Cohesion is about Baltimore's Artists

Cohesion Theatre Company is currently Brad Norris and Alicia Stanley, along with anyone who will come make collaborative work with them.  Brad is an actor, director, lighting designer and professional theatre nerd who has been working in the non-profit arts world in Chicago and Baltimore for over 15 years.  Alicia is a graduate of St. John's College in Annapolis who has acted, directed, and obsessively read her way into being a Shakespearean fanatic.  Together they were the Directorial team behind the critically acclaimed adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's Edward II at Spotlighter's Theatre in the Spring of 2014.  Now they are using their powers for good.

Cohesion Theatre Company was born out of a desire to foster connections amongst the theatrical and artistic community of Baltimore. We believe passionately that when artists combine their talents and energies across disciplines and despite competitive tendencies, what is created becomes greater than the sum of its parts, and what would be a success for one becomes a triumph for all.

We are currently putting together a three-show inaugural season in Baltimore, Maryland that will include two Baltimore Premiere Productions.  We are collaborating with established local theaters and artists to house our productions for extended runs in the Fall, Spring, and Summer.

As Cohesion grows, we hope to partner with other grassroots theatre companies in the Baltimore area to create new and interesting works of art. These collaborations are central to our mission statement, and we hope they will help foster the sense of community in the Baltimore theatre scene.

We want you to join us in our mission, and at our Launch Party!

We will be announcing our three show season at our Inaugural Season Launch Party on Friday, September 26, 2014 - 8pm to Midnight at Gallery 788 in Hampden - 3602 Hickory Avenue, Baltimore 21211. 

Tickets for the party are $20 each and will include food, drinks, raffle prizes, and live music performances from The Black & White Milk Bar, featuring Dyana Neal, Jim Knost, Beth Weber, and Christine Thomas-O'Mealy, as well as dancing with DJ Aurturo Ozaeta.

Tickets for our party are available online through this IndieGoGo Campaign!

What We Need & What You Get.

You can see the benefits related to each donation level on the right side of the screen, but right now let's talk about what the community gets when you give.

Your ticket purchase and donation mean that each of the artists involved in Cohesion Theatre Company's Inaugural Season gets paid for their work.

Let's say that again.  This company is going to pay its actors, designers, directors, stagehands, playwrights, stage managers, assistants, run crew, graphic artists, and anyone else who does work with or for us.  We believe strongly that art has value, and that the value of artists’ work should be recognized.  We also believe that being fiscally responsible with the art you make means that you can make more art in the future.  These ideas can work together.

Your donation to Cohesion Theatre Company will go into the pockets of local Baltimore Artists so that they can live, work, and create in and for this city.

Here's how it works.  Cohesion is planning three shows this season.  We'll start small by paying people stipends that are on par with other local theatre companies who pay their artists.  That means that this is the budget for our artist pay this year:

• 30 Actors @ $200 each
• 3 Directors @ $400 each
• 3 Assistant Directors @ $200 each
• 3 Stage Managers @ $500 each
• 3 Assistant Stage Managers @ $200 each
• 3 Lighting Designers @ $300 each
• 3 Costume Designers @ $300 each
• 2 Sound Designers @ $300 each
• 1 Puppetry Designer @ $300 each
• 3 Set Designers @ $300 each
• 3 Prop Designers @ $300 each
• 6 Run Crew/Technicians @ $200 each

That comes out to $15,600 in artist pay, just for our three productions.

What happens if you don't raise all this money through this campaign? 

We will rely more heavily on ticket sales from our three shows and grant and sponsorship opportunities to find this money over the course of the season.  We may need to cut production budgets in other areas.  We will not reduce the amount paid out to our artists.

What happens if you raise tons more money than you need to meet this goal?

We will put some of the excess towards our artist pay for our second season, and the rest will go toward increasing the stipends for all our artists across the board.

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

As Baltimore artists, we work day jobs, we work night jobs, we work retail, and restaurant, and minimum wage gigs all in support of what we really love to do: Create.  Now sometimes that's for nothing, and sometimes it costs us, and sometimes it costs us dearly.  We pay in time lost, we pay in gas cost, we pay in nights spent up late learning lines when we need to sleep.  That is worth something, and should be treated as such.  We hope that through our connections and our collaborations we will be able be able to offer that value to all theatre artists in Baltimore.  We hope to work with other companies to find ways to partner with them and raise their ability to support their artists more fully.  To create a vibrant and supportive artistic theatre community in Baltimore that is about more than just applause for its actors, directors, designers and technicians.

This is where we start that mission.  Will you join us?

Other Ways You Can Help

Share Cohesion's campaign and Launch Party details to as many friends and family as you can.  You can use Indiegogo's share tools to spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, and even through your own email.  We thank you for your time and hope to see you soon.
-Brad and Alicia