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Year-end Update:
The Project
What if the Buddha were a woman? What if she were alive today? How would the world view her life and teachings differently?
"The Fourth Messenger" is a captivating new musical by playwright/lyricist Tanya Shaffer and composer Vienna Teng, loosely inspired by the life of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. In our contemporary re-imagining, the "awakened one" is a woman - a world-famous guru with a mysterious past, known to her followers as Mama Sid. When a young woman arrives at her ashram and starts asking questions, Mama Sid is forced to confront her youthful actions and their consequences. At once epic and intimate, comic and profound, "The Fourth Messenger" investigates what it means to be both enlightened and human. Vienna Teng's addictive melodies and subtle, intricate harmonies add depth and resonance that linger long after the lights go down.
The Journey
Producing this musical is the culmination of a long-held dream. From the germ of inspiration over fourteen years ago, to the afternoon in 2006 when Tanya and Vienna sat down in a cafe in San Francisco's Cannery district to discuss a potential collaboration, to the moment you sit reading these words, we've been through our own epic journey of creation and development. The family of artists who've contributed their time and talent as actors, directors, stage managers, dramaturges, and musicians now numbers close to fifty, not to mention the hundreds of audience members who've viewed our work-in-progress and shared their impressions and ideas. It's time for the world premiere!
Eight months ago, we made the decision to raise $80,000 to produce a four- to six-week run of "The Fourth Messenger" in the San Francisco Bay Area in early 2013. We hosted our first fundraiser in July and raised $35,000 in contributions, bringing us almost half-way to our long-term goal.
The Pitch, the Match, the Promise
We've set the goal for this phase of our campaign at $20,000. A generous donor has stepped forward with a promise to match your contributions dollar for dollar until that goal is met. That means that if you pledge $10, we get $20, if you pledge $50, we get $100, and onward and upward! The donor will deposit the matching grant every time we pass a $1000 benchmark, so you can watch online as our tally grows. Since we are fiscally sponsored, all gifts are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Please help us make this vision a reality. In exchange for your contribution, you will receive the fun, one-of-a-kind perks listed in the sidebar, as well as our promise to bring this work to the stage with all the color and magic and vitality it deserves. We will employ professional artists and use all the resources at our disposal to bring this story and this music to the widest possible audience. Look below for a quick breakdown of how the money will be spent.
Every gift is deeply appreciated. Every gift makes a difference. Every gift is tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us realize our dream.
What Else You Can Do
Share, share, share! Sharing your enthusiasm for this project via email, Facebook, Twitter, phone, and good ol' word of mouth is a gift to us that keeps on giving. Please help us go viral with this project by getting the word out on the streets!
Quick 'n Dirty Budget Breakdown
Salaries - Artistic, Technical, Front of House: 60%
9-12 actors • 4 musicians • Director • Music Director • Orchestrator • Choreographer • Designers (Set, Lighting, Costumes, Props) • Playwright and Composer Royalties • Stage Manager • House Manager • Technical Director • Carpenter(s) • Light and Sound Board Operators • Running Crew
Rental Costs : 15%
Performance Space • Rehearsal Space
Materials: 7%
Set Materials • Costume Materials • Prop Materials
Publicity: 15%
Publicist • Photographer • Poster/ Flyer/ Postcard Design and Printing • Bulk Mailing Costs • Paid Listings/Advertisements • Postering Service • Website Design and Maintenance
Other: 3%
Box Office Services • Audio Recording • Video Recording • Script Copying • Ticket and Program Printing
Our Team
Tanya Shaffer's (playwright/lyricist) plays have been produced at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre, A Contemporary Theatre, TheatreWorks, and the Eureka Theatre, and have toured to more than 40 cities nationwide. Her solo show "Let My Enemy Live Long!" ran for six sold-out months in the Bay Area and was awarded a Bay Area Theatre Critics Award. Her play 'Baby Taj,' which premiered in 2005, was selected by the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, and the Oakland Tribune as one of the Top Ten Shows of the Year and nominated for a National Theatre Critics Association Steinberg Award for the best play to premiere that year outside of New York City. She's also the author of the critically acclaimed travel memoir, "Somebody's Heart is Burning: A Woman Wanderer in Africa," which was profiled in Vogue and USA Today and selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the Best Books of the Year. She's currently a resident playwright at Playwrights Foundation. Visit her online: tanyashaffer.com.
Team on This Campaign:
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Tanya ShafferPlaywright/Lyricist
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Fractured AtlasFiscal Sponsor
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Vienna TengComposer