Ioka Revival Effort Update

The following is a news release. Follow the Ioka revival effort on Exeter Patch's .

Exeter Theater Company awarded grant through The Provident Bank’s “Our Community, Your E-Vote Campaign”

"Our Community, Your E-Vote" creatively engages customers, friends and neighbors in supporting charitable organizations’ important work toward improving our community and the lives of others,” said Charlie Cullen, The Provident Bank president & CEO. “We are thrilled, and want to thank the voters and recipients alike for their enthusiasm and participation in this year’s program.”

A record number of online votes–nearly twice as many as last year–were cast in The Provident Bank’s 13th annual “Our Community, Your E-Vote” program. Based on these votes from the public, the bank divided $20,000 among 40 diverse non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life of residents throughout its service area of greater Amesbury and Newburyport, Massachusetts, and Seacoast New Hampshire.

ETC Board Chair Tony Callendrello attended the ceremony where they presented the donations to the non-profits that participated in the e-vote effort.

Tony remarked, “Thanks to everyone's efforts the Exeter Theater Company was the second highest vote getter. That qualified us to receive $1,493 from Provident Bank! Provident deserves our sincere thanks and they have been a great supporter of ours and the non-profits in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.”

Since 1998, The Provident Bank and The Provident Community Foundation have awarded more than $3.7 million in grants to a wide range of civic, cultural, and educational organizations in Massachusetts and the New Hampshire Seacoast region. The Provident Bank is a mutually owned, independent community bank established in 1828 and based in Amesbury, Massachusetts, with full-service locations in Amesbury and Newburyport, Massachusetts, and Exeter, Hampton, Portsmouth and Seabrook, New Hampshire, and a lending office in Bedford, New Hampshire.

Our Members Can Dance!

Our first "big" event at the Rockingham Ballroom last month was a great sample of the kind of programs we look forward to have at the new and improved Ioka Theater!

June 29^th was a night to celebrate, and dance to the sounds of the Jumbo Circus Peanuts at the Rockingham Ballroom. ETC Board member and emcee for the evening, Trevor Bartlett, when asked by the reporter why this particular band was chosen, said emphatically, “They rock!” And so they did. Over 200 friends and members attended, and most made it onto the ballroom floor by the end of the night. Local musician David Talmage was the lucky winner of the “Grand Prize” drawing – two passes to all shows the first year the IOKA is open.

DTC Lawyers and The Provident Bank were the event sponsors. ETC volunteer Steve Rider designed the poster invite and slideshow for the evening, printing was supported by Exeter Copy and More. Door prizes were provided by Cookies by Design, Four Square Framing, Graham Tire, La Cave a Vin, Margaritas, On the Vine, and The Meat House. Appetizers and dessert were provided by Clyde’s Cupcakes

Fresh Fish Daley, Good Karma Café, The Green Bean, Karimah’s Kitchen, Liberty Lane Catering, Merrill’s Place, Margaritas, Pimentos and St. Anthony’s Bakery. The event was produced through the generosity of the Jumbo Circus Peanuts, the Rockingham Ballroom and the many volunteers of the Exeter Theater Company.

The Muppets - Mon. Aug. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Something we can't quite do at the IOKA is to present a movie outdoors under the stars - so we've popped over to Portsmouth and teamed up with the Prescott Park Arts Festival to show The Muppet Movie.

Grab your kids, a chair or blanket - and enjoy the show! When Kermit the Frog and the Muppets learn that their beloved theater is slated for demolition, a sympathetic human, Gary, and his puppet roommate, Walter, swoop in to help the gang put on a show and raise the $10 million they need to save the day. Starring Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Directed by James Bobin, Rated PG; 103 minutes; 2011.

Groove Lounge at Pimentos August 16th - music & food for the IOKA!

TVP Records has recently launched the “Groove : Lounge” music compilation series, featuring some of the finest local, regional, and national talent in the genres of jazz, downtempo, soul, hip-hop and funk. The first CD was produced right here in the Seacoast. But these musicians, dj’s and performers have very few venue options in the area. For this reason, TVP Records has joined forces with the Exeter Theater Company to help raise awareness of homegrown music and funding for the IOKA Theater.

Join us on Thursday, August 16th for a night of grooves, conversation, food and drink at Pimento’s Restaurant & Lounge. A Tapas Menu will be served upstairs at 7pm, and a Custom Cocktail & Wine Menu from Martignetti Spirits will be available all night. A CD listening party will follow downstairs in the lounge.

The price of the tapas menu is $29 and includes a copy of the new CD “Groove : Lounge / Volume 1”. Space is limited to the first 40 guests who RSVP. Please confirm reservation with an email to: Pimentosdining@yahoo.com

A big thank you....

The Board of Directors owes a debt of gratitude to two of its founding members, Jay Childs and Betsy Doolan, who stepped down this past month. Both Jay and Betsy were on the board at the start and helped put the organization together way back nearly four years ago. Elected  at the past board meeting were three new officers - Emily Meehan as Vice-Chair, Roger Goun as Treasurer, and Julie Gilman as Secretary. The Exeter Theater Company is grateful for a dynamic, diverse and dedicated board of directors and volunteers.

Kat Murphy is 2012 Seacoast Idol!

Exeter resident Kat Murphy was named 2012 Seacoast Idol on June 10th at a sold-out show in the vintage Exeter Town Hall. Proceeds from the show were donated to the Exeter Theater Company to support the reopening of the Ioka Theater, a natural future venue for community shows such as Seacoast Idol. With a record 75 contestants who auditioned in May, this was a 50 percent increase over any other year. Due to the high caliber of local talent, sixteen alternates were chosen.  Co-hosting this year’s Seacoast Idol along with Sandy Martin was Dover resident Regan Hartley, Miss New Hampshire 2011.