The Heart of QCT
Written by Executive Director, Burgundy Hill
Last week, I needed to get up from my desk and sat in the empty auditorium. It was just me looking at an empty stage, with no stage lights, no flash, no theatre magic. In that quiet space, I couldn’t help looking around. I think most of us who feel a deep connection to QCT find the Barbara Rowell Auditorium to be a little bit sacred. As I sat in row I, just behind the sound board, I couldn’t help but think of all the stories this space holds. (If only our walls could talk…) And I don’t mean the scripted stories we tell on stage. It is the stories that happen outside of the “official” ones. It is the volunteer who comes in and finds a new home. The child and parent who come to a show and chat about it during intermission or during the ride home. It is the student who comes through on a tour, and their eyes widen as they look out at the auditorium from the stage for the first time. It is in these moments that I see why our work matters.
Students discover their confidence. Lifelong friendships are formed. Families create traditions together in our audience. This sacred space is a shared place to laugh, reflect, celebrate, and connect.
The joy of community theatre is in that community effort. No one person owns the space or the work that we do, but it takes all of us, pitching in and doing our part with each show. It takes our volunteers giving their time during long nights of rehearsals. It takes our audience buying tickets to make live theatre possible. And it takes financial gifts from people just like you.
In fact, ticket sales alone only cover about 65% of our costs in mounting productions. The remaining 35% comes from the generosity of donors, sponsors, and community partners who believe that the arts matter in our community. Every costume stitched, every light hung, every set built, every class taught, and every student inspired carries costs far beyond what a ticket alone can sustain. The support helps us:
- Keep ticket prices accessible for families
- Offer educational opportunities for students of all ages
- Maintain and improve our facility
- Invest in high-quality productions and programming
- Ensure that no one is turned away from participating because of financial barriers
- Continue serving thousands of audience members, students, and volunteers each year
Our impact is only possible because people choose to give. Because while ticket sales may start the story, it is community support that keeps the lights on, our space sacred, and the arts thriving in Quincy.
If you have already supported QCT this season, thank you. Your belief in this organization makes an immeasurable difference. If you are considering making a gift, you can do so here.
We are so grateful that you are a part of it.