MEASURE U SPOTLIGHT: SIERRA CLASSIC THEATRE
Tell us a little about your program/organization.
Sierra Classic Theatre is a 501c3 nonprofit community organization founded by passionate locals in 1999. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life in the Eastern Sierra through the art of quality theatre. Sierra Classic Theatre emphasizes the "classics" (often Pulitzer-Prize or Tony-winning plays) because they are well-written, beautiful, thought-provoking works of art. We perform Shakespeare outdoors in the summer, a more modern play in the Spring, and our Murder Mystery fundraiser in the fall. For eight years we produced an after-school youth program where we performed original student-written plays with student actors. We are supported with volunteer effort, both on- and off-stage, and our primary financing for our productions is through our annual Murder Mystery dinner, Measure U, ticket sales and our generous donations.
How does your program/organization impact the lives of people in Mammoth Lakes?
Our fall Murder Mystery fundraiser is inherently local and celebrates the fun that Mammoth has to offer. We present an original, locally-written play inspired by local events at local restaurants and bars around town. Ridiculous shenanigans ensue, eventually someone “dies,” and the audience gets to guess the killer. The Murder Mystery is a Mammoth tradition that keeps Sierra Classic Theatre embedded in the community. It attracts new talent, often young people who have just moved into town. Working several jobs to make ends meet they often feel isolated, then suddenly they are part of a tight knit community. Sometimes these actors end up writing future murder mysteries or starring in our summer Shakespeare production. Not only do we discover new talent, but we discover new venues. The year Dos Alas first opened we performed our Murder Mystery there, helping to introduce the restaurant to the public. Since, it’s become one of our most popular venues. And just as the Murder Mystery is a defining community event of the fall, our outdoor Shakespeare programming has become a much-anticipated summer event bringing us together as a community. This Mammoth tradition dates back to 2001, when Sierra Classic Theatre performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hayden Cabin. And for the past 16 years local and visiting audiences have brought their evening picnics to The Woodsite at Mammoth, and now outdoors at Eagle Lodge, for an evening of outdoor family fun. These productions have a tremendous following and keep dazzling audiences with unique takes on old classics. Without summer Shakespeare many locals would never get the chance to experience what is a cherished ritual around the globe. The kids and adults that perform in our plays have had life-changing experiences and our audiences leave thrilled. Shakespeare in the summer of 2021 was the first in-person public event to take place in Mammoth after covid. This program has enriched the Mammoth community by providing a magical gathering place where 400 years of storytelling comes alive under the stars.
Your program/organization is a Measure U grant recipient, can you tell us what you use that funding for in your program/organization?
The better question is what doesn’t it help fund?! Measure U has been invaluable in every part of our programming. Our Summer Shakespeare productions are always offered free to the public with only a $15-$20 suggested donation. We would never be able to risk this kind of set up if it wasn’t for Measure U helping us build our sets, costume our actors, pay our contractors, and rent our equipment. Because of Measure U our Shakespeare audiences are made up of climbers stopping by after a trip to Yosemite, families with small children and their dogs who return several times, and locals who have always been intimidated by Shakespeare but decide to give it a go and then come back every year. Measure U’s funding has made Shakespeare accessible to everyone, making people who didn’t think they were theater people fall in love with this unique community experience.
Did the Measure U grant funding make it possible for you to offer programming that would not have been available otherwise?
Measure U has enabled us to choose plays that we think are great and meaningful even if we know there will be little name recognition with our audiences. Measure U has kept us employing people to do things like graphic design rather than cutting corners with ChatGPT. Measure U’s support for our costumes has enabled us to cast large shows with large casts. Otherwise, the costs would be too great and show selection would be more limited. Without Measure U we would be unable to do a spring show at all and would have to limit ourselves to two productions a year instead of three. Shakespeare would also look very different. Before Measure U we were on the dirt with no stage or sound. Measure U has raised our production value immensely and the overall experience would be much, much less without it.
How did the Measure U grant funding help your program/organization to provide opportunities for locals to engage with arts/culture/mobility/recreation?
Since moving to Mammoth 20 years ago I have come to think of Sierra Classic Theatre as a family. Sometimes people leave town and new people arrive but together we are a wonderful, loving group. Many in our casts have never acted before and suddenly they get the bug. We are constantly looking for people to get involved and anyone and everyone who wants to be, can be, whether you like building sets, painting, designing costumes, running sound, or maybe you are just curious and want to volunteer for the front of house or be a part-time stagehand to see what it’s all about. Engagement is a part of our mission. We engage our community through live storytelling and anyone who wants to can join. And that includes our audiences. What is magical about theater is that the audience is part of the experience. They are witnesses to the story that takes place in real time with real people all around. Culture is rarer in Mammoth than recreation and theater provides a deep cultural community connection. Sierra Classic Theatre is always looking for plays that enhance this experience and that are relevant to the place in which we live. A few years ago, we produced The Minutes by Tracy Letts, a play about a small town Town Council and performed it in our local Town Council Chambers. This kind of site-specific story telling is an integral part of who we are. The Murder Mystery brings culture and entertainment to the people through our restaurants and Shakespeare brings culture to the people at the site of Bluespalooza and now right there on the ski hill at Eagle Lodge. People live here and come here for this beautiful place, and we celebrate this magical environment through storytelling.
What is the next big thing happening with your organization/program?
On April 16th we open the play I and You by Lauren Gunderson at a new venue provided by Measure U and the town of Mammoth Lakes. They realized that until the incredible new 260 seat theater is built we were without a home. The playwright Lauren Gunderson, after Shakespeare, is the most produced playwright in America. I and You is about two 17-year-olds who are forced together for a class project on Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. The odd pair develop a unique connection revealing a mysterious bond that connects them even further. The Washington Post calls it “…sharp and funny…. Deeply engaging….and with a buoyant spirit.” And for Shakespeare this August we are excited to welcome the guest Director Aurora Donaldson,who will present the tragedy of King Lear. King Lear is about an aging monarch who divides his kingdom among his daughters based on flattery, disowning the honest Cordelia. Elder daughters Goneril and Regan betray him, causing Lear to go mad while a fierce storm rages. Set in a present-day alternate reality where only a handful of leaders control the entire human population and the world has become a capitalist technocracy completely reliant and slave to industry and development, the play asks the question: What is nature? And how much should we or do we even care about it?
Do you have any words of advice for other programs/organizations that might be looking at applying for Measure U funding?
Measure U is a resource that most towns, even cities don’t have. And it’s truly a gift. Never take it for granted. Always take it seriously, put your best foot forward, and get your grants and reports in on time. Think of Measure U as a gift to support your creativity. Measure U celebrates good ideas and people that can see them through. We have more interesting things happening in this town because of Measure U. The trap of a tourist town sometimes is that nobody has time to dream or think outside the box. Measure U gives you an opportunity to see your program through, to add to the lives of the people, to do something that has not been done before, to make this place better, and to help your dreams, and our dreams for this place we call home, come true.
About Mammoth Lakes Recreation
Formed in 2014, Mammoth Lakes Recreation’s mission is to deliver cutting edge sustainable recreation, mobility, and arts & culture opportunities and infrastructure for the benefit of the community and natural environment of Mammoth Lakes. For more information, go to www.mammothlakesrecreation.org.