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Idle Muse Theatre Company FUNDRAISING

Caty Gordon
Jul 1, 2015
4 min read

Give us "a hand" won't you? Get it? (From Idle Muse Theatre Company's THE TALKING CURE- Spring 2015)

With any young theatre company, actually, ANY theatre company, fundraising is a huge part of being able to make the art we love to make- the truth is our charge and our burden and our chosen vehicle: the stage! So, please read below and learn how you can help us to bring about the renaissance!

May 2015

Dear Friend-

Ten years ago, a small group of friends gathered together and decided that they wanted to produce theatre that transported audiences, even in the smallest of black box spaces. Now, that small group has grown, and as Idle Muse looks back at the past decade, we also look forward to what the future has in store.

Our 9th season kicked off with a bang, as Jekyl and Hyde became not only our most successful show to date, but also earned the company its fourth Joseph Jefferson Recommendation as well as its third Nomination, this time for Ensemble Member Laura Wiley’s transformative lighting design. The spring saw not only the “compelling…Chicago premier” (Lawrence Bomer, Stage and Cinema) of Christopher Hampton’s The Talking Cure, but the start of Idle Muse’s staged reading series with The Scullery Maid by Joseph Zettelmaier. Our 10th Season promises to be one of mysteries, both the mundane and mystical…

Who owns great art? Those who hold the physical copy? The country where it was painted? Or does it belong to those who are inspired by it, for better or worse? In 1911, Vincenzo Peruggia committed, what was then, the crime of the century when he simply walked out of the Louvre with a painting stuffed in his coat because he believed it belonged in its native Italy…and then kept it in his apartment for two years. The painting: DaVinci’s “La Gioconda”, or “Mona Lisa”. Leonardo’s work has inspired, attracted, and perplexed admirers across generations, but was it her theft alone that made her so famous? Nathan Pease (director of last season’s Jekyl and Hyde) examines the lives of Peruggia and others affected by this smiling lady in The Woman Who Amuses Herself.

In the spring, we journey back to the world of the Great Detective, Sherlock Holmes. This time, however, instead of the fog-covered streets of London, the Bloodhound of Baker Street must uncover the secrets hidden in the mist-shrouded Moors of Devonshire. In conjunction with the same team that brought Animal Farm to the Steppenwolf Young Adults Program, Idle Muse Artistic Director Evan Jackson and adaptor Althos Low invite audiences to follow Holmes and his faithful companion Dr. Watson as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of a supernatural curse that threatens the last descendant of an ancient family in The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Idle Muse looks forward to bringing both of these tales to the Rivendell Theatre Space, as well as continuing to foster new works with our Staged Reading series. Our family has grown, and so have our dreams, and to make those dreams a reality we need your help. Please consider making a donation or becoming a corporate sponsor. Together, we can take on the next ten years…and more!

Evan Jackson Erin Gallagher

Artistic Director Managing Director

For all donations, you will be listed on the Donor Page of our program. Additional benefits are listed below!

$25 – 49 Muse

A “Thank You” listing in our program

$50 – 99 Hero

All benefits of a Muse level donor as well as:

- A poster from each of the shows this season, signed by the cast

$100 – 199 Legend

All benefits of a Hero level donor as well as:

- Two tickets to each of our shows this season

$200 – 499 King

All benefits of a Legend level donor as well as:

- One drink for you and your guest after your show with available cast/crew

$500 + Olympian

All benefits of an King level donor as well as:

- An invitation to a final dress (director's choice on date) for one of our shows this season

What name(s) should we use to acknowledge your gift? To what address should we send your receipt

Please complete this form and mail with payment (checks payable to Idle Muse Theatre NFP) to Erin R. Gallagher, Managing Director, 6517 N. Hoyne Ave. #1N, Chicago, Illinois 60245. You may also donate online at idlemuse.org. A receipt will be sent for your records.

Do you have a business you would like to promote?

You might also want to consider a Performance Sponsorship!

A performance sponsorship is a way for us to promote our supporters as well. For a gift of $200, we will provide you with a free half page ad for your business as well as you will receive acknowledgement as a performance sponsor during the pre-show curtain speech for every performance during the weekend of your choice. You will also receive a tax-deductible donation receipt for your business acknowledging a gift of $125. (The sponsorship minus the cost of the advertisement.) Please contact Tristan Brandon at tristan.brandon@gmail.com for more information.

______NO, I am sorry, but I am unable to donate at this time. However, please keep me up to date with what is going on with Idle Muse.

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Idle Muse Theatre Company is a dba of Idle Muse Theatre NFP, which is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Tax ID # 45-3604728

IL CO # 01062287

Anticipated Budget For An Idle Muse Show

STAFF

$3200

Author Royalties

$1500

Designer Stipends

$800

Actor Stipends

$300

Vocal Coach