Gard Theater membership drive is ongoing.

The Membership drive for the Community Theater Association takes place every spring beginning March 1. The Community Theater Association is a non-profit organization with the purpose of maintaining a viable community theater building for the River Valley area.  Membership fees are used to underwrite the cost of maintenance and improvements at the Gard Theater in Spring Green. The Gard Theater  provides a public place for live performances of drama, dance and music as well as weekly movie showings.

Operating a movie theater in a rural area has always been a challenge and this continues to be the case. The income we make ( tickets, concessions, rent and memberships ) just doesn’t generate enough revenue to meet our expenses. Some of our major expenses include heating & cooling, labor, taxes and insurance. The ticket revenue is shared withe the distributors of each movie we show, the percentage we need to pay is often over 50%. This means when we sell a ticket for $4.00, we only get to keep $2.00 or less.

Through it all, we remain committed to the Gard Theater. We will continue to show movies and hopefully more live productions to the residents of the River Valley Area. We currently have over 160 members and we are hopeful that the membership will grow.

President Mark Scoles says memberships are needed at every level for the fund drive to continue having the success it has had in recent years. “All contributions are much appreciated.  The support the association has received in the past has been very gratifying. Looking at the improvements that have been made at the theater, people in the River Valley area can take pride in what has been accomplished through their generosity and support,” Scoles said.

“Movie fans have been making good use of the season passes available at the supporter, donor and sponsor levels,” Scoles noted. “The passes are easily worth more than three times the price of the memberships,” he added.

The annual membership drive is a key element in the association’s fund-raising efforts. Memberships can be purchased at several levels.  Each level has its own set of corresponding benefits.

Membership levels and benefits are as follows:

Single memberships: $55 per year.  Contributors at this level receive two free movie tickets and have their names listed in the Home News and on the website.

Family memberships: $85 per year. Contributors receive four free movie tickets and have their names listed in the Home News and on the website.

Supporter: $175 per year. Supporters receive two season movie passes and have their names listed in the Home News and on the website.

Donor: $290 per year. Donors receive four season movie passes and have their names listed in the Home News and on the website.

Sponsor: $575 per year. Sponsorship contributors, a level designed for corporate donors, receive eight season passes and have their names listed in the Home News and on the website.

Benefactor: $750 and above. Same benefits as Sponsor level plus two additional passes.

Membership contribution checks payable to the Community Theater Association
and send check to: Bonnie Richardson E4790 Kennedy Rd. Spring Green, WI 53588

Board of Directors

Nancy Baenen, John Christensen, Allan Peckham, Jim Thering, Linda Schwanke, Nancy Maxwell, Judy Marcus, Dale Hottmann, Frank Doerre, Jack Johnson, Patty Yentz and Mark Scoles