ACT Operating Funds 2024-2025 Season

When was the last time you were deeply moved by a live performance, up close and personal? At Applause Community Theatre (ACT), we believe that intimate, thought-provoking theater can ignite change and foster community. And making it affordable is even better!

Last year, ACT partnered with the national organization ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence, Mixed Blood Theater, Perpich School for the Arts and Save Our Sons Executive Director, Melvin Carter Jr., to be the first organization in Minnesota to bring new works of theater written and performed by teens to the Twin Cities. Our November 06, 2023, production at Mixed Blood Theater was one of over 50 nationwide performances that day. The plays sparked critical conversations and inspired youth to create other thought-provoking forms of art on the subject such as music. All proceeds from the production were donated to Save Our Sons to help fund the creation of more art, in this case film, to spark critical conservations and inspire action on preventing gun violence. 

To support ACT's mission of spotlighting new voices and rarely performed works, this year we are bringing a one act by a local playwright, paired with A Woman Over Forty by New Zealand playwright Lindsey Brown.   Excerpts from A Woman Over Forty were performed in the 2024 FastFest festival in Cloquet, MN.

In March, 2025 we will be presenting Done to Death by Fred Carmichael at The Hive Collaborative in Saint Paul and presenting one act of it at the Minnesota Association of Community Theaters MACTFest competition.  We believe this is a Minnesota premier.

Next spring, we are also producing the first showing in the last 10 years in Minnesota of Red, by John Logan.  Red won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Play  along with 5 other awards.

We keep our ticket prices low as we want our shows to be accessible.  Ticket sales cover about 53% of expenses. Your donation, whether one-time or recurring, will directly support our productions, keeping ticket prices low and ensuring that our shows remain accessible to all. 

Normal production costs that include [per show-3 to 4 per year]:

• Rehearsal space:  $1000-1500
• Performance space:  $1000 - 2000
• Royalties and music rentals:  $750-2000
• Aspiration to provide stipends:  $1000-1500

Please consider including us in your charitable giving.   We are 100% volunteer, so all monies received go into production costs.

We are thankful for any donation, from $5 to $5,000.  GiveMN does offer you the option of making a recurring donation [just like MPR] at any level.  You could, for instance,  donate $25/month, which annually pays royalties for 2 performances.

Or even $10/month buys a script for one production every month.  You get the idea.

Details at act-mn.org

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