Gayle Bowling- General Manager

A Message from the General Manager

 

Welcome to Cliffside Amphitheatre in Grandview, part of the New River Gorge National River. Theatre West Virginia has a rich history of achievement over the past fifty-one (YES, FIFTY-ONE) years. There are now more than one hundred producers of outdoor theatre in the United States and we are extremely proud to hold claim to some records in our field.

* We produce the nation’s oldest Civil War drama, HONEY IN THE ROCK.
* We were first to successfully produce two shows in repertory as of 1971.
* We were first to add a touring season and become the only outdoor theatre company to operate on a year-round, full-time basis in 1972.
* We were first to add a Broadway musical (1984), making three summer shows performed in repertory, a milestone in theatre history,
  and remain, to date, the only producer in the country doing three summer shows, touring and remaining a full-time, year-round operation.
* We added a fourth musical in 2008, produced through our Professional Training Academy.
* We formed a partnership with Mountain State University in early 2009 and founded our TWV/MSU Professional Training Program providing credit
  hours to college and university students in the performing arts field.

Nearly one and one-half million visitors have seen our outdoor productions since the opening of HONEY IN THE ROCK in 1961. In our 2011 summer season 24,231 patrons attended, representing forty-eight of the fifty United States and five foreign countries.

Our touring company traveled across West Virginia and into Virginia entertaining and educating more than 80,000 school students of all ages. We employed a total of 145 people throughout the year, not including directors and designers, and paid wages of $470,000, generating more than $8 million to our local economy. Our Board of Directors, staff and volunteers work tirelessly throughout the year to prepare for each season and the cast you will see on stage begins rehearsing this summer’s shows May 21. I hope you agree that the hard work was worth the final product.

Everyone at TWV fully realizes that we would not be in a position to describe these wonderful achievements if it weren’t for the ongoing support of our local businesses and individuals, state government, foundations and those of you in our audience who come see us do what we love to do. Like all non-profit organizations, our dollars are in short supply and becoming increasingly more so with reductions in funding. Simply put, we’re here because you care and, on behalf of our board, management and staff, I’d like to take this opportunity to say “Thank You!” to you all.

As I experience my twenty-second summer here, I must say that this is one of the most demanding and rewarding jobs anyone could have and we all love it! Hopefully, we will provide you with an entertaining piece of West Virginia history tonight and you’ll leave feeling good about where you’ve been. Please come visit us again and be sure to take in the beautiful sights in the park while you’re here!

Gayle Bowling

General Manager