Shakespeare’s a Community Endeavor in Fayetteville, Raleigh & Beyond
I can no other answer make but thanks,
And thanks; and ever thanks;
William Shakespeare‘s Twelfth Night
Thanks. It’s what Sweet Tea Shakespeare owes so many people in our community. No matter our need, our generous partners are always there to meet it. We have no permanent home (yet), so you give us places to perform. We have stuff, so much stuff, so you give us places to put it. We have expenses to pay, so you step up with financial resources. And so, as the year comes to an end, all of us at Sweet Tea Shakespeare would like to acknowledge our community players and partners and offer you our sincere thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks.
Our Community Players & Partners
These organizations and individuals in Fayetteville NC and Raleigh NC help us make magic.
The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County – Your generous grants and hard work make a huge difference not only to us at Sweet Tea Shakespeare, but to the entire arts community in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. It’s hard to imagine Fayetteville without the art exhibits, theaters, festivals, parades, other events you support.
This pandemic has been hard on artists, but you have been there to help us adjust and survive. A good example is the mini-grant you provided Sweet Tea to purchase podcast, streaming, sound, and video equipment for a studio. Now that equipment and studio is available low-cost or free to anyone with a story to tell or conversation to hold. You helped make that happen. Thank you.
The Capitol Encore Academy – Oh, where to begin with our gratitude? You have opened your doors for our youth and child companies, Green Tea and Little Green Tea, to rehearse and learn at workshops. You give us space to store our theater equipment, and your donations are generous and greatly appreciated. Sweet Tea Shakespeare and the entire Fayetteville community is fortunate to have a public charter school that inspires students grades K-8 to think and create as artists while striving for academic excellence.
Paris & Potter Management – Some of our equipment, especially our traveling playhouse, take up a lot of room. Fortunately, we have Paris & Potter to provide the storage space and generous donations. Paris & Potter’s roots are deep in Fayetteville, stretching more than 60 years. You have an amazing story: A young Greek immigrant comes North Carolina and ends up opening the state’s very first Kentucky Fried Chicken. We here at Sweet Tea love great stories. Thank you for helping us continue to tell them.
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church – Please excuse the bad play on words, but Sweet Tea Shakespeare’s beholden to Holy Trinity for years of support. You let us take over your beautiful sanctuary for our annual folk Christmas cantata Behold. You host outdoor performances. You give us room to rehearse and to perform. We are truly grateful to the Holy Trinity congregation and to your rector, the Rev. Nancee Cekuta.
The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex – For years, the museum has allowed us to perform Shakespeare’s plays in the back yard of the 1897 Poe House. What a beautiful, intimate venue! Thank you!
Saint Michael’s Maronite Catholic Church – When rain makes the Poe House’s yard not so hospitable, Saint Michael’s graciously opens its doors to us. Having such a good neighbor next to the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex has made planning outdoor performances far less stressful. Thank you for your longtime support.
Methodist University – The university supports Sweet Tea in many ways. You give us storage space and production assistance. You also give us talent. Several members of the MU community–among them, Dr. Evan Bridenstine and Mia Sgambellone–have been in our shows. Mia is now Sweet Tea Shakespeare’s media coordinator and digital technician. Thank you for being an invaluable resource for us and our community.
Fayetteville State University – You gave us our roots as an FSU affiliate and continue to help us thrive as an independent, nonprofit theater company. We appreciate your production assistance, and thank you so much for all the talent you have sent our way. Many of our company members, present and past, have been FSU students. Traycie Kuhn-Zapata, Christine Orozco, Zechariah Williams, and Veronica Colon are among them. Traycie is now our deputy artistic director. And, of course, we must note that Jeremy Fiebig, our founder, artistic director, and master of play, is a theater professor at your historic institution. Thank you!
Napkins Restaurant – Thank you, Napkins owners Brian and Staci Smith Graybill, for supporting us for years with your talent, time, and sponsorship. Thank you, Staci, for serving on the Sweet Tea board and bringing your acting skills to its productions. We are excited to have Napkins as a partner. Your restaurant’s dedication to helping our community and to serving locally sourced food is inspiring. Plus, Napkins is just a great place to eat at Dirtbag Ales Brewery and Taproom. Thank you!
The Church at Paddy’s Irish Pub in Fayetteville and Hugger Mugger Brewery in Sanford – Y’all are where we go to get lit. HamLit. McLit. Now Romeo & JuliLit. “Good company, good wine, good welcome can make good people,” Shakespeare quipped. Thank you for helping us make a lot of people good (and tipsy). We lift our cups to your fine establishments and look forward to years of fun within your walls.
Winterbloom Tea – Your custom tea blends have been a staple of our namesake preshow concessions for years. We’re so grateful to Winterbloom’s owner, Joshua Choi, who’s also one of our newest board members.
Justin and Leslie Pearson – You have provided us with two amazing venues for our productions: The Fayetteville Pie Company and Viscaya Villa in prior seasons. It was a bloody, beautiful thing to perform Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in an actual pie shop! Then there was the challenge of turning Viscaya Villa, your lovely wedding venue, into the foreboding world of Macbeth. Thank you so much for these memories and for all the support you have given us over the years. Fayetteville Pie Company is now in the hands of new ownership and we’re excited to work with them.
William Peace University – Thank you for giving us a place to tell Shakespeare’s stories in the heart of Downtown Raleigh. You’ve hosted King Lear, Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, and Romeo and Juliet; and in January 2022, you’ll have Richard II and Henry IV on your campus. Thank you for all your support and for making it possible for a whole, new audience be delighted with Shakespeare.
The Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center – Thank you for giving our Green Tea actors a venue for Julius Caesar in March 2020, just before the pandemic shut everything down. It sort of gives new meaning to the warning of Cassius to “Beware the Ides of March,” doesn’t it? We are so glad you have reopened, and we look forward to participating in LibrariCons again.
