We are Theater RED, a Milwaukee-based theater company founded to produce works that provide substantial roles for women, growth for artists, and support new playwrights, especially local work.
We are proud to be presenting the world premiere of A LADY IN WAITING this August at Soulstice Theatre in Milwaukee, WI. Written by local playwright Liz Shipe, A LADY IN WAITING is an adventurous new twist on the legendary story of Robin Hood, told from a female point of view.
With this show, we honor a tradition of giving held by our partner, Soulstice Theatre. In the charitable spirit of Robin Hood, we will donate a portion of our box office sales to Hunger Task Force.
What We Need & What You Get
Last year, we had a huge response to our Kickstarter campaign for the world premiere of A THOUSAND TIMES GOODNIGHT. This year, by popular demand, we are bringing several rewards to our audiences who don't mind pitching in a little extra to become a bigger part of the show.
As a small theater company, Theater RED often dreams bigger than its production budget allows. This campaign will allow us to fully realize our production plans, all while providing our backers with a unique and fun way to experience the show!
By supporting our project you will be helping us transform not only the theater, but also the lobby space into Sherwood Forest for a complete immerse audience experience – and who knows what you may find in the forest before the show!
From costumes by Liz Shipe to original music by Brian Myers and wondrous lighting effects by Alan Piotrowicz and AntiShadows, LLC, your contribution will bring the characters of Nottingham and Sherwood Forest to life, and transport patrons to the legendary world of Robin Hood for an evening of action, adventure, and fun!
No contribution is too small. At the $5 level, you can be a part of the show with your name on a Wanted Poster on one of the trees in Sherwood Forest! The reward structure aims to provide unique perks at varying contribution levels to allow you to experience the show in an enhanced way.
We will use any contributions received to focus first on transforming the theater and lobby to immerse our audience in Sherwood Forest from the moment they walk through the doors. Remaining funds will dress our Merry Men, our Nobles, and our ladies in the best finery.
The Impact
Theater RED was founded to provide substantial roles for women, support growth for artists, and produce new works, especially by local playwrights. We are proud to present A LADY IN WAITING, which meets all these founding tenets by telling a classic story for audiences from a uniquely female perspective for a fresh twist on an adventurous classic; providing stage combat training from Dueling Arts International Associate Instructor Christopher Elst in the disciples of broadsword and quarterstaff that will be featured in the show (talk about live action!) And, producing an original play by local budding playwright Liz Shipe. Liz is the author of the SHERLOCK HOLMES TRILOGY and HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, which have both had successful runs in Milwaukee theaters, and she is currently writing a holiday show by commission for 2015.
Theater RED has had success with fundraising in the past. Last year, Theater RED produced its first world premiere, A THOUSAND TIMES GOODNIGHT, and exceeded its funding goal on its Kickstarter campaign. Theater RED has chosen Indiegogo for A LADY IN WAITING because it wanted to be transparent with its backers that the funding will be used to fully realize the production plans and vision for the show, but the basic plans and design have already been accounted for in the show’s budget.
Help us “plant” trees, sew costumes, and enhance the performance with lights, music, and props to fully immerse the audience in our world for a night, and share in the action, adventure, and intrigue of Nottingham and Sherwood Forest!
Risks & Challenges
We recognize that being dependent on fundraising brings with it risks and challenges, chief of them being that if our funding goals are not fully realized, we will need to make decisions about where the money we are grateful to have raised should be first earmarked.
We also realize that Theater RED had a successful fundraising campaign in November of 2013 and contributors might feel less compelled to donate to our theater again in less than a one year period. We hope that our founding principles and this world premiere production resonate with potential backers, and that the perks we are offering offer a unique benefit to supporting our efforts once again.
Acknowledging our past successes and the help that so many people have provided to Theater RED in the past, we are proud to partner with Hunger Task Force for this production to pay that forward in a small way.
We know that there are many worthwhile projects that ask for your financial support and that it is impossible to donate to them all. We hope you will consider sharing this project with your family and friends. Your endorsement of A LADY IN WAITING as a worthy project means a lot to us, and sharing our project can help spread the word about Theater RED and the work we founded the company to do!
Merrily yours,
Christopher & Marcee Elst
