Creating a New Sun City Anthem Amenity
"The Mark OToole Variety Show"
(Part One of Three)
It's been an experience that few are ever able to enjoy...being a part of the latest Sun City Anthem amenity, "The Mark OToole Variety Show" that will be held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month.
I thought I would share with you just what it takes to present a Sun City Anthem production, as well as some of the moments the full house of 300 individuals experienced on March 2, 2022.
It all started with an email to Steve Anderson, Sun City Anthem's President, following an eblast about 4 months ago stating that Freedom Hall was considering a new lighting system. I mentioned to Steve that the real problem with Freedom Hall was the sound; that depending on where you sat, the sound was great in some seats and horrible in others.
Being a former Entertainment Editor for The Vegas Voice a number of years ago and having been at numerous entertainment venues since my wife, Marla, and I arrived in Sun City Anthem in 2005, I realized that Freedom Hall was a "gem"; but that "gem" greatly needed to be brought into the 21st century, especially the sound system.
Enter SCA Board members Richard Pope and Barry Rubinson along with Steve Anderson !
These individuals greatly supported the renovations; but at that point, it went a step further....
...that to do things right, we started by asking a number of entertainers who had previously performed in Freedom Hall for their opinions and suggestions as to what it would take to achieve making Freedom Hall the "Carnegie Hall of Las Vegas HOAs".
And so...
They came to a private meeting in Anthem Center that was coordinated with Richard Pope, a 2.5 hour session where Richard got writer's cramp with all their thoughts.
We summarized our thoughts and then met with Richard, Barry Rubinson, Steve Anderson, Sandy Seddon, Danielle Bartle, and Allison Gray , and during that meeting, through a casual conversation with them, I brought up the idea of having a bi-monthly Sun City Anthem variety show in Freedom Hall, and that if feasible, I had the perfect individual to act at the show's Master of Ceremonies, Mark OToole.
To many in the Sun City Anthem community, Mark has always been there for charitable events, as well as providing entertainment to various clubs over the years, especially the SCA Women's Club.
And so...
In pursuing the idea, both Richard Pope and Barry Rubinson personally contacted Mark OToole; who in turn, invited them to his home, where they were treated with his singing a couple of songs for them while eating donuts, followed by his taking them to Sun City Summerlin to examine their theater in order to give them a better idea as to what might be accomplished in Sun City Anthem.
And so...
Following all of this...they told Mark and me to give them a...
And so...I did.
We'll talk about that in Part Two !
And what a fantastic job done in getting this program. It was the best Wednesday afternoon I can recall if a very long time and for $8 never have I had better entertainment. Thank you so much for all the work it took and the first show was knock your socks off great!
And what a fantastic job done in getting this program. It was the best Wednesday afternoon I can recall if a very long time and for $8 never have I had better entertainment. Thank you so much for all the work it took and the first show was knock your socks off great!
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