Short Summary
We (Katie the director & playwright, Noelia & Shanna the actors) all attended the University of Wyoming where we studied theatre and dance. Post school we went on different paths, but have found ourselves back together in NYC. We've been advised that the best way to begin to establish a career in theatre is to make your own work. So we decided to get together and make something that we care about. Step one done. Now we just need a little help seeing it though.
A hybrid of text and dance, Lotta Shakin' is a story that explores the significance of choices made in early adulthood, doing what makes you happy, and the naivety of optimistic twenty somethings. The play is to premier at the Strawberry One Act Festival. If we do well and make it to the final round, we will have the opportunity to win prizes, be seen by industry professionals, and be published in Volume 9 of the Best Plays from the Strawberry Festival.
What We Need
The festival requires a $300 participation fee. The money raised here will go to supporting that. One of the other stipulations of the festival is that we must provide our own stage manager and sound and light board operator. Seeing as this is quite a task, we would like to be able to offer potential technicians some sort of compensation. However our real predicament is rehearsal space. We're doing the starving artist act right now. (One of us lives in a living room!) A huge part of this piece is dance, and in our shoe box apartments we don't have the ability to move around. We intend on doing things on the cheap end (booking studios on their off peak hours/being efficient with time), but it adds up really quickly.
Here's how it breaks down.
- $300 participation fee
- $150 for technician compensation
- $400 for rehearsal space (20 hours of rehearsal @ $20/hr)
- $100 for music rights
- $50 for props
The Impact
This project is really important to us. Not only will it help fulfill some artistic needs, it will be extremely useful in advancing our careers. The finals of the festival are judged by industry professionals, and through our participation we will be able to expand our New York network. In short, it's great exposure.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you're in the same boat as we are, don't sweat it. Maybe you can help us out by spreading the word, sharing this link, and sending us some good vibes!
