from Emily Hansen, Associate Director of Development

Loving Purlie at the Penumbra Theatre. Feeling a little scared at A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie.  Awestruck by Maggie Smith in Lettice and Lovage.  Those theatre experiences from my childhood are still vivid in my mind and no doubt played a role in my life-long love of the performing arts.  I was fortunate to have grown up in a city that prided itself on cultural vibrancy, buoyed by a corporate sector that believed giving to the arts was necessary.  Why else would I know by the age of 12 what the “5%” rule meant?  I still know what it means and the incredible generosity that rule represents.

So, when I was asked recently “Why do you raise money for Northlight?” the answer was simple.  I was shaped by the great arts experiences of my youth and I was nurtured by parents who taught me that arts and generosity were two sides of the same coin.  I understand that to be a professional, non-profit theatre, we are called to make great art, not make profits.  In order to do that, we must subsidize the cost of our work through philanthropy: individual, foundation and corporate.

So, the next time you receive an appeal for financial support of Northlight, know this is to support the theatre you and I have come to love and an artistic vision for which ticket sales alone cannot provide.  Supporting new work, being bold, taking risks…this is all part of producing great theatre. We are driven not by ticket sales but rather by a relentless pursuit of artistic excellence, for that is what defines great theatre. And that is what makes us Northlight.

Emily Hansen joined the staff of Northlight Theatre this year as the Associate Director of Development. In addition to her work for Northlight, Emily is busy with husband Kevin raising two children in a life filled with school, music, sports and hopefully instilling in them a philanthropic spirit!