Testimonials

“Congratulations to you and your team as you launch your fourth year of bringing the arts to Sussex County at The Freeman Stage.  I’m so impressed with the growth of the performance schedule and the foundation in such a short time.  Your efforts have created a central hub that has achieved the goal of broadening our minds and lifting our spirits.  From ballet to hip-hop you have given us the ability the see the world through the eyes of another.   The arts enable us to gain a greater understanding of the world in which we live and those with whom we share it.  The people of Sussex County, of nearby Maryland, and visitors to this area are fortunate to have this organization here providing world-class arts entertainment.  Active arts organizations like the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation support and enhance our economy, our schools and our community.  I can think of no better way to honor Josh’s memory than with the gift of the arts you hold out to the community.  Again, congratulations and thank you for your upcoming fourth season.  I look forward to enjoying your performances this year and for many years to come.”

-Tom Carper, United States Senator

 

“I certainly have enjoyed the last two summers by attending some of the concerts.  My daughter informed me about the events.  I had not heard of the Foundation until then.  What a wonderful tribute to your husband.”
-Darlene

 

“Trish - Just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed the season, especially the finale (for us) Saturday night.  We are looking forward to next season.”
-Bobbi

 

“To Whom it May Concern: The Indian River School District has thoroughly enjoyed and profited from its community partnership with the Freeman Foundation.  The organization’s programs and initiatives firmly support the district’s mission of education the whole child and enabling students to realize their full potential.  Freeman Foundation sponsored activities, such as “Zany Umbrella Circus” that IRSD’s first and second graders from its eight elementary schools have seen this week, provide unprecedented opportunities for students to learn about and experience this joy of art through the theatrical productions.  Since the Indian River School District is a demographically diverse district with 56.7% of its students qualifying for free and reduced lunch, the Freeman Foundation offers opportunities that many of the district’s youngsters would not have otherwise.  The series of summer performances, for example, exposes local children to singers, dancers, and actors of the highest caliber.  How privileged the IRSD’s students are to have the Freeman stage located in the “backyard!”  Hence, Indian River’s 8,786 students’ educational experiences have been significantly enriched via the district’s partnership with the Freeman Foundation.  On behalf of IRSD’s students and staff, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Foundation for the arts exposures it has provided to date and our strong support of it’s grant-securing efforts that will assuredly translate into additional musical and dramatic learning experiences in the future.” 
-Susan S. Bunting, Ed.D. , Superintendent

 

“We had the best night at Leann.  It was just fantastic. We really do want to thank you all for your efforts. We so appreciated the wonderful entertainment and know it does not arrive without an enormous amount of work, dedication and commitment by you all.  Please pass on our thanks to everyone, Doug Patti and of course Michelle. We are so grateful for these concerts.  What a treat every weekend.”
-Iona

 

“Patti, I just wanted to thank you and Trish and all the Freeman Stage staff and volunteers for everything you did to make our performance possible.  Everyone enjoyed it and the setting is so beautiful and all of you were so helpful and nice that the evening was just perfect!  Have a great Labor Day weekend.  Thanks again for everything.”

-Mary Wilcosky, OperaDelaware

 

“Gabor and I just had to send you a big thank you. The Leann Rimes concert was fantastic. We were very impressed with everything -the show, the stage, the seating and even the crowd control. You covered everything. I know how much work it takes and, again, you all did a fantastic job!  Thank you so much and we look forward to more performances and seeing you soon.”
-Nancy & Gabor

 

“…the Kenya Safari Acrobats were wonderful. To think a third world country could, at this stage in their development, have someone put together such awesome talent as two of their acrobats displayed is commendable! That woman's strength was astounding!

 You have a wonderful variety of talent once again this season; and I know we will completely enjoy the 12 selections we have chosen to drive down from Rehoboth Beach to enjoy. We have even interested our Senior Center in taking their bus filled with seniors to some shows! Many of our friends have accompanied us at different times to see different shows over the last four years. It is thrilling to have such wonderful culture come to Sussex County!!   Thank you!”
-Tim & Elaine

 

 “Again Ed and I want to thank you for all your energy and efforts this season.  You are wonderful and your team just the best.  Thanks a million”
-Iona

 

“Thank you for last night. Everyone did a great job. The show was really fantastic. The rain did not last and you handled it all so well. Thanks again.”
-Peg

 

“First off, congratulations for pulling off a fabulous evening last night!  ( Even with the weather delay)  As a concert goer, the Freeman staff handled things flawlessly as the weather tried to mix things up.  After last night, we're eager to get back to the Freeman Stage for another exciting evening.“
- Yetive

 

 “My husband and I just had our first experience with The Freeman Stage at the B-52's concert, and we LOVED it!  What a great venue...the staff was helpful,  the seating was great, and thank goodness the bathrooms were clean (Yeah!)…We are looking forward to  other concerts in the future...I even have a suggestion - Dweezil Zappa.   Thanks for the great time and we look forward to visiting again.”
-Jodie - Milford, DE

 

“On behalf of our kids, our Bigs and everyone at BBBS in Sussex we want to thank you for a wonderful night at the Freeman Stage.  The concert was more than I hoped for and it offered a nice blend of entertainment for our “Littles” as well as our “Bigs”.  I think everyone had a great time and many were jumping with excitement throughout the performance.  I know you all work hard to put on these shows but you put out a great product and we just wanted to say thanks again for inviting us and acknowledging us as your guests.  The seating close to the stage made all of us feel special and appreciated and we thank you all for making it happen for our kids and volunteers.  It was a great night that we will not forget!”
-Raymond M. Quillen, Program Coordinator for Big Brothers, Big Sisters in Sussex County

 

“Thank you for taking care of us tonight.  My family loved the show!”
-Anne

 

“Just wanted to thank you and your team for all of your hard work at the Jazz and Art Festival. Even in the awful heat you always had a smile on your face! It was a shame that the weather didn't cooperate. Hopefully next year will be better. Keep me on your mailing list if that's o.k. I'd like to do it again. Thanks again for everything.”
-Dawn

 

“Just wanted to say, thanks so much for having back to the Freeman Stage!  We had a great time, even in the heat.   Hope the rest of the summer goes well and we will be looking forward to making it back to you in the future!”
-Peter (Project Trio)

 

“Just wanted to take a minute to comment on the wonderful show last night! Not only was there a great representation of song writing, but also a wonderful presentation of outstanding vocal and instrumental talent of different varieties of music!  You certainly are to be commended again!”
-Tim & Elaine

 

“…we very much enjoyed the concert. We had dinner at the Cove and then leisurely walked over to The Freeman Stage. It was a delightful evening all around and a wonderful change of pace, as we had just been to Baltimore a few days earlier for U2. I have been telling all my friends it was kind of like the old MTV’s Unplugged where afterwards you truly feel like you know the artist. We are looking forward to future shows indeed. Congratulations to you and your team!”
– Steve

 

“Those were awesome seats and a great time was had by my co-worker and some clients the Bank invited for the evening. I appreciate the personal service you always give us…be well”
-Tony

 

“First and foremost, I want to thank you for a fabulous evening Saturday.  It was amazing and smoothly orchestrated.  I know from event planning that the amount of work leading up to that day required many hours and patience.  Thanks again for all you do!”
-Kathy

 

“We attended the Leann Rimes concert.  It was wonderful!  It was the first time to the Freeman stage.  We will be returning.  It is so welcoming from the parking attendants, to the drinks, to the everyone.  We felt so welcomed.  Thank you for the wonderful entertainment and kindness.”
-Janice and Howie

 

“We attended our first performance last night and LOVED everything, especially Thomas Allen's solo of Bernstein's Mass selection. It's a favorite piece of mine, and very a ambitious selection for an open-air concert, so I congratulate the Mid-Atlantic Orchestra for good programming, and Mr. Allen for performing it with perfection. We look forward to many concerts, and I will bring my grandchildren to children's programs. As a choral singer from Philadelphia, I thank you for making the arts so accessible at the beach: when we built our house in 1984, I learned to love country music, as that was all that was available on the radio!”
 -Linda

 

“You were already great, now you’re even better”
-Linda from Lewes, DE

 

“Yes I did enjoy the show.. amazing dancers.. they are definitely part of my inspiration to pursue my dreams”
-Tynisha

 

“Loved the Bronx Wanderers Show. The kids were cute, but Yo Vinnie is still the MAN, tho slimmer than last year! Best show of the season. Can we bottle that energy?”
-Facebook comment

 

“What a wonderful way to end the summer season. Thank you to Michelle and all the wonderful people associated with the Freeman Stage.”
-Facebook comment

 

“Fantastic show and spectacular fireworks! Thanks.”
-Facebook comment

 

“What a great show last night with BeatleMania. Many memories brought back. They sounded so good. People dancing and singing along to all the great Beatles songs. This was the best show this year. What a great gift we have here in the Freeman Stage. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
-Facebook comment

 

“Just want to say Bravo.. the concert tonight was just what the Freeman Stage is all about... see I am over (thanks to tonight) the bad taste from the B 52's. What you give us here is unbelieveable... Thank you”
-Facebook comment

 

“I was there for the first time on 7/1/11, we were visiting the area and found out about the Stage, we saw the Gershwin production and totally loved everything about the evening”
-Facebook comment

 

“Loved the concert last night. Great set up for a concert. all seats AWESOME. Can't wait to see what you have in store for us next season. great job!!”
-Facebook comment

 

 “Fantastic show last night!! We thoroughly enjoyed our first night at The Freeman Stage. We can't wait to come back for another fun night soon!!!!”
-Facebook comment

 

“WE HAD A BLAST!!!! thanks so much!!! the crowd was amazing...so was the egg salad!! haha lookin forward to next time!!”
-Facebook comment

 

“Tonight's show with the Hunt Family was FABULOUS! What a wonderful act in a great venue. Thanks for bringing this to our community!”
-Facebook comment

 

“LeAnn Rimes was Awesome! It sounded like she was playing in our living room. She was such a lovely and gracious performer and seemed genuinely happy to be playing for us! I loved how she let the crowd dance on the lawn! Thanks Freeman Stage for bringing such a talented Artist to the Stage! What a magical evening!”
-Facebook comment

 

“It was our first time at the Freeman Stage and we LOVED IT!! thank you! We look forward to a fun filled summer with you guys”
-Facebook comment

 

“Too bad you don't have a category for super-excellent! I can't say enough positive things about FS@B!”
-Survey comment

“Grounds were wonderful. location excellent. Sound great. Security did a great job (especially with the storm that hit). Organizers and workers did a fantastic job. Very impressed.”
-Survey comment

 

“Staff and volunteers representing The Freeman Stage were very organized and professional. Email correspondence was timely and helpful. It was wonderful to see a national concert so close to where we live. Thanks to everyone involved for their effective planning and attention to detail. The B-52's concert was my #1 fun splurge of the summer!”
-Survey comment

 

“Thank You to Michelle Freeman and her friends for establishing this wonderfulsetting and for all that you do for the community”
-Survey comment

 

“Great Job, my wife and I live in the Oak-Orchard area and we love coming there with our children and the concerts we have attended!”
-Survey comment

 

“I loved the atmosphere, laid back and fun. I am a huge fan of what you do and have bought several tickets for my parents. I also enjoy the Sat. events for the children. Thank you for a great stage and outlet in this area!”

-Survey comment

 

“Everyone connected to the Freeman Stage have always been nothing but gracious, courteous 
and willing to help in any way.”
-Survey comment

 

“You have all done an awesome job especially during the jazz festival with the misters and the tent. Everyone made us feel so at home!”
-Survey comment

 

“We bought tickets to the entire season- I give the tickets away when we can't use them with the hope that others will embrace the foundation.”
-Survey comment

 

“The Freeman Stage offers the best entertainment in the area...you get it all in one package...a wonderful variety of entertainment, delicious food, a beautiful setting, lovely staff and volunteers, something for the whole family.”
-Survey comment