Almost a month ago, I announced my first new project in over a year, NY_Hearts: LES, an immersive, transmedia theatrical project, opening at The Brick Theater’s Game Play Festival in July.
I also announced a Kickstarter campaign for the project. The aim was to hit $5K in 30 days, and 24 hours from now this campaign ends.
As of this writing, the project is $660 away from reaching its goal. You may not have $660 to give. But what about $40? $40 gets you a fun day in the LES that includes a yoga class, lunch and other surprises along the way. Get your limited 35% off through Kickstarter only in the next 24 hours.
Inspired by Amanda Palmer’s blog today about where the hell all the money she’s raising on her Kickstarter will go ($801,825 as of this writing), I thought I’d break down my own NY_Hearts: LESbudget and share where my campaign for $5000 will go.
THE BUDGET
$2100 covers production expenses. I’m paying actors, a sound engineer, and an associate producer. It’s a shoestring budget, and because the theater space is the Lower East Side I don’t have the overhead of theater rental, which would typically add another $15,000 to the budget.
$2878 is goes to hiring a press agent and printing. You may ask, “Why isn’t this line a round number?” It’s because I must cover the payout to businesses of goods and services for each journalist or reviewer who takes the journey. The press ticket is free, but I still have to pay for food and classes for any person – including press.
Finally, Kickstarter takes 5% of the total raised. In reality, I must raise about $5500 to cover all my expenses. Obviously, Kickstarter is a make it or lose it situation, so if I don’t reach my $5000 goal, I don’t get anything, which means I’ll be footing the bill for most of it and I will end up doing my own press hustling. It would be great to not have to personally take on the financial burden or hustle of garnering press so I can spend time creating the best experience possible.
WHAT DO YOU GET?
Some have asked what you get for the experience, and I think it’s a great deal. Participants get a yoga class, a drink from a bar, a special from a coffee shop, an item from a retail store, and a meal at a restaurant. They also get what I think is a sexy and provocative story that kicks off an 18 month transmedia narrative. It costs less than dinner and a show, and you get so much more with NY_Hearts: LES.
THE BIG PICTURE
In comparison to what Amanda’s raised my goal is meager, but it all goes somewhere and I don’t see much back. The monies from ticket sales in July go straight back into the project, which is an 18 month endeavor, including the NY_Heartsneighborhood experiences, a web series and another live experience for the winter of 2013-14. In addition to those three tent pole productions (which really feel more like seven productions once all five of the neighborhood experiences are complete) I’m including morsels of story through visual art, music, and social media platforms to color and shade the narrative.
Right now, I’m at $800 of my $5000 goal. I have 22 days left. Please, consider pledging. You can get 30% off tickets if you’re an early bird donor at $40, and if you pledge only $25, I’ll integrate a sentence about someone you love or loved into the NY_Hearts: LESexperience.
Thanks tons, and hope you can pledge your support today:
Creating a new piece of work is challenging. You work endless hours writing, planning, and raising money. The first two tasks are daunting enough, but then you ask people for support — whether you request they pay money to see the project or solicit donations for financing — you ask friends, colleagues and strangers to believe in your work and invest time and money into it.
It’s been a while since I’ve invited people to support my work, but now I’m reaching out again. I’m proud of the creation, and I’m just about ready to share it.
Now, I’m in the final phase. I’ve launched the Kickstarter campaign for my transmedia theatrical project, NY_Hearts: LES, which opens in The Brick Theater’s Game Play Festival in July 2012. I’m partnering with local small businesses to offer an immersive experience in which the audience gets to see, feel, taste and smell the same things the characters did in the story.
Contribute $25 and submit a sentence about someone you love or loved, and I’ll integrate it into the story. You can also get 30% off the regular price if you pledge $40 for limited early donation discount tickets. Once this deal is gone, you can still reserve regular priced tickets through Kickstarter.
Thanks to all who have supported me throughout the years. This is a big new chapter in my career, and I hope you’ll not only contribute now but also come to check out NY_Hearts: LES this summer. After all, the most important part of creating work is sharing it with others.
Six years ago, terraNOVA Collective experienced a resurgence with the production of my play BABY STEPS, which played in the The Lion in Theatre Row. Since then, the company grew and began many programs including the annual soloNOVA Arts Festival, which celebrates the best in solo performers and visual artists, Groundbreakers, a developmental program for new plays & playwrights, a Touring Wing, bringing the best terraNOVA has to offer to universities and presenters across the USA, and now a Musical Theater Development program.
I am very proud of all the work we’ve done. It’s hard work sustaining a not-for-profit theatre organization in New York City – especially in the current economic climate. It’s terrifying, sometimes, in fact. Still there are so many people who are supportive. We just brought on a managing director and literary manager for the first time. We grew our board of directors this season by 6 people, and they’ve been extremely helpful in generating more interest and support for terraNOVA. We also started a residency in the DR2 Theatre this past fall; our partnership with this wonderful organization has been a great experience, and we’re looking forward to seeing it grow.
Still, with times being what they are, we find ourselves falling short. terraNOVA still needs $10K to make it through into this next season. It’s always a conundrum, asking friends, family and colleagues for money. Any not-for-profit’s base is made up primarily from its individual donors, and we’re very fortunate to have that kind of contribution. It’s been difficult to reach out to individuals this year because we’re not the only ones hurting – our base is feeling it quite intensely, too. We looked at this gap and realized that we weren’t going to close it by asking 20 people to give $500…or 10 people to give $1000. No one’s got that kind of cash to blow right now. It hit us – why not ask our base to give what they can? I don’t have much, but I can give $10. Most of the people who make up our base are like me, so we’re reaching out in a tight time to see if our friends, family and colleagues can help us get through this tight time.
It’s only 10 bucks, but it’ll help more than you can imagine.
Very best,
James (JD) Carter
Associate Artistic Director & soloNOVA Lead Curator
terraNOVA Collective
james carter 