On the evening of Thursday, July 10, 2025, Evangola Community Theater will raise the curtain on the first performance of Here We Sit,  an outrageous comedy for community theatres featuring a series of sixteen quick-paced scenes illuminating the joys and tribulations of the modern theatre-going experience. This will not only mark the opening of our production of Here We Sit, but it will also be the first full-length show ever produced in the history of this current generation of community theater in Evans and Angola.

Evangola Community Theater (ECT) is driven by Steve Brachmann, who currently serves the not-for-profit corporation as Manager. Founded in late 2023, ECT began building a community theater program beginning in Spring 2024 with a plucky group of 15 members who have been critical to Steve's ability to plan and execute programming. In August 2024, ECT produced Car Plays at the William G. Houston Gazebo in Angola's Centennial Park. These two performances featured three 10-minute plays authored by local playwrights and performed by local actors. ECT was very grateful to receive several goodwill offerings from performers, playwrights, and Angola's Gazebo Committee, without which we would not have been able to produce Car Plays. These two performances were attended by 150 members of the local community, demonstrating a strong demand for live stage theater in Evans and Angola.

Here We Sit was chosen by ECT members to serve as our first-ever production for several reasons, including its light-hearted comedic nature and its popularity among local theatergoers. The playwright, Don Swartz, is the Artistic and Executive Director of Starry Night/Ghost Light Theatre in North Tonawanda, NY, about a 45-minute drive north of Angola. Here We Sit, first produced at Ghost Light Theatre in 2006, includes several scenes and characters that are beloved and still remembered by members of the Buffalo-area theater community. Further, the subject matter, which looks at the humorous, and sometimes absurd, experience of attending local theater, made this a perfect choice among ECT members for our inaugural production.

The total budgeted total costs for our production of Here We Sit currently sit at $7,924.15, but because everybody likes round numbers, we're shooting for a fundraising goal of $8,000 that we're hoping to have in place by the time rehearsals begin around Saturday, June 7. These budgeted costs include:

Here We Sit will be directed by Steve Brachmann, a 2011 graduate of SUNY Fredonia (BFA Acting) who has worked as a professional actor in the Buffalo, NY area for nearly 20 years. Most recently, Steve performed with Ohio Star Theater in Sugarcreek, OH, appearing in Ohio Star's production of Sight & Sound Theatres' RUTH, which opened on May 15, 2024 and ran for 135 performances until it closed on November 9, 2024. Steve was raised in the Village of Angola and first developed a love for theater watching the annual musicals put on by Lake Shore Central High School. He also took part in several summer theater camps organized by local community members including Jim Swinnerton. In the summer of 2023, Steve was inspired to return to Angola and begin producing theater in the village and the wider area of the Town of Evans.

ECT's current focus is to establish a community theater program producing two to three full-length stage productions each year, and to maintain that level of production well into the future. Helping ECT cover the costs of our first production will go a very long way in establishing a financial foundation that will allow us to bring live performing arts to Evans and Angola for a long time to come. Thank you for considering a donation to our cause!!