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HERE'S WHAT WE'RE ABOUT:
Mitch and Murray Productions is a new Vancouver theatre company with a mandate to present west coast premieres of plays from Canada and around the world. Our focus is on intimate, gritty, realistic, character-driven comedy/drama with small casts, focusing on modern relationships as a reflection of the world at large. Our mission is to stage these works in unconventional aesthetic ways, while attracting new audience members to the theatre.
In 2009, the company staged the Vancouver premiere of Neil Labute's "Fat Pig" at Performance Works in Vancouver. The play was nominated for three Jessie Richardson awards and it attracted several packed houses.
Our next production is the Vancouver premiere of Michael Weller's "Fifty Words", Michael Weller's haunting new play detailing one night in the life of a married couple, alone for the first time in years as their son is at his first sleepover. The play goes on an emotional roller coaster and never gets off for the full 90 minutes, examining every beautiful and ugly detail of a troubled marriage. It will be directed by Jessie Award winner John Murphy and it features Vancouver actors Kirsten Robek and Aaron Craven. The design team includes the brilliant Itai Erdal and Naomi Sider. The play runs October 25th - November 5th at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre Culture Lab.
We'll be staging the play in the intimate confines of The Culture Lab and our concept is hyper-realism. That is, you as the audience will be walking into a set which is completely non-theatrical. Every light, every bit of food cooking, every prop will be real and functioning. As you watch the two characters descend into a most unexpected night, you will smell the cooking and literally be on top of the action as if you were a fly on the wall of the living room. This is what theatre can do!
WHY WE NEED YOU:
The theatre scene in Vancouver has been devastated by public arts funding cuts, plain and simple. As a young emerging theatre company, we are finding innovative ways to engage audiences and raise money privately. You, the individual, are both our audience member and our lifeblood, which is why we strive to produce work which appeals to audiences on a universal level while pushing the boundaries of what theatre can be as an entertainment experience.
When you see a play, you sit in a theatre with a relatively small group of people and you connect to something that you are very much involved in. Your reactions - your laughter, your tears, your applause, they have the ability to change the dynamics of that particular performance. No two performances are exactly the same, and as an audience member, you are part of an experience that is completely unique to that moment, that is vital and that is very much alive in front of your eyes.
When we buy "limited edition" clothing, wine, paraphernalia, etc, we feel a bit of an extra buzz as we feel we have purchased something rare or special. When you invest in theatre, you are buying into something that is always limited edition, captured only by the eyes and the minds of that night's audience.
WHAT YOU GET OUT OF IT:
For our upcoming production of "Fifty Words", our funding goal for individuals investing on this site is $3000. We are purposeful in our use of the term "investing". We are not asking for help for a charity. We think of it as investing in a young, energetic company that will involve you not only as audience members but in other means of audience outreach.
Funders on this site, staring at an investment of only $5, will automatically be entered in our monthly prize draws and will be listed as a patron on the site. You will have the opportunity to comment on our fundraising campaign as well as be involved in the goings on of our show through all of it's production phases, including a website blog and audience feedback page. Higher levels of contribution will receive mention in the playbill, discounted tickets, sponsor prize packages, dinner for two, wine and much more! We have received amazing support from the business community in the form of in kind donations - all as an incentive for you to support our fundraising drive.
Prizes include one night's stay at The Sakinaw Lake Lodge, dinners for two, free tickets to the show and much more!
We will also be organizing a wide-ranging audience outreach campaign, including a contest associated with the production. Because the play is, at its core, about love, we plan to do a play on words with our title and start a contest related to our production. People will have the chance to email us and use "fifty words" or less to describe love. Any form will be accepted - poetry, prose, stream of consciousness, personal anecdotes, etc. The winner will win free tickets to the show as well as a prize package from our participating sponsors. At the theatre itself, the lobby will be plastered with the best letters we receive from participants. This is the type of creative marketing that we believe local theatre is in need of.!
Invest what you can, ultimately. You might think of it as a drop in the bucket, but if we get a lot of drops, we'll have a bucket. Your support will mean the world to our company as we look to gain a further foothold in the city's arts scene.
You can also invest anonymously on this site or by sending a cheque to:
Mitch and Murray Productions / #910-525 Seymour Street; Vancouver, BC; V6B 3H7
If you'd like to sponsor business in exchange for ad space on our website and promotional materials, please get in touch - contact info is below.
Thank you for your support and we'll see you at the show!
Team on This Campaign:
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Mitch and Murray Productions SocietyProducer
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Aaron CravenCast Member
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Naomi_Sider
Designer
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Geri GuemosAdministration