Day Four In The Tisch...

After just four days Frances is no longer impressed with my presence here at The Inn. No longer does she pound down the stairs upon my arrival at the pub door. Of course, I'm not arriving at the pub door any more, so that's a factor.  I guess I should buy some catnip.

Things are quiet here in Tisch Mills. Ann across the street is still open doing takeout, which I enjoy and appreciate. The post office is open its normal two hours per day and the new yoga studio across the street seems to be holding some of its sessions, though it may just be the owners puttering around.

We are, if you haven't noticed, closed through late May. It's a weird state of affairs after a really super opening earlier in March. Our Zoofunkyou event was fun for all and we had over 50 folks here for the opening of Tuesday's With Morrie. it's a nice show and if you didn't see it we got a great review from Warren Gerds.

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Zach and Bill did a fabulous job with the show and Nannette Macy dressed the set to perfection. We'll be performing the show the last two weekends of May, so if you didn't see it you'll still get a chance. I have posted more information about the schedule changes at the end of this musing.

​Moments like this have an amazing capacity to shift our thinking about what is essential and what is optional. Suddenly, employees at grocery stores seem to be extraordinarily important. It's amazing the number of people who provide services that we depend on and are only paid the lowest kind of salaries (okay, that's as close as I'll get to political!) Of course, its no surprise that health care workers and the many folks caring for those who need more support are as essential as they ever were. Bless them for their ability to be caring and giving.

Meanwhile, here we are in the arts and hospitality industries left twiddling our thumbs. In the short run, no one really needs to go to the theatre, the movies, out to dinner, or what have you. Stay at home. Enjoy a little time of peace and retreat. These are good things. This isn't to say that we're irrelevant in the long run. A favorite quote that is attributed to Churchill (inaccurately) is that when asked about the arts he responded, "The what are we fighting for?" He never actually said this, though he did say "“The arts are essen­tial to any com­plete national life. The State owes it to itself to sus­tain and encour­age them….Ill fares the race which fails to salute the arts with the rev­er­ence and delight which are their due.”

The arts are central and critical to being whole, civilized and healthy. So are family, productive work, time for reflection, physical health. There are many things that make us complete. Perhaps an added value of this time is that we might have a little space to reflect on what it is that we each, individually, most value in our lives and to consider ways to ensure we attend to that aspect of life.

In any event, here we are. The following is some information about The Forst and our plans for the balance of 2020. 

See you soon!
Michael
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Greetings Friends of The Forst Inn Arts Collective!
 
Frances the Cat (our newest volunteer) and I have been monitoring the world from our unique vantage point here in the valley of Tisch Mills. It’s a strange moment in the world and I hope that you and yours are managing to keep safe and maintain a good perspective on the many challenges that we face now and are to come.
 
Along with other performance venues across the country, we are currently closed. It’s a bummer as we were off to a great start this spring with a fun blues/funk event and a strong review for Tuesdays With Morrie. So it goes!
 
It is difficult to predict when the situation will change sufficiently for us to freely open our doors again. We hope that current social distancing strategies are loosened as mitigation efforts are clarified and implemented, but it is hard to know where the other end of the journey lies.
 
In the meantime, in the interest of creating some kind of structure, we are rebuilding our schedule on the assumption that we will be able to resume operations in late May. It may be optimistic, but some kind of plan is in order.
 
So, a new tentative schedule is listed at the bottom of this message. Basically, we are taking our current schedule and compressing it with a restart on May 21.
 
If you already have tickets for an event: Your reservation will be automatically moved into a comparable date in the new schedule and you will receive notification of that change. If that date does not work for you, you can move the reservation to a date of your choosing from the new schedule. If, in the end, we are not able to complete your reservation we will refund your tickets. Refunds will be distributed after operations resume.
 
In the meantime, here are some things you can do to support The Forst Inn Arts Collective. Like many businesses and non-profits, while our cash flow has come to an abrupt stop, our creditors and basic expenses still need to be attended to.
 
Buy tickets! Our events have been moved to accommodate our new schedule and tables may be reserved. We have limited seating for all events in the belief that even if we can open there will be a need to provide some level of social distancing. This means that there will be fewer tickets available. Secure your seat and help support our events!
 
Contribute To The Cause! There are a number of ways you can help with our finances in ways that fit your budget. Make sure we weather the storm along with you.

• Can’t spare a dime? You can use facebook fundraisers to help us generate some donations just by leveraging your circle of friends to help out. Go to our facebook page and create a fundraiser. Set a goal of $300, $500, whatever you think might work. In the past several months we have had a number of folks in our community do this and generate important revenue for the cause.

 

• Make A One Time Donation Today. A donation of any amount can help us weather this storm. If you’ve been considering making a donation, there is no better time than now. Seriously! https://www.forstinnartscollective.org/single.html

 

• Become a Monthly Donor. While monthly donors contribute a small amount in the short run, it’s a huge part of our long term development plan. Contribute $10, $20, $50 per month…whatever you can afford. https://www.forstinnartscollective.org/recurring.html

 
Whether you can help us now or not, we look forward to seeing you all soon. Stay safe with yourself and your loved ones, focus on the opportunities this might bring, and be thankful for everything you have.
 
Tuesdays With Morrie
May 22, 23, 29, 30 & 31.

Three Days of Rain
Preview: June 12, 13
June 19, 20, 21

Swing
Previews: July 3, 5
July 10, 17, 18, 24, 25, 26

Dixie Swim Club
Previews: August 7, 8
August 14, 15, 21, 22, 23

Miracle on South Division Street
Previews: September 4, 5
September 11, 13, 18, 19, 20

Music Event
Layne Yost John Denver: June 26, 27
Forst Inn Sings Flip The Script: July 16
Forst Inn Sings Jagged Little Pill: August 29
Forst Inn Sings Beatles: October 3
Doo Wop: July 11
Shades of Blue: September 12

Music will be announced as rescheduled.