B&B + The Hops = Synergy! Hillsboro Tribune Story

The Hillsboro Tribune has a great story on our season sponsorship deal with The Hillsboro Hops! Click the link below to read it online!

Bag&Baggage, Hops form partnership, boost ‘synergy’

What do baseball and theater have in common? For this holiday season in Hillsboro, at least, practically everything.

Bag&Baggage Productions this week announced a major new sponsorship agreement in which the Hillsboro Hops, the city’s hometown minor league baseball team, will become the presenting sponsor of the professional theater company’s holiday spoof, “It’s a (Somewhat) Wonderful Life,” set for Nov. 29 through Dec. 23 at the Venetian Theatre in downtown Hillsboro.

“This is a real milestone for us,” said Anne Mueller, Bag&Baggage’s managing director. “The support we are receiving from the Hillsboro Hops will help us reach out to a new audience — those who are passionate about plays on the ball field.”

The partnership, which Bag&Baggage Artistic Director Scott Palmer called “one of the largest — if not the largest — sponsorships we’ve received,” includes cross-promotional opportunities for fans of both groups. And the deal benefits both groups in terms of public relations and the affiliation of their fan bases.

“Our organizations both have one very big objective,” said Mike McMurray, president of the Hops. “We’re trying to create communal experiences — we want to get people out of their houses and away from their television sets to experience exciting entertainment opportunities.

“Bag&Baggage and the Hops share a common goal: to enhance the quality of life in Hillsboro. Through a synergistic relationship, we believe we can each better serve our community.”

The sponsorship agreement means the Hops will be recognized as the presenting sponsor of Bag&Baggage’s 20 performances of their adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic. The annual November-December show is the theater company’s most popular offering, regularly attracting more than 5,000 audience members.

“Many of our patrons are fiercely local,” said Palmer. “They see [us] as Hillsboro’s very own theater company and are very committed to our success. This partnership helps us introduce our fans to another local treasure, our very own Hillsboro Hops.”

This year, Bag&Baggage’s holiday production is a tongue-in-cheeck send-up of Capra’s beloved story of George Bailey and Clarence the Angel, performed in the style of a 1940s radio show. Palmer, who wrote the adaptation, promised a “fast-paced, frantic and farcical comedy” in the re-telling of the traditional story.

The Hillsboro Hops will have a high profile during the performances, including a presence in the theater’s lobby. Audience members will also have the chance to join Bag&Baggage actors and staff next summer for a picnic at a Hops home game.

For Palmer, the deal exemplifies “the growing excellence of Hillsboro” on the ball field and onstage.

McMurray said he’s “thrilled” to be part of enhancing both groups’ profiles within and outside the community.

“As a company, we have commitments to assets other than baseball,” he said. “One of the clearest [assets] is Bag&Baggage.”

More information can be found online at bagnbaggage.org and at hillsborohops.com.