FINAL WEEK!!
I've added **NEW** pledge rewards!

All the details at www.HeatherDale.com

SUMMARY: A new touring stage show + DVD + youth education program based on the King Arthur legends. Heather has 20 years experience as a songwriter, 15 years running a production company, 10 years touring around North America & Europe. She's already started working on the project, and is mainly looking for community support for the DVD. Please tell everyone you know, and/or choose a pledge reward -- everything helps the project.

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Hi everybody: for those of you who don't know me already, I'm Heather Dale. I've been a full-time Celtic songwriter & touring musician for 15 years. Think Loreena McKennitt + Sarah McLachlan, writing songs about ancient legends.

I don't wait for things to happen. I go out there and make them happen. I’ve done 1000+ shows in the last decade, mostly driving across North America & Europe (500,000 miles driven/flown in the last 10 years alone) to bring music to people who need it. I’m deeply committed to creating positive, empowering and thoughtful art for my far-flung community. But after 10 years at that crazy pace, I need to change the way I do things -- and CELTIC AVALON is my vision for the future.

HERE'S THE IDEA:

1) The CELTIC AVALON touring show. A big, gorgeous stage show that musically tells the legend of King Arthur... a story about finding hope & love in tough times.

2) Professionally-produced CONCERT DVD.

3) As we tour CELTIC AVALON from city to city, I want to offer
a special YOUTH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM to teachers & schools. Our show's cast members perform a special youth-oriented concert (either in-school or in-theatre), and talk with students aged 9-14 about inner strength, anti-bullying, using your unique talents & skills, embracing differences, and defending others positively. We give teachers a printed resource kit that ties our concert to various curriculum goals.


It's a HUGE project. I know it's not a cheap project, though I'm used to getting a lot done without a having a ton of money. I'm investing everything I personally have. But there are significant upfront costs, most especially the DVD, that I simply can't cover on my own.

Fortunately, I am incredibly blessed to have an imaginative, loving, global community of like-minded dreamers... and I'm discovering more of you every day. CELTIC AVALON needs to happen, for so many powerful reasons. Please join me -- let’s create some extraordinary art together.

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** PLEASE BECOME A CHAMPION FOR THIS PROJECT:

IF YOU CAN GET A GROUP DONATION TOGETHER, FOR ANY AMOUNT -- tell me what I can do to support your group in return. What can I do to make your lives better?

Think of all the social circles you belong to:
-your friends & family,
-your online game guilds and RPG/LARP buddies,
- your SCA barony or shire,
- your religious or spiritual circle,
- your book club, or knitting pals, or art class, or favourite quirky shop.

Please talk to them for me. THE DETAILS are all at www.igg.me/at/heatherdale.

And of course, if you'd like to, you can join the project on your own with a pledge on the right side of this page... absolutely everything is a huge help.

I certainly can't do this alone. If you can share some of your time & energy with me over the next couple of weeks to help, please email me at heather@heatherdale.com.

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CLICK HERE to join my e-newsletter list (bi-weekly updates)

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First thing's first... THE SHOW:

Imagine a darkened theatre... and then the haunting first refrain of "Mordred's Lullaby" creeps out to meet you.

A wash of coloured light and projected images appear as the curtains open: 6 musicians, pulsing drums, eerie fiddle melodies. And through the low mist, the dark queen Morgan Le Fay herself begins the tale -- first speaking, and then seamlessly moving into a lullaby for the unfortunate babe in her arms. Raven-feathers swirl as she stalks across the stage, daring the audience to look away.

And so it all begins.

I've been creating music based on the King Arthur legends for 20 years. My work is regularly quoted in academic publications, alongside Celtic/folk/faerie/renn/fantasy magazines. I've released 16 recordings of original mythology-based songs... they range from tackling body-image issues from Medusa's perspective, to exploring Lancelot's overwhelming love, to challenging gender stereotypes as Joan of Arc. Why? Because there are things we need to hear, even in the 21st century: We are ALL different. We are ALL beautiful. And every one of us can MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

I've been touring solidly for 10 years now: 100+ shows per year, all over North America & Europe. Everywhere I meet incredible, brilliant, wildly unique people. We are a worldwide community of free-thinkers and dreamers. No matter what you call us, our beautiful ‘tribe’ is everywhere: fantasy novel readers, medievalists, gamers, anime afficionados, fire-spinners, Pagans, Celtic Christians, LARPers, Whovians, Hobbit-fanciers, and everything in between. :)

WE CAN MAKE THIS SHOW HAPPEN. Together. Right now. The ideas are just bursting out of my head (ew), I run a tiny-but-mighty indie company that can make it happen, and by July 2015 we can have CELTIC AVALON ready to tour. You can be watching the awesome DVD of it, no matter where you are in the world.

And best of all, geeky kids (who think they are alone in the universe) will get to meet Real-Life Grown-Up Dreamer Geeks. And we'll tell every one of those kids that they are neat people. They don't have to give up or hide who they are.

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EVERY MONDAY -- NEW UPDATE VIDEO
With silly pictures of me as a kid + genuine pie-charts. Mmm... pie...
EVERY FRIDAY -- NEW KING ARTHUR PODCAST
(Psst... all $20+ pledges get the whole audiobook)

BI-WEEKLY -- EMAILED NEWSLETTER
DAILY -- MY FACEBOOK PAGE (Please friend me!)
ANYTIME -- SEND ME A HUG
Post me a virtual hug through heather@heatherdale.com. Tell me what you think of the project... your support is HUGE in my life, even if I can't always write back personally (I'll try though).

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Frequently Asked Questions:
Email new questions to me at heather@heatherdale.com... I'll update this FAQ regularly.

Do I get a pledge reward for donating?
Absolutely. Read them along the right side of this page, or here’s a summary:


Is this for kids?
The youth educational program is, absolutely. But the CELTIC AVALON show is for everyone, and intended mainly for adult audiences. The King Arthur legend is 1500 years old, a complex story about hope & revenge, betrayal and love. CELTIC AVALON won't feature anything inappropriate or shocking for kids, but we'll be telling the story in a way that younger kids won't necessarily understand. It'll be both thoughtful and thought-provoking, which I think is part of the show's strength.

Is this a musical?
It's a dramatic concert. Everyone on stage is both a musician and a storyteller/actor... there will be some spoken-word storytelling, but the King Arthur tale unfolds mostly through my original songs. I'll be the main singer a lot of the time, but I've also got some brilliant cast members in mind. Check out these three songs, to get a sense of how CELTIC AVALON will sound:
Mordred's Lullaby,
As I Am,
The King Sword.
Just imagine Loreena McKennitt's musical spectacle, the cool theatricality of Mediaeval Baebes, the polish of Celtic Woman, and the energy of Corvus Corax.

Where will this concert be held -- just in Toronto?
CELTIC AVALON is not just one concert... it's a whole touring show. I'm designing everything with travel in mind. Our first tour (in late 2015) will include at least a dozen North American cities. We don't know which ones yet -- I'll be emailing you for ideas.

Will CELTIC AVALON visit only big cities like Chicago or Seattle?
Heck no! Free-thinking dreamers are everywhere... and we're ready to bring this show to you, wherever you are. Check out this fun map: you can see that I've toured to a LOT of places over the last 10 years. If your town has a theatre big enough to handle the show, let's talk... I'll be emailing you for concert venue advice in early 2015.

How will the money be spent?
1) Designing the show: I'll be hiring theatre professionals to help with lighting design, set design, costume design, and stage direction. I'm going to make sure they are all paid a fair and decent fee... I have huge respect for their skills as artists and craftspeople.
2) Designing the youth educational program: I have training as an arts educator, but I'll also be hiring an educational consultant to help me create a top-notch program.
3) Building the production: Costumes & backdrops need to be made. Cast members are going to be auditioned and hired. The whole show will be rehearsed in an appropriate space.
4) Producing the DVD: I already have a professional video production company on board, to create a full-length concert DVD of the show. DVD-related costs will include: theatre rental, musician fees, and the cost of filming, editing and manufacturing the DVDs. I've already got the detailed quote, and it's do-able if we meet our funding goal.

Just so you know, I'm already planning ahead for CELTIC AVALON's first North American tour in late 2015. I work with a super-awesome production team, and together we're going to be tackling the show's graphic design, marketing plan, sound/technical design, travel funding, and finding a great booking agent to partner with. I'll keep you posted about all those things over the next year. Bottom line: we will be working our tails off, and we'll cover those extra expenses ourselves.

Are you putting your own money into this too?
Yes indeed. I'm pouring everything I have into this idea... but frankly I eat a lot of mac'n'cheese, and very little filet mignon. I need your support to get this project off the ground. The ultimate goal is for CELTIC AVALON to be profitable so that I can create a lot more of these music/education projects for our beautiful community.

When will I receive my pledge reward?
I want you to enjoy your pledge reward as soon as possible. Here's the schedule:

INSTANTLY: you'll get an automatic email from Indiegogo, confirming your pledge.
WITHIN 72 HOURS: My team-mates Ben, Lesley or I will email you to provide a link to your mp3 rewards (audiobook, exclusive song, and/or two mp3 albums from HeatherDale.com/store). The audiobook/song/ringtones should be ready BY THE END OF FEBRUARY. We'll also touch base with you about any other details, like scheduling a school concert or making a unique video for you.
NEXT JULY (2015): I'll mail you a shiny new copy of our CELTIC AVALON DVD, for you to watch and enjoy! Your name will be listed as a "Patron of the Arts" in the credits, so be sure to keep eating popcorn until the very end. I'll also send you your VIP Concert Experience package, if your pledge reward includes it, along with details about CELTIC AVALON's first North American tour.

And I will be in touch regularly by email over the next year, with juicy updates about how CELTIC AVALON is taking shape. Feel free to email me anytime at heather@heatherdale.com -- I'm always happy to hear from you. :)

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I can't say 'thank you' enough for supporting me in this.
And I'm Canadian... so expect me to say ‘thank you’ a *lot*. (sorry ;)

Love, 
Heather.