FOA seeks committed board members

The Friends of the Arts has several openings for its board of directors, according to president Susan Fishman-Tudor.

“We’re always looking for people who have ideas and commitment to the community. Be a part of our board and assist us throughout the year,” she said, speaking to members of the Rotary Club of Saipan on Tuesday.

Since four or five years ago, FOA board members have been taking part in an annual retreat every July, Fishman-Tudor said. The retreat also serves as a venue for board members to decide on the productions that FOA will present to the community for their season, which runs from September to May.

Once the productions are decided, FOA is then able to offer season tickets that guarantee a seat in all four productions.

At present, each season ticket costs $40 per person. A regular ticket per show costs $12 for FOA members, $15 for adults, $8 for students.

Fishman-Tudor revealed that FOA does not make money out of their ticket prices as they only cover productions costs, including the rights and royalties to the scripts for the play.

She said many have urged them to just get the scripts online to reduce their costs since rights and royalties amount to anywhere between $1,800 and $2,500. “But we work with so many young people that we need to teach by example,” Fishman-Tudor explained. “So we honor our artists and pay the rights and royalties.”

She noted that since her tenure as FOA president began about seven years ago, the organization has been producing at least four major theater productions each year. Each production requires six to eight weeks of commitment and hard work from the cast to the production crew.

“They make this commitment and the accomplishment is incredible,” she said. “The feeling that they exude after is just phenomenal. What we do for our young people, teaching them poise, eloquence, and elocution, you can’t put a price or value on that.”

FOA’s last season featured the music revue, Andrew Lloyd Webber: Beyond Memories, A Miracle Worker, the story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan; the 5th concert of classical piano virtuoso Roman Rudnytsky; Aida the Musical, Elton John version; and Sleuth.

As FOA president, Fishman-Tudor’s goal is “to provide the CNMI community with quality performing art productions and to ensure that [FOA] contributes to the community through its own productions and its support of other performing arts organizations.”

Just like the Rotary, FOA is also a community service organization, she said. It supports several organizations on island, including the Saipan Southern High School Manta Ray Concert Band, Saipan Pacific Winds Concert Band, Thespians of the Western Pacific, National and Junior forensic leagues, Do Re Mi School of music, Yon Sei Academy, and Keynotes School of Music.

For more information about FOA, call 287-2225 or email flgibson@yahoo.com.