Taproot Theatre Announces Emergency Fundraising Campaign

Earlier this year Taproot Theatre, a $3.5 million Theatre Incorporated as both a nonprofit and a parachurch organization, initiated an emergency fundraising campaign. Now, the theatre has unveiled a comprehensive plan aimed at bridging the gap between the increasing costs of operation and the slow post-pandemic arts recovery.

American Theatre reports Taproot Theatre announced the need to raise $1.95 million by the end of December to complete the 2024 season and successfully launch the 2025 season. This goal represents a 62.5 percent increase over previous years.

"Ticket sales are only part of the equation, and audiences returning to the theatre doesn’t solve the entire problem of exponentially rising costs of producing theatre," said Karen Lund, producing artistic director.

Typically, Taproot raises around $1.2 million annually from grants, foundations, corporate sponsors, and individual donors. However, since the start of the pandemic, the cost of production has increased significantly. Annual payroll costs alone have risen by $750,000 since 2019 due to changes in minimum wage, union wages, and the introduction of an understudy program to keep plays running amid ongoing pandemic challenges.

Despite these challenges, Taproot reports a robust audience return rate of over 80 percent since the end of pandemic lockdowns. Their current show, Sherlock Holmes and the Precarious Position, announced an extension even before it opened.

Since summer 2023, Taproot has taken measures to cut costs, including reducing staff hours, leaving positions vacant, and programming shows with smaller casts. These efforts, along with a "tiered emergency fundraising campaign," have raised $700,000 of the $1.95 million goal.

"I worry that Taproot will be forced to shrink to stay open and lose vital programming," said Lund, highlighting programs like the statewide school touring for bullying prevention, serving over 72,600 students; the acting studio, providing arts education to more than 350 youth annually; and the Re-Ignite the Mind classes for people with early-stage memory loss.

Donations can be made online at https://taproottheatre.org/donate/.