Capitol Theater Purchase Update – May 19, 2011

Thanks to all who attended our Annual Membership Appreciation Party and Meeting on May 7th!  It is always great for our staff and Board at OFS to have an opportunity to meet and celebrate with our members, because together we make OFS thrive!

For those who weren’t able to attend, we hope you will take a moment to read through our AnnualReport to celebrate all we accomplished in 2010.  And for those particulalry interested in updates about our recent acquisition of the Capitol Theater, we’ve included some FAQ’s below.

What have we accomplished since we purchased the theater in September?

• We held a Board/Staff retreat to evaluate our strategic plan 2010-2014.  We walked away from the retreat feeling confident about our position as new owners of the Capitol Theater.  As our annual report shows, we made important steps in both our fundraising program and marketing efforts that have contributed to a second profitable year in a row of profit.
• We finished a new marketing plan thanks to the hard work of our talented Marketing Team –  Meli Bless (Board Member), Jennifer Moore (our wonderful pro-bono consultant) Helen Thornton (Film Programming Director), and Audrey Henely (Theater Manager and Event Director).

What are we working on now?

• We are working with architects to come up with some strategies and scenarios to upgrade and renovate the theater.
• We are learning more about historic preservation guidelines and discussing how we might restore this historic theater.
• We are capturing the comments and suggestions members sent back with their 2011 Annual Fund gifts to inform our next steps.
• We are looking forward to working with the community to solicit more structured feedback in the coming months.
• We initiated an exciting multi-media project that we hope will help us begin to tell the story of the building and our history here.  Over the next several months we’ll be collecting stories and memorabilia about the Capitol Theater and Olympia Film Society.  The materials we collect will be used in a number of ways, like on our website and before movie screenings, and will culminate in an exhibit in the mezzanine art gallery.
• We are planning our 30^th Anniversary celebration in the fall!

Are we going to have a capital campaign?  If so, what size?

We are seeking guidance from a professional consultant on the planning process, but don’t have any details to share at this time.

How can I donate to a capital campaign?

We are not accepting capital campaign gifts at this time, but thanks for your support! We’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date on our progress and will be happy to accept a capital gift when we’re at that point.  Right now we are focused on making sure our operations are strong.  You can give a gift at any time to support the day-to-day happenings at OFS – all the great films, events and visual art!

How can I get involved?

We are always looking for people to get involved on our committees and to join the Board of Directors.  We have a lot of work to do and the more members involved the better!  Please contact development@olympiafilmsociety.org or 754-6670 if you’d like more information about how to help.