Today we highlight (and say a special thanks to) Pegasus supporters Peter and Lynn Kavanagh. We couldn’t find a photo of the Kavanaghs so we took another photo that fits the story, as you’ll see shortly.
Every once in a while, Pegasus Theatre tries something new with fundraising. Non-profit theatres are expected to raise about a third of their revenue in donations, and we constantly struggle with that challenge. In late 2005, as we were preparing for the first Living Black & White™ show at The Eisemann Center, we got the idea to have an elegant meal as a fundraiser.
After considering many options, we decided to have the meal at the home of Joe and Paula Brennan, people who deserve their own profile for their support of Pegasus! There were many logistical challenges, such as gathering enough matching tableware, but we worked through each issue and had a solid plan in place. Yes, we could have simply gone with the methods you can learn here (and they are perfectly good), but we like to be a bit extra.
Now how to get people there? A few people immediately signed up upon being approached, all of them wonderful supporters and fascinating dinner guests: long-time supporters, Dick Grote and Jacqueline Center; our board president and his wife, Alan and Julie Tompkins; Martha Heimberg, a theatre reviewer; our publicist, Jo Ann Holt; and of course the Brennans themselves.
Then, on a whim, we sent an email to our audience on the off-chance we might interest someone new. It worked! Peter and Lynn Kavanagh stepped forward to ask if seats were still available, and they rounded out our intimate dinner party.
What a glorious party it was! Joe Brennan is famous for his homemade paella, which he cooks in an enormous pan (3 feet in diameter, at least!) that he had shipped from Spain. The paella was amazing. And while I don’t remember all the other elements of the meal, I distinctly remember pulling wine from our personal collection for each course. The evening finished off with a port wine from our collection, a 1977 port with a perfect 100 rating. So wonderful!
As was the company! Dinner conversation was wide-ranging with such an eclectic group, and it included a fair share of theatre stories. At one point we bemoaned the difficulty of finding space to rehearse in that was affordable, and Peter asked that we contact him to discuss that point further.
All too soon, the evening was over. Everyone said their goodbyes, and Paula kicked me out of her kitchen, refusing to let me help clean up. She earned a special place in our hearts for cleaning every one of those dishes and then storing them until we could pick them up!
We remembered Peter’s request that we call him about rehearsal space, and though we’ve learned not to get our hopes up, Kurt called Peter in the ensuing days. Imagine our delight when we discovered that Peter owned a building that was only partially rented out, and he was willing to let us use space in it for a very reasonable price! Unlike previous spaces offered to us, it was accessible (Oak Cliff) and it had working bathrooms! We were in heaven!
This began several years of happy memories rehearsing in the basement of a building in Oak Cliff! We got to know many restaurants in the area as a side benefit. But all good things do come to an end, and the Kavanaghs eventually sold the building to someone who was not as theatre oriented.
We’ve never forgotten the Kavanaghs’ generosity, and we love the fact that for the past several years, they have joined us for our New Year’s Eve show and celebration. Here’s hoping they’ll continue to do so for many more!