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Please explain the <br />impact of your <br />organization on the <br />Orange County <br />community in a <br />typical year. <br />OdysseyStage impacts Orange County residents by impacting both <br />the artists inv olv ed in putting on plays (writers, actors, directors, set <br />designers, etc.) and audiences who come to the play performances <br />or play readings. Ov er the last few years (ev en before the pandemic) <br />sev eral local theater companies hav e shut down permanently (Deep <br />Dish in Univ ersity Mall, Common Ground, Manbites Dog, Sonorous <br />Road), but Orange County is an area with many talented actors, <br />playwrights and creativ e indiv iduals looking for ways to express their <br />artistic talents v ia liv e theater. OdysseyStage is prov iding a resource <br />for established theater artists, but is also activ ely recruiting new <br />div erse talent from minorities, those who are physically challenged, <br />and from high school students and young adults. Thus Odyssey <br />Stage is a resource in Orange County for both emerging and <br />established theater artists. <br />W e encourage students from the local high schools to work on our <br />shows as v olunteers for which they receiv e community serv ice hours <br />through the LetServ e website. W e ev en hav e a student intern on our <br />marketing committee! <br />OdysseyStage activ ely encourages playwrights in creating new works <br />for the stage. Through our new reading series we will help local <br />playwrights hone and prepare their creativ e work for a full <br />production. <br />Our productions support local businesses as our cast and crew <br />frequently go to a local establishment after each performance for <br />drinks and a late night meal. It’s not unusual for a group of 20 to 30 <br />people to go to a sports bar or other late night spot. <br />OdysseyStage productions impact Orange County residents not only <br />by prov iding thought-prov oking entertainment but also by attracting <br />tourists to the area. A wide range of indiv iduals come to our <br />productions. For example, the well known NC 10by10 Play Festiv al of <br />short plays always draws a large crowd of ov er a thousand to its <br />performances ov er two weekends. Typically, these indiv iduals will <br />come not only from Orange County but also from neighboring <br />counties and ev en distant parts of North Carolina as many of the <br />writers represented in the production are from other parts of the <br />state. The NC 10by10 playwrights hav e come from as far away as <br />W ilmington, the Eastern Carolina mountains and from the Charlotte <br />area. Often they bring their family and/or friends with them. One <br />playwright brought 22 friends with him to one of the performances. <br />They will frequently dine, and drink at local restaurants before and/or <br />after shows thereby boosting local tourism. Some people stay at one <br />of our hotels if they are coming from a great distance. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 89A43E1A-61F4-4254-A2D4-4FCB2AB5935F