Will also recognize work of Saint James Place creators Fred and Sally Harris and playwright, Berkshire Voices founder Michael Brady at June 7th gala.
Great Barrington Public Theater is pleased to announce that longtime supporter and board member Susie Weekes Roeder has been named board chair. She brings multi-talented experience as a nonprofit board member, with special emphasis on development, and has a record of achievement as a key, action-oriented team player.
“Susie has been with Great Barrington Public Theater since our inception. Not only is she one of our greatest champions, she is also incredibly beloved by the Great Barrington community,” GB Public founder Deann Simmons Halper explains. “I can think of no one better to lead the board and the company on to our next phase of growth.
“She has become kind of a North Star for us,” company co-founder and Artistic Director Jim Frangione agrees. “Susie’s willingness to jump in a do the work and her creativity at event and organizational management play a big part in our continuing success.”
The first invited member of the GBPT board, Weekes Roeder led the initial fundraising campaigns, doubled the company’s Annual Appeal numbers and took part in the concept and planning of the company’s upcoming, one-of-a-kind June 7th benefit An Evening with Great Barrington Public Theater that will introduce the 2024 season, and support and promote the work of Berkshire Voices, GBPT’s playwriting collaborative.
Weekes Roeder is familiar and respected throughout the Berkshires. In her dozen years on the board of Construct, the leading nonprofit provider of affordable housing and supportive services to residents in fifteen towns across the southern Berkshires, Weekes
Roeder solidified a professional donor database, and was instrumental in multiple creative fundraising events that raised visibility and made direct connections and impact on Berkshire communities. Prior to moving to the Berkshires from Washington DC more the twenty years ago, she worked with funding sources to raise 18 million dollars capital for the Lab School.
Following graduation from Suffolk University with a Master’s Degree in Media in Philanthropy, Weekes Roeder traveled to South Africa, the Dominican Republic, China, and throughout the United States with film crews capturing the stories of clients served by various organizations, producing video for organizations such as USAID; Helen Keller International; The Giving Back Catalog; Berkana; Blue Rider Stables; Sinocizo and Construct. She later founded the Indwe Learning Center in South Africa, a Montessori School for children who lost parents to AIDS.
GBPT’s Development Director Serena Johnson echoes Roeder Weekes’ strong sensibility for development in nonprofit theater, saying “Susie makes it clear that fundraising is about creating an opportunity for donors to actively participate in a shared passion. She understands that theatergoers want to be more than passive audiences, and that we can give them those opportunities.”
The event will also tribute the visionary contributions of Sally and Fred Harris, the driving force behind the success of St. James Place, and Michael Brady, award winning playwright and founder of Berkshire Voices writers’ collaborative.
Central to its core mission and culture, GB Public commits to connecting, building and diversifying its community. In alignment with that, the company keeps its office and regularly presents programs, often free, in the performance spaces at Saint James Place. The evening under the stars benefit will in part thank and applaud the work of Sally and Fred Harris, who, a decade ago committed to restore and transform Saint James Place into a thriving artistic, community-based hub. GB Public is thrilled to show appreciation for their vision and dedication to community.
The festive evening will also recognize the work of award-winning playwright and GB Public Theater Associate Artist Michael Brady, who co-founded Berkshire Voices in 2017 as a supportive, constructive environment where writers can come together to develop new work. Berkshire Voices is now the signature program of GB Public Theater. The 2024 season leads off with Dog People, Leigh Strimbeck’s marvelous new play developed through Berkshire Voices and with Brady’s guidance.
The June 7th event will benefit and support the work of Berkshire Voices. The evening will include small plate hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and soft refreshments, live ambient jazz in a beautiful, outdoor atmosphere, and lift the curtain on a staged preview of Night at the Speakeasy, a sensational cabaret featuring the powerhouse stage presence of Janelle Faria Sando that opens in the McConnell Theater in July. More information and reservations for the gala Evening with Great Barrington Public Theater are available on the GBPT website.