On behalf of all the artists during our 2010/2011 season, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Red Deer and Central Alberta for their continued patronage and support of Ignition Theatre.

Despite the fact we were made aware early in the season that our home, The Matchbox, would be closing following our final production in May, Ignition continued to produce theatre of the highest caliber and even introduced a new series to our programming, ‘Live From New York’, which welcomed stars of the Broadway stage to our intimate environment in Red Deer to give our audiences a glimpse of performances they may not have otherwise been able to see.

This past season was provocative and went back to our “edgy” roots as we explored a high school sex scandal, turned the ‘Peanuts’ world upside down and got an inside look at the creation of an original Broadway musical. And, of course, re-visited the timeless tale of George Bailey one fateful Christmas Eve, with our annual holiday radio drama.

While we are devastated by the loss of The Matchbox, a feeling we share with our patrons, Ignition Theatre is alive and continuing to provide Central Alberta with dynamic, exciting and rewarding live theatre experiences. With the support of Central Alberta Theatre, our new home is located at the Red Deer Memorial Centre; and we aim to make the upcoming season the strongest yet.

It is an important time for Ignition Theatre. We need your support to not only keep us alive, but to indicate whether or not our region can sustain professional theatre. I encourage you to visit our website (www.ignitiontheatre.ca), and if you have never been, find a show that appeals to you and make the effort to discover Ignition for the first time this season. For those of you familiar with Ignition, bring a friend. Bring ten. It is your support that makes our work possible.

See you in the audience!

Matt Grue,

Artistic Director, Ignition Theatre