To The Reader’s Forum:

The lights are off and the curtains are all down, but the memories remain. The recent production of “Mamma Mia” performed at the Lucille Ball Little Theatre was truly memorable. Attendance eclipsed all productions going back over 30 years. It was indeed “the perfect storm” encompassing all the ingredients necessary for an outstanding success.

The universal popularity of the play itself laid the foundation for the success of our production. A great deal of the credit must go out to our artistic director, Mrs. Helen Merrill, who employed the skill and creativity to gather together a cast and crew who possessed the ability to do justice to this endearing musical. It was she who had the “vision” — stepping out on faith to push for three additional performances before we even opened!

It was the first production which benefited from all the improvements made to the theatre over the preceeding 10 months. Air conditioning, 15 new fly systems, a new sound board, a new lighting system, exterior display cases, electrical work, a new security system, masonry work on our physical plant and the list goes on and on. The aforementioned improvements would not have been possible were it not for the generosity and funding provided by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the Lenna Foundation, the Gebbie Foundation, the Winifred Crawfor Dibert Foundation and the Hultquist Foundation; applause, applause.

Ultimately, it takes a community “that responded at a level worthy of the time and effort that went into bringing to life this wonderful production via their attendance, giving us packed houses and standing ovations after every performance. We at the theatre will be eternally grateful for your response.

Robert Ostrom,

Lucille Ball Little Theatre president

Jamestown