Chester Theatre Company to Write Original Play for Donors of $100K or More

With the 2016 season fast approaching, Chester Theatre Company (CTC) is thinking about the future. In an unusual fundraising campaign, the company is offering to write an original play for any donor of $100,000 or more, to be mounted in a future season at Chester's Historic Town Hall on 15 Middlefield Road in Chester, MA.

"Producing Artistic Director Daniel Elihu Kramer explained that the play can be based on the donor's life or on the life of someone else of the donor's choosing. Kramer is a playwright himself; his My Jane, an adaptation of Jane Eyre with a contemporary twist, opens CTC's 2016 season on June 29.

""Here at Chester Theatre Company we have a special relationship with our audience," said Kramer. "Their lives, their concerns, and their stories enrich all our work, from our performances to our talkbacks and beyond. We cherish them, and I welcome an opportunity to put one of their stories on our stage."

"It is no surprise CTC would come up with this unique approach to fundraising. The theatre has built a reputation for presenting new and contemporary plays, often in world and/or regional premieres. In offering to tell a $100,000 donor's story, CTC will be both paving the way for a solid financial future and creatively celebrating the individual(s) who will play an important role in helping them get there.

"Nina Wishengrad, CTC's Director of Marketing and Development, added that the donor could also be contributing to the national theatre scene. "Several CTC productions have gone on to be staged at venues across the country," she said. "It is entirely possible that the new play could have a future beyond Chester." Anyone interested in learning more about this unique giving opportunity should contact her at 413-354-7770 or nina@chestertheatre.org.

"CTC's 2016 season opens on June 29 with the World Premiere of My Jane, Producing Artistic Director Daniel Elihu Kramer's adaptation of Jane Eyre. It will be followed by three Regional Premieres: Oh God, produced in partnership with Israeli Stage; Sister Play by Massachusetts playwright John Kovenbach; and The Mountaintop by Katori Hall.

Show times are 8:00 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and 2:00 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Ticket prices are $37.50 for general audiences and $10.00 for students and residents of Chester. Tickets may be purchased online at chestertheatre.org, or by phone at 1.800.595.4TIX (4849). Special rates for groups of 10 or more are available.

Chester Theatre Company (CTC), a professional theatre company located in the foothills of the Berkshires, has been presenting high-quality productions with top-notch actors, directors, and designers from across the country since 1990. Now in its 27th season-the first under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Daniel Elihu Kramer-CTC produces 4 thought- provoking plays each summer in an intimate setting at Chester's Historic Town Hall on 15 Middlefield Road in Chester, MA. Numerous CTC productions have gone on to Off-Broadway, regional, national and international engagements, among them Kramer's own Pride@Prejudice.

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