Upfront warning: This is an appeal for a particular theater company. In the best of all possible worlds I'd have a voluminous posting and comment history (I don't - I've been here for years, but 99% of the time I lurk) and I'd have time to put this in the context of a much longer diary regarding the state of arts funding in general, the effects of the current state of the economy on grant organizations and donorship, and the budget realities of not-for-profit theater.
And I will be writing that. For a taste of the situation, see this. (Excerpt after the break.)
For now, I'm not so much standing here hat-in-hand as standing and pointing to a particular hat and saying, "There's one over there. Please go examine that hat more closely, and give a little if you if you want to, if you can."
Follow me over to the hat, if you wish.
Thanks. Here's the promised excerpt from the BackStage article:
In the best of circumstances, nonprofit theatres derive 50 percent of their operating revenue from earned income; the rest comes from grants and donations. There is no way of knowing exactly how severely the financial crisis will affect companies, but their three main wells of funding — the government, foundation and corporate support, and individual giving — are in danger of drying up.
Securing significant arts funding from the government is difficult even in relatively healthy times; it will be nearly impossible now that the U.S. is more than $400 billion in the red, and states such as Wisconsin ($5.4 billion deficit) and Connecticut (nearly $6 billion deficit over the next two years) are also struggling. That leaves foundations, corporations, and individuals, but with so much of their giving underwritten by the financial markets, it is difficult to see where the money is going to come from.
And here're the caveats and full disclosure:
I'm an actor, living and working in Chicago, and these are friends and colleagues of mine. I've done some developmental workshops and readings with Stage Left in years past but have never worked there on a full production.
Stage Left Theatre has been an off-Loop institution for 27 years now -- which is a pretty incredible age in a town with as much theater company turnover as we have. As with any company that old, its profile has waxed and waned over the years, but it's known for producing new and relatively new, consistently socially-challenging work. Its mission:
Our mission is to develop and produce plays that raise debate and challenge perspectives on political and social issues. Stage Left seeks to cultivate political and social theatre by:
* Producing plays that raise debate on political and social issues;
* Activating audiences to discuss and act on the issues raised by our plays;
* Inspiring playwrights to address political and social themes through our Downstage Left new work development program.
Stage Left seeks out and supports new voices that explore the political and social landscape of our time in order to create a relevant Theatre of Today. To that end, Stage Left also maintains an affordable, well-equipped facility that serves other theatres and arts organizations.
There are some things I'm admittedly naive and idealistic about. One biggie is that I believe art can change the world. And that the live theater experience is one of the most profound -- and profoundly communicative -- experiences we have available to us as humans.
I'm not so naive as to think that persons' minds are changed in one sitting, or even that by and large arts (and theater) audiences aren't self-selectingly progressive to begin with, but I do believe that the messages need to be out there to begin with, pushing that Overton window evermore in the positive direction.
And so here's the hat. This is a letter I received recently from David Alan Moore, one of the Interim Co-Artistic Directors of Stage Left (posted with permission). David is an award-winning playwright as well, and is in the awkward position of having to ask for money as Co-Artistic Director for a production that happens to be of one of his own plays.
I apologize in advance for becoming one more in a slew of not-for-profits approaching you this season. But Stage Left is in real need of immediate financial assistance from our friends and supporters.
To be blunt: Stage Left needs $6,100 to keep our doors open through the first of January, and an additional $6,500 (for yes, a total of $12,600) to open up my world-premiere play THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE on February 24th.
So, in part, this appeal is incredibly personal. But I also hope that I'm a bigger person than a single production or even a single play. My primary concern is for the future of Stage Left. With its focus on new work, Stage Left has offered me -- and a whole host of talented, award-winning playwrights, actors, directors and designers -- the opportunity to create new plays, to develop and showcase their talents, and to engage in the person-to-person dialogue that we call theater. Just yesterday we had a wonderful table reading of a new play by a local, African-American playwright about many of the issues facing women in her community. The list of projects goes on, and the work will (hopefully) continue.
Any amount you can offer, no matter how small, will help us continue this work and emerge through the tough financial times facing us all. If you can offer any amount -- even $5, $10 or $20 -- your dollars will be combined with similar donations from throughout Chicago and across the U.S., and will mean so much to so many.
My apologies if you've already received this message from other members of the ensemble. We're all working very hard, donating our own time, and joining folks like you in donating money to get us through this squeeze, and sometimes that means overlapping efforts. Here's how you can help:
-- Go to Network For Good and make a donation online.
-- Send a check payable to "Stage Left Theatre" to 3408 N. Sheffield, Chicago, IL 60657.
-- Call Managing Director Laura Blegen at 773-883-8830 and talk to her about how she can take your donation directly.
Thank you. Seriously, thank you. I promise to keep you posted on our progress.
David
David Moore
Interim Co-Artistic Director
Stage Left Theatre
3408 N. Sheffield
Chicago, IL 60657
773-883-8830
david@stagelefttheatre.com
www.stagelefttheatre.com
And so that's my hat. Please go check it out, if you can. Or please, find a different hat. We need the arts. And we need theatre.
Thanks.