For the Myrna Loy Center, the year 2000 brought both challenges and opportunities. On February 29, 2000, after almost 25 years as one of the nation's premier small-city performing arts organizations, the Myrna Loy Center suspended its operations due to inadequate revenues. The crisis produced a community response that resulted in a vigorous reconnection to the traditional audience community that built the Myrna Loy. With your help, the "Open the Doors" fundraising campaign secured $275,000 in financial commitments over a 5-month period between April and August.

Film, Film, and More Film On September 1, the Myrna Loy Center re-opened its film program. We have changed how we order films by going through the "spot market." By not ordering films a month in advance, we are able to rent very current movies in relatively high demand, and hold over films that prove popular with local audiences, such as Chicken Run and The Legend of Baggar Vance. We show 2 movies nightly as often as possible, plus matinees on weekends. For the first 4 months since re-opening, we have more than doubled paid attendance compared with the same months a year ago.

Live Performance Events The $5-$10-$15 Live Performance Series starts in January with the Ying Quartet. A total of 5 different live performance events are occurring. We are currently planning performance events for the 2001 summer and fall.

Arts Plus and Film Education One of the first priorities in program restoration has been to continue the Arts Plus Program, one of the nation's oldest and most successful school/arts organization partnerships. Film education programs were added to the fall and winter schedule, and both teachers and students have taken advantage of classes at the Myrna Loy to develop their film literacy. Special school performances of the Ying Quartet, Obo Addy, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and One Fell Swoop: the Art of Skateboarding will be offered in the winter and spring. Residencies in the Helena School District began again with visiting artist Christian Swenson.

The Metis Project - "When We Awake" This exciting project celebrates the music of the Metis people during the fur trade era. The Metis are a "mixed blood" Indian people descended from several tribal communities in Canada whose women intermarried with French fur traders. Their musical legacy favors the concertina, harmonica and fiddles as traditional instruments. Philip Aaberg is hard at work creating musical compositions from this tradition, and later this year the musicians will be holding open-to-the-public practice sessions at the Myrna Loy.

Helena Television Coalition The Coalition recently won approval of a 4-year contract with the City of Helena to operate Helena Civic Television (HCTV). Funded by cable franchise fees, HCTV's mission to provide public access television includes training and assistance in developing video for television transmission. The Helena Television Coalition is working with us to develop new video editing suites at the Myrna Loy and a training program to assist community members in video development and editing.

Website & Technology With Board member Allen Lefohn as our technology savvy Webmaster, the Myrna Loy has developed a terrific website (www.myrnaloycenter.com) for promoting our films, performance events, residencies, and the organization more generally. A multi-year technology project has been submitted for funding to the National Endowment for the Arts that will extend our partnership with the Helena Television Coalition to train local and state artists to use video to promote their work. The resulting video materials will be disseminated through our website, as well as the Helena public television station.

Grants to Artists This Myrna Loy grants program helps support the development of new pieces of work by local writers, musicians, painters, ceramic artists, sculptors and others. Recently resumed this fall with grant support from the Lila Wallace - Reader's Digest Fund, we will be putting this program on a sustainable basis by holding an annual benefit performance involving the growing community of former grantees. Plans are underway to hold the first of the annual benefit performances this coming June.

Facility Improvements We are submitting grant proposals to several foundations to help fund a new state-of-the-art sound system for both the screening room and the auditorium. $1,500 already has been raised from the TRW Foundation. New removable seating has been added to the back of the screening room. The Box Office will soon be remodeled, and sections of the main auditorium will receive a well deserved painting. We are working with city and county government to develop and get approved the Courthouse Square parking plan. Plans are being considered that will increase parking spaces, enabling us to hold events during the week at the Myrna Loy during day-time hours, providing us with a new source of income.

A Stronger Fundraising Program Exciting developments to help secure the future of the Myrna Loy continue to unfold. We recently hired Linda Carlson of Helena to be our full-time development director. The Board of Trustees of the Myrna Loy Center has committed the organization to developing a strong, sustainable revenue base that is derived from a diverse, comprehensive annual fundraising program. The centerpiece of the annual fundraising program is earned income from film and performance ticket sales, rentals, concessions, other product sales, and interest earnings from improved cash management. Additional revenues will be generated from special benefit performances and events, business sponsorships, an annual fund drive, major donor gifts, and grants.

Infrastructure Analysis Study Following a competitive process, we retained the services of Morrie Warshawski, a performing arts consultant highly recommended by the NEA, who is conducting an in-depth analysis of our organizational structure, program development and marketing systems, fundraising program, financial management, and administrative management systems. His report and recommendations are due in early 2001.

Films and Performing Arts Questionnaires In July we provided a film questionnaire to the public seeking input for the program. The response was great. In November, we began circulating a performance survey that will provide us with key information concerning your preferences. Responses from both the film and the performance surveys will help shape our program planning for films and the performances that will take place during next summer and the 2001/2002 series that will begin next fall.

See you at the Myrna!

Myrna Loy Center 15 North Ewing Helena, Montana 59601