With ongoing referrals and the addition of the Facebook group page, our little group has really grown! Thank you all for making this possible, either by joining or by your referrals. As the group expands, there are more of you visiting the site without personally knowing me, so I thought it would be appropriate to share a little about myself!
Your first question might be WHY am I running this group and site?
The CTG site has grown out a small group of friends attending theater together. I have an extensive theater background that reaches back to my acting days in Sacramento between 1999 and 2002. I didn't attend a lot of theater during this time because I was too busy being IN theater – at one point I was in three shows simultaneously and had no idea who I was! After moving to San Francisco my career took a turn, placing me on the other side of the stage. I spent a few months working in Group Sales at SHN before promoting into my position as Assistant House Manager at the Orpheum, with “The Lion King” being the first show I had the pleasure of working. These were truly the best years of my work life! Every day was an adventure! I developed great friendships and I never knew what to expect – I have some stories I can tell you if you haven’t heard them all ready! I took to my theater management position like a bird to flight and knew what I would be doing for the rest of my life.
After several truly wonderful years....the economy dipped and I was laid off. I was able to find work across the bridge and moved to the East Bay where I took part in opening two theaters: the Campbell in Martinez, where I worked part time until my full time position with The Grand in Tracy required more attention. At The Grand I further honed my skills as I was able to take on a larger and more hands on role, where I was instrumental in establishing operational procedures, organizing the Grand Opening Gala and being part of the team creating the season brochure. Unfortunately a Theater Arts Center in Tracy didn't go over quite as anticipated and the layoffs began. Presently I am working out of my field, and running the group keeps me connected to what I truly love and enjoy!
All of that brings us to why you’re here reading this now! If you haven’t figured it out, I LOVE THEATER!! Theater and live entertainment are my passions. Most of my friends love theater as well, and these days we all need to save as much money as we can, so, having a background in group sales and event management, I went to what I know and do best and started organizing group outings. As more friends expressed interest in group tickets I went from text messages and phone calls to email blasts, however, the artistic side of me required more than plain black and white emails. The next progression was creating colorful pdf fliers which I attached to my emails. As more repeated questions continued to revisit my inbox; “what’s coming next”, “where is it at again”, “how do I get there”,”what’s it about”, "I didn't write down the time", “when do I need to pay you", I felt the need for something more...
I needed a place with all this information in one spot. One colorful spot with photos and videos that anyone could look at anytime and have their questions answered; maybe even be a bit entertained. With that, Colby Theatre Groups and this site were born. Because I am so enthusiastic about theater and find information I need to share with you all, I created the Facebook groups page in January 2013 as an extension of the CTG site where I can easily share a variety of timely information in an instant; information related to our outings, local theater Broadway tours, ticket giveaways, local events and more.
A few of our long time members have asked if I will again offer group pre fixe dinners like I used to. Unfortunately I no longer have the time to contact restaurants and arrange these gatherings. I certainly did enjoy them as much as you all did!
Update:
It's now 2018 and after a few devastating life changes, I have moved back to Sacramento to find a new path, however, as long as our groups keep going, I'll keep doing our San Francisco shows. I won't' be attending as often, but I love staying connected to you all through theater, and still feeling connected to my beloved Orpheum Theater.
I would LOVE to get our Sacramento groups going again. If you'll come, I'll schedule them!
- Steele
Loving a trip to Oahu
Flags all over the La Boca area of Buenos Aires, Argentina!
Times Square, 2004
Enjoying fresh seafood in Puerto Rico with John
An American, living in Brazil, visiting Argentina!
Header images: Bye, Bye, Birdie; Fosse; Putting it Together; West Side Story; Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Relationships