Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to celebrate APAC’s 5th Birthday! Five years is a real milestone for a not-for-profit arts organization. We are well aware of all of the hundreds of people and organizations who helped us get here.

Each year, we bring together artists, technicians and interns to produce major musical, classic and modern plays and to nurture new works of theatre. At the same time, we work to enrich our community, with a special commitment to children and seniors. Next summer will be the fifth year we've provided free musical theatre training to children through our "Summer Stars!" program (to Astoria's younger residents, APAC is already a neighborhood institution!) APAC has also brought live entertainment to senior centers in Astoria. Last year, we added Senior Stars! to our programming.

Our work has attracted attention – from elected officials who recognize the positive impact of our work, from the press (including all major Queens newspapers, the New York Times, Newsday, the Wall Street Journal and many industry publications as well), from our peers in the theatre community who honored us with an Off Off Broadway Review (OOBR) Award in 2004 (for IS THERE LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?) and nominated us for three New York Innovative Theatre Awards in 2005 (for FOREVER PLAID), and by the dozens of people who volunteer to work on APAC productions each year.

The result? Audiences who look forward to our programming each season, actors who send us their headshots each week, dozens of children who have discovered the pleasure of performance through "Summer Stars!" and this: $1 million in capital funding from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs that will go toward securing a permanent theatre space for us in Astoria!

We know that the exciting opportunities we now have are a result of the extraordinary support of our friends in the Astoria/LIC community and beyond. With only a small percentage of our budget coming from ticket sales, and a commitment to keeping our shows affordable, the donations we receive from our supporters are critical to our work.

We would like to ask that you make a TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION to APAC this year. We're facing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities right now—your contribution will have a major impact on our organization, and our community.

We always look for new ways to thank APAC's friends.

We would like to ask that individuals consider donations of $150, $75 or $35, though we appreciate donations of ANY amount! Individuals donating $35.00 or more will receive one free ticket to be used at any APAC production in 2007.

BUSINESSES interested in supporting APAC should contact Executive Director Taryn Drongowski at taryn@apacny.org to discuss sponsorship benefits.

CHECKS can be made out to "Astoria Performing Arts Center, Inc." and mailed to

Taryn Drongowski, Executive Director
Astoria Performing Arts Center, Inc.
PO Box 195
34-23 Steinway Street
Astoria, NY 11101