First, I like the focus on text and music that a concert presentation brings to the forefront. There is no distraction with pretty costumes, set movement, and props. Though I love all the technical dressing of theatre, it is not necessary to bring a story fully to life. Stripped down does not mean it is less; it really means it is simply a different mode of conveyance. Second, financially, we can present many offerings - five to six in a half years’ time rather than just two. I have a lot of plays and musicals, both old and new, that I want to give to the community. Third, with a short commitment time of one to two weeks per presentation, I am able to bring in the most gifted artists on and off the Island. The talent that has tossed their lot in with us is amazing. I am thrilled beyond words to give them a stage and let them do their glorious best. And lastly, the concert presentation design gives us more time to devote to the valuation of our audience… our friends and allies. We aim to know and converse with our audience - we consider them half of our company of artists. We take the time to mix with them before our evening show, and then we have a talkback after our matinée. Concert presentations are our intentional choice, by design. - Where did the concept of concert presentations come from? I first became aware of concert presentations with auditions for Equity Library Theatre (ELT) in the 1980s. ELT was a union theatre company founded in 1944 by Sam Jaffe (if you’re old enough or watch old telly - Dr. Zorba from Ben Casey) to keep Actors Equity Association (AEA) actors practicing their craft when not “on the job.” ELT closed shop in 1989 due to severe slashes in grants, financial debt, and declining audiences. Happily, the concert presentation theatre model was eventually replaced five years later by the Tony-honored Encores! series, which is popular and thriving to this day. Encores! has resulted in nearly twenty cast recordings and several transfers to Broadway, including the long-running revival of Chicago! but it began with the Broadway revival of Gypsy with Patti LuPone. In 2013, Off Center! - the Off-Broadway sister of Encores! was born. A less successful version, the straight plays arm of Encores! called Voices!, debuted at the turn of the century. It folded after a year, soon after 9/11 in 2001. A difference between ELT and Encores! is that Encores! focuses on neglected and little-known material, and less on the actors. Now it is a vehicle for stars. ELT’s birth was inspired by European traditions of concert presentations - fully rehearsed and directed, somewhat staged, partially costumed, with little to no scenery and lighting design varying. The Menier Chocolate Factory in London, off the West End, still presents these from time to time. A wonderful version of a concert presentation, which can be found online, is the September 1985 concert of Follies, starring Mandy Patinkin, Lee Remick, Carol Burnett, Barbara Cook, and Liliane Montevecchi, with the New York Philharmonic, which ran for two performances at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.