which includes tickets, program ad and RAPA website recognition; and Corporate at $200 which includes tickets, ad, and additional website recognition with hyperlink to the sponsor’s homepage.