Kristen Coury is Gulfshore Playhouse’s Founder and Producing Artistic Director. She will be blogging on Saturdays throughout the 2014-2015 Season.

I’ve written before about how, as theatre people, we understand death a little better than most, due to the fact that each play is like a new soul born into our theatre, which fades back into the light when the show closes.

Being a not-for-profit organization with a seasonal schedule, you can imagine that so many of our staff is only hired for the eight months of our show season. This isn’t easy, but “having all those extra mouths to feed” during the summer when cash flow is lowest isn’t easy either. I’ve gotten used to the shifting sands model over the years and it’s almost that time to say goodbye to another group. I’m grateful to their time, energy and talents, in service to Theatre with a capital T, and what they’ve brought to the Playhouse in their time here.

On Sunday, when we close The Liar, the tide will turn again: we will go from “show mode” to “summer camp” mode. With ten summer camps (click here for the list) our Director of Education, Leah Shaeffer, and our new Artistic Assistant, Audrey Zielenbach, will be hard at work all summer long. Alex K, our technical director, will make sure the shows look great, and Alyson McCoy will keep things running at the office.

Special thanks to Jennifer Murray, our Production Manager, who keeps the whole thing running smoothly, and whom has been a dedicated member of the team since 2010, through a varied list of job titles and duties. I am so grateful to her for being a “Comrade in Arms” every step of the way.

The 15-16 season promises to bring new challenges, fresh faces, and fascinating new artistic mountains to climb. I can’t wait to see what the year brings.