Hi there!
Thanks for taking the time to check
out our campaign to help fund our production of The Whale by
Samuel D. Hunter.
We’re Melissa Livingston-Weaver
and Shanon Weaver, Co-Artistic Directors of the Austin, TX-based theatre
company a chick & a dude productions. We’re
celebrating our 11th season in Austin with this magnificent story by
one of the hottest young playwrights in America!
The Whale tells the story of Charlie, a
600-pound man in Northern Idaho. Charlie was once married, with a
daughter—Ellie—who he loved very much. But that all changed when Charlie met
Alan. Alan was a Mormon, the son of a Bishop. They couldn’t stand to be apart.
Charlie & Alan fell in love, Charlie left his wife & daughter, and Alan
left the church. Some years later, Alan’s father forced him to go to church
just one last time. Alan agreed, and came back…changed. Alan gave up on life,
and died soon after. Charlie began eating his way to his own grave, with the
enabling assistance of his caretaker, Liz. This week, Charlie wants to mend
fences. He wants to reconnect with his daughter—who is now quite the terror. A
Mormon on his mission, Elder Thomas, arrives in Charlie’s life, and may be able
to shed some light on exactly what happened to Alan at the old Mormon Church
over by the U-Haul. Charlie knows he’s not long for this world, and will use
his last week on earth to make sure he’s done just one thing right with his
life. The Whale is a play about love, empathy, family…and much, much
more. We’re very excited to bring this Off-Broadway smash to Austin for
its Texas premiere!
As you know, funding for the arts is
limited and hard to come by. In reaching our campaign goal, we’ll ensure our
entire design and artistic team are paid what they’re worth for the amazing
talents they provide. We’ve raised about 2/3 of what we need for a successful
run, and we hope you see fit to help us reach our goal!
Your donation today helps us pay for
the following:
· Licensing Rights for The
Whale
· Actor fee x4
· Set Designer fee
· Set Construction costs
· Lighting Designer fee
· Lighting equipment rental
· Master Electrician fee
· Costume Design fee
· “Fat Suit” construction
· Costumes
· Props
· Sound Design Fee
· Sound equipment rental
· Graphic Designer fee
· Poster & Program
printing
· Advertising/Marketing costs
· Light & Sound Board
Operator
· Concessions
· Venue rental costs
The director, production manager,
and actor playing Charlie are all donating their time and receiving no pay, in
order to have more to spread around everyone else.
As you can see, there’s plenty to
pay for! All of this comes out to around $12,000, and we’ve got around
$8,000 so far thanks to the City of Austin, private donors, and previous
fundraising efforts. If we don’t make the goal, we’ll stretch what we do make
as far as we can!
We know times are tight. We know
high-dollar donations aren’t an option for everyone. That’s why we’re setting
our increments rather low! We’re operating under the idea that if we can get a
lot of people to give a little, we’ll reach our goal faster than asking a few
people to give a lot.
We’ve got some great rewards, too!
Your donation today can earn things like a personal “thank-you” email from the
director, a show poster signed by the cast, free tickets to the show, and more!
Of course, a chick & a dude
productions is a Sponsored Project of Austin Creative Alliance, a 501
(C) 3 non-profit organization, so if you’d like to make a bigger donation or
would like your donation to be tax-deductible, please visit our website here.
Theatre is one of the last
storytelling art forms that can’t be downloaded, streamed or digitally shared.
It is one of the few remaining live experiences, and it’s important to support
new work from talented storytellers. From the deepest parts of our souls, we
thank you for taking a moment to read about our campaign, and we hope you
decide to help in any way you can!
For more information about a chick
& a dude productions, please visit us online at www.achickandadude.com.
Thanks!
The Whale, by Samuel D. Hunter
Starring:
Erin Barlow as Liz
Jon Cook as Elder Thomas
Elizabeth Mason as Mary
Kayla Newman as Ellie
Shanon Weaver as Charlie
Directed
by Melissa Livingston-Weaver
Scenic
Design by Michael B. Raiford
Lighting
Design by Jason Amato
Costume
Design by Katy Billik-Hogge
Fat
Suit by Kelly Ruiz
Graphic
Design by Dan Price
