2007-2008 Board of Directors Melanie Moyer Williams Founder, Executive Artistic Director Emilie E. Miller Founder, Director of Philanthropic Development Emera LaSalle Director of Education LeAnn Lazar Managing Director Lauren McDonnell Director of Marketing About Us In March 2006, Emilie E. Miller and Melanie Moyer Williams co-founded the Red Fern Theatre Company to incite positive change in our community by producing socially conscious plays while partnering with philanthropies whose mission seeks to assist those affected by the issues addressed in the play. The RFTC seeks to establish a theatre company that, through its productions and outreach, provokes social awareness and social change.  Each play produced by the Red Fern Theatre Company addresses social issues that range in scope from local to global.  We pair each of our productions with a philanthropy whose work relates to the social themes of the play.  A portion of the proceeds from each play produced is donated to the designated philanthropy.  We also provide our audiences with information on the philanthropy both by including information about them in the play’s program and through distributing the philanthropy’s brochures to our audiences.  By associating each production with a philanthropic organization, we are able to respond directly to the people actually affected by the issues addressed in the play.  In the next few years, the RFTC intends to continue producing three full shows in a season while steadily increasing our budget through grants and private donors.  We intend to develop and maintain relationships with the philanthropic community as well as develop a community of people taking part in our productions.  Currently, everyone involved with our shows volunteer their time and talents.  Steadily growing means paying each person involved and increasing the budget for our production elements.  We hope to outgrow our 30 and 60 seat performance spaces which will allow us to graduate to a larger theatre and reach more people with our mission.  After successfully achieving these goals, we ultimately plan to own our own theatre operating on an Off-Broadway contract. We would like to continue producing thought-provoking, socially conscious theatre while also having the ability to rent our space to fledgling theatre companies and other low budget performance projects. The Red Fern Theatre Company will produce established plays as well as workshop developing pieces by new playwrights. Partnership with philanthropic organizations will always be the centerpiece for the Red Fern Theatre Company. The RFTC believes in an individual's responsibility to his/her community. Theatre can educate; it can also comfort. It can remind the audience that suffering and joy are feelings felt by all. The Red Fern Theatre Company would like each of its productions to create a lasting impression that fosters a community among those on and off the stage. Why the name "Red Fern"? Although Emilie and Melanie both wanted to start a company, the catalyst for beginning the RFTC came when Melanie found Tennessee Williams' first show "Candles to the Sun." She had many friends including Emilie read it, and Emilie immediately felt the same connection to the play's message as Melanie had. They set out to produce the show but could not obtain rights. In preparing for this production, Melanie and Emilie discovered that they both had similar objectives in theatre, and they decided to choose another play to produce. Although they had to postpone their production of "Candles to the Sun," Emilie and Melanie decided to pay homage to two of Williams' progressive characters from this play by naming their theatre company after them. The character of Birmingham Red rallied coal miners to fight for a union with better working conditions and wages. One of Williams' strong female characters, Fern is a mother who saved every penny she could often sacrificing food and clothing for herself to send her son to the university. Fern knew that an education would mean her son would not be forced to work in the coal mines like every generation before him. Tennessee Williams chose her name because the fern is a plant that thrives in dark places, but is always reaching for the light. The Red Fern Theatre Company's goal is to make their audiences aware of social injustices as Birmingham Red did, while at the same time to provide their audiences with an opportunity to be involved with a philanthropy which will bring light to those adversely affected just as the character Fern was able to accomplish. New York is home to thousands of theatre companies; many of them are committed to socially conscious plays. The Red Fern Theatre Company distinguishes itself by bridging the gap between the theatre we produce and the change it seeks to create. In its partnerships with philanthropies, the RFTC provides the vehicle for which our audiences can give back to their community.