by Joyce Kemp
Pentacle Theatre wishes to acknowledge the exceptionally outstanding job done by Chris and Karen McCarty, who have voluntarily served generously and tirelessly for the last 20+ years as the Co-chairs of Pentacle’s Hospitality Guild, as they respectfully retire.
Taking on this monumental task over 20 years ago has been a most appreciated, but often thankless job. When our patrons attend a show, they have no idea all of the time and energy that goes into having Hospitality Staff and House Managers that have been recruited, trained, scheduled and managed by Chris and Karen. Such patrons only know that there is someone at the ticket window, someone to serve the well-stocked concessions and bar, someone to man the registers, and someone to greet them at the door, usher them to seats, attend to handicapped issues and other miscellaneous needs, and make them feel welcome.
But behind all of this smoothly flowing patron experience, is the perseverance and dedication of the McCartys who made it all possible by generously volunteering their commitment of time, talent, and energy. Not only did this involve the process of recruiting volunteers and creating and maintaining a database of well over 300 such people, but scheduling enough help for every show, often working themselves when there was a space they were unable to fill at the last minute due to volunteers’ conflicts, or even no-shows. Chris and Karen are the ones who physically shopped for, transported, and stocked all of the concession items and wine. They oversaw the legal licensing requirements and training of bartenders to remain in compliance with OLCC. They were responsible for always making sure the money balanced every night from concessions and box office sales, and that the revenue got back to the downtown office with the appropriate documentation and paperwork, just to name a few of their responsibilities.
We owe this marvelous couple a debt of gratitude for their selfless contribution to making the Hospitality Guild, with it’s myriad of responsibilities, run so smoothly, and all on a volunteer basis. And they did it all with such grace, kindness, and loyalty. They have been a vital component in the success of Pentacle Theatre, and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts!
