TheatreWorks Nears $3 Million Goal In Vital Fundraising Campaign

Since its August announcement that its future was at risk, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley reports it has now received more than 76% of the $3 million needed to complete its current season. To date the company has received $2.3 million, with donations large and small pouring in from more than 500 community members.

“We can almost see the finish line!” says Artistic Director Giovanna Sardelli, “We are continuing to hear from people whose lives have been touched by TheatreWorks throughout the past 53 years, as well as those who just want to ensure live theatre remains a vibrant part of the community. We are hoping those who have yet to join us, will step in now to help push us over the top.”

On August 9, the Tony Award recipient theatre company, the only professional LORT (League of Resident Theatres) organization between San Francisco and Los Angeles, announced it urgently needed to raise $3 million by the end of November 2023 in order to complete its 53rd season. The financial shortfall is attributable to the devastating after-effects of the COVID pandemic, which saw audience attendance decline at live theatre productions across the country. Reaching its $3 million goal will enable the company to solidify contracts to actors, directors, and designers for the remainder of its season, scheduled to run through June 2024 at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto, and the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. 

 

Among those stepping forward to help TheatreWorks is internationally-acclaimed pianist and performer Hershey Felder, who immediately offered to fly in at his own expense and donate a fundraising performance, to be held October 11 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets for that event, which have been moving briskly, range from $45 to top tier tickets that include private pre- and post-show receptions with the world-famed artist. Information and remaining tickets are available at TheatreWorks.org or by calling 1-877-662-8978. 

 

TheatreWorks, a 501c3 non-profit, is asking the public for donations of any size, and is also urging its community to show support through subscribing to this season's productions. Says Sardelli, “A subscription is a wonderful way to help, while getting great value for your contribution. Tickets for all six shows start as low as $132 - only $22 per show. We are asking current subscribers to consider doubling down: buy two more subscriptions and bring friends or family.” Since its August announcement, sales have also shot up, with some 450 additional TheatreWorks subscriptions purchased (doubling the amount sold in the same period for the prior season). 

The company also seeks a match for a $500,000 challenge grant by an anonymous donor, which must be paired with another new gift of at least $500,000; together the new gifts would catapult the company over its goal. This potential windfall comes in addition to enormous generosity from local supporters including $250,000 from Peggy and Yogen Dalal, and a pledge of $500,000 from Katharine Kleinke, who has also pledged an additional $500,000 towards TheatreWorks' endowment. Says TheatreWorks Executive Director Debbie Chinn, “These amazing supporters are leading the way, with early support that has propelled our campaign. We are inexpressibly grateful for their contributions, as well as all the other gifts of all amounts, each of which has brought us that much closer to our goal. I promise we will not rest in our efforts to secure the remainder.” 

Looking to the future, Chinn adds, “Once we are back on solid financial ground, we can finish our current season as planned, solidifying contracts for the many artists and craftspeople who depend on us for their livelihoods. And we will get to work making plans for the future, with our artistic vision supported by our current fiscal climate.” 

 

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley was founded in Palo Alto in 1970 by Robert Kelley as a community-based organization and rose to become one of the nation's top producers of new works. In 2019 the company was recognized with the theatre world's highest honor, the Regional Theatre Tony Award, after which it embarked on a victorious 50th Anniversary Season of plays and musicals. But the abrupt pandemic shutdown in March 2020, followed by years of virtual and hybrid performances and a slow return of audiences, led to substantial shortfalls in subscription and single ticket revenue, as well as individual support. As reported in recent news, its fate has been shared by many theatre companies, several of which are now ceasing production around the Bay Area, across the US, and abroad. COVID funding helped sustain operations during the pandemic but came with the requirement that they be spent during that period to keep people at work. Now that this source is depleted, theatres are struggling to return to sound financial footing. 

TheatreWorks launches its 53rd season October 4 – 29 with the West Coast Premiere of Heidi Armbruster's Mrs. Christie, directed by Sardelli. Exploring what happened to Agatha Christie during the 11 days she vanished from public sight early in her career, Sardelli describes the show as “TheatreWorks doing what it does best. This play is everything people love: mystery, comedy, heart. It's a smart, funny show that celebrates the strength of women. It isn't your grandmother's Agatha Christie, but if you bring her, she will love it. I predict it will be done around the country after this production, and our audiences will be among the first to see it.” 

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has created a reputation as one of the nation's leaders in cultivating and producing new musicals and plays, developing and premiering 72 works by new and veteran artists, and presenting 171 Regional Premieres. Prior to the pandemic closures, TheatreWorks reached more than 100,000 people per year, presenting works that celebrate the human spirit and reflect the diversity of its community, with a history of inclusive casting and selecting or creating works that shine a light on the experiences of the diverse populations of the Bay Area. It was at TheatreWorks that the 2010 Best Musical Tony Award-winner Memphis was first workshopped and received its World Premiere. Stephen Schwartz's musical The Prince of Egypt, based on the DreamWorks movie of the same name, also made its World Premiere at TheatreWorks before debuting in London's West End in 2020. Among TheatreWorks' community services are the Children's Healing Project at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital which serves children in long-term care and their siblings, as well as its theatre program at Stanford's Ronald McDonald House for children in families seeking lifesaving hospital treatments. 

 

Additional information on this campaign, subscribing or making donations, can be found at theatreworks.org. 

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!