Challenge Grant: You Can Help Lyric Get “Back in the Black”

Every now and then generous donors to nonprofit organizations will come up with what is known as a Challenge Grant. These grants are a promise to match donations – that is, for every dollar the organization raises, the donor will match it. If you’ve been considering making a donation, doing it as part of a Challenge Grant is a great opportunity to increase the value of your gift at no cost to you.

To kick off the Lyric season right, a special group of our board members has offered a Challenge Grant, above and beyond their normal contributions. They want to help raise enough money to let Lyric start getting back to where we were a few short years ago, when Jack Montgomery used to be able to announce in his pre-show introductions from the stage, “We're in the black.”

This is how it works: for every two dollars we raise, our board group will match it with one dollar up, to $50,000. For example, if you donate $50, the board will add $25 to your gift. Fulfilling this grant will provide us with an additional $150,000 toward the bottom line. While we rank among the most efficient of performing arts organizations, earning 66 percent of our costs through selling tickets, ticket sales simply don’t cover all our production costs, or the fixed costs of maintaining our beautiful building, the Birch North Park Theatre.

We’ve now been open at the Birch for five years. Did you know that we have hosted approximately 800 events during this time, nearly half of them sponsored by Lyric? Or that there are around 70 new businesses in North Park that weren’t there before the Theatre opened? Or that hundreds of people now have new jobs in North Park? And (nearest to our hearts) dozens of tweens and teens have had the opportunity to enhance their performing arts skills at our summer Academy?

Gifts from supporters like you have helped propel these achievements. Please help us get back to being “in the black,” so we can continue this work. The more generous you can be, the better off we will be in the end. Donating online is easy: just click here. If you prefer, you can send in a check or call the office to make a donation over the phone. Thanks in advance for your support!

Are YOU Looking for a Job in the Theatre?

If so, we want to hear from you! 

LOSDBlog is taking a serious moment out of our usual hilarity to tell you that we're hiring a Theatre Chief Operating Officer, and if you or someone you know fits the bill, we want you to contact us. Feel free to pass this on.

Here's the job description:

Reporting to the Board of Directors of Lyric Opera San Diego, the Theatre Chief Operating Officer will assume leadership of the administrative operations of the Birch North Park Theatre, overseeing the theatre budget, as well as seeking and managing the revenues necessary to assure a sound financial base for the Birch North Park Theatre. The Theatre Chief Operating Officer is the ambassador and advocate for the Birch North Park Theatre in the community.  Major areas of responsibility include: Finance, recruiting and supervising administrative personnel, executing a long-range plan, income generation and liaison with City of San Diego government and arts organizations.

The successful candidate will have experience in the areas of financial management, strategic planning, staff/board development, and have a proven track record in seeking earned and contributed revenues including: Theater Rentals, corporate sponsorships, individual contributions, and special events).

The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated individual with experience in not-for-profit management; preferably theatre, excellent analytical, financial and organizational skills; oustanding written and oral communication skills; knowledge of theatre operations, as well as a track record in responsible fiscal stewardship and good board relations. Astute political skills and the ability to communicate with a broad spectrum of personalities are essential characteristics.

Training or relevant experience in not for profit management/arts administration and/or finance is required. Preference will be given to qualified San Diego area applicants.

Salary commensurate with experience. Please send resume, cover letter with salary requirements and a list of references to: General Director, Lyric Opera San Diego, 2891 University, San Diego, 92104 or e-mail lnatker@lyricoperasandiego.org.

San Diego's Best-Kept Secret No More: Lyric Opera's Summer Academy

Do you have a budding Patti Lupone or Mandy Patinkin in your family? Are you looking for a way to keep your teenaged theatre rats busy and happy when they’re out of school this summer? Then let us introduce you to the best-kept secret in San Diego: Lyric Opera’s Summer Academy.

2010 will be the Academy’s fifth year summer at the Birch North Park Theatre, providing top-notch musical theatre instruction and performance preparation by professional musical theatre artists to rising young stars from middle and high schools throughout San Diego County.

Trust us, some actors appearing on stages around the country right now haven’t had preparation this good. The Academy is a four-week intensive training program for middle school and high school students aged 11-17 who harbor a serious desire to pursue future careers in opera and musical theater. Each week the students spend 30 hours studying and training in all aspects of musical theater. They all participate in acting, voice, and dance classes, as well as well as rehearsals for a final performance of a classic musical, which this year is “School of Rock.”

Partially underwritten by the Visual and Performing Arts Department of San Diego City Schools, the Academy is the long-time dream of company directors Leon Natker and J. Sherwood Montgomery, and forms the third branch of Lyric Opera San Diego’s mission: “Art, Entertainment, Education.” Leon and Jack’s goal is for the Academy’s students to leave the program prepared with the skills, materials, and confidence to approach auditions and performances in a professional manner. The students discover that theatre is not only fun, but is an art form which requires hard work and discipline. We’re proud to say Academy graduates have gone on to perform on Broadway and at The Old Globe, San Diego Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Opera, and Lyric Opera San Diego, among others.

Just look at who the teachers are:

Academy Director/Stage Director: Jack Montgomery


Academy Asst. Director/ Choreographer/Dance Teacher: Shirley Giltner


Voice Teacher/Musical Director: Enrique Toral

Accompanist/Assistant Music Director: Braden McKinley 


Acting Teacher: Leon Natker 


Master Classes: Shauna Ostrom, Pam Stompoly, and members of the South Pacific national tour

If you’re interested in placing your budding Tony Award winner in Lyric Opera’s Academy, click here for full details about the application process. There are limited scholarships, and applications and essays are required. Break a leg!