Stage Left Theater Association | Application Preview
Stage Left Theater Association is seeking government grants to fund production materials and rights for 2024. Despite a national decline in theater attendance due to the pandemic, their theater has experienced only a 10 to 15% drop. Their recent accolades, including Best Play and Best Director at a national competition, highlight their recognition and potential growth within the arts community.
As a recognized top venue in Washington State, Stage Left is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive arts environment. In the past four years, they have made strides in diversifying their board, staff, and patron demographics, ensuring representation across races, gender identities, and socio-economic backgrounds. They also engage with local youth through summer camps and partnerships with colleges to provide educational opportunities.
The theater's leadership, exemplified by Artistic Director Jeremy Whittington, has been praised for their dedication, earning the Washington State Governor's Arts & Heritage Award. Stage Left aims to maintain its role as a safe and supportive space for LGBTQIA+ individuals and marginalized voices, emphasizing that their smaller capacity of 60 seats necessitates funding beyond ticket sales.
In a competitive landscape with theaters like Spokane Civic Theatre and Spokane Valley Summer Theatre, Stage Left differentiates itself by focusing on new works and inclusion of underrepresented communities. Noteworthy productions, such as "Pass Over" and the upcoming "MacBeth," reflect their commitment to relevant storytelling and community engagement. The organization seeks support to continue this essential work in the arts sector.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 45-4059365
Location: Coeur dAlene, ID, United States
Length of Operation: 11plus
Number of Employees: 1-10 Employees
Annual Gross Income: $100k to $250k
Annual Gross Expense: $100k to $250k
Open to Loans: NO
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Funding Usage
We would like to request monies to cover the cost of our production materials and rights for 2024. With theater attendance across the country averaging 40% lower than pre-Covid numbers, we feel blessed to have only suffered a !0 to 15% drop in attendance. We recently traveled to Louisville, Kentucky and won Best Play, Director, and Ensemble in the nation at the American Association of Community Theatre's bi-annual competition, so our theater is up-an-coming, and we need to survive for the sake of the Arts in our region. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
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Business Plan
Listed as one of the "Top 10 Live Theater Venues in Washington State" (AmericanTownsMedia), Stage Left Theater has set itself apart as a small-but-mighty organization dedicated to creating a diverse and equitable Arts community by listening to and uplifting colonially and institutionally underserved populations in our region. In the past 4 years, the demographics of our Board, staff, and patrons has evolved to include people of all races, gender identities, and socio-economic backgrounds. We will continue to bring diverse, quality programing to our region by highlighting new and established works that speak to a wider range of audiences. We have begun working with local parks and recreation organizations to host kids' camps each summer, providing an unparalleled educational experience that reaches children of all backgrounds. Our outreach to local colleges has provided unique learning modules and internships to a wide range of students. We will continue to lead our region in diversity, equity, and inclusion both on stage an off. Artistic Director Jeremy Whittington was awarded the Washington State Governor's Arts & Heritage Award in 2022 for their tireless work in keeping the Arts alive during the pandemic. The theater has traveled to state, regional, and national competitions in 2023, sweeping each round to emerge as the top winner in multiple categories at the national level. We continue to provide safe space for LGBTQIA+ members of our community, and we uplift marginalized voices both in our community work and on our stage. With only 60 seats, our theater is small. The smallest in our region, in fact. We can not rely on ticket sales alone to bolster our income. We must always be seeking investors and grantors who recognize and value the diligent work we are doing in our community and in our world.
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Self Identified Competition
Our competitors are really more like siblings. Each theater in our region provides a different approach to how they work and who they serve. Spokane Civic Theatre produces ten shows each year, specializing in well-known musicals and fan-favorites. Spokane Valley Summer Theatre is a large organization that employs hundreds of local actors and musicians, paying them living wages for their work. The Best of Broadway organization brings touring companies of massive proportions through our region, allowing patrons to experience the grand scale of Broadway here in Spokane. Stage Left Theater is the only theater in town specializing in New Works and in the uplifting of traditionally excluded communities in our work. Our production of Pass Over, by Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu, won the hearts of our community and of the nation as it exposed the racial disparities so common on our streets. We provide safe space for the telling of Indigenous stories with quarterly festivals produced by Misty Shipman, a local Indigenous playwright and filmmaker. Our upcoming 2024 production of MacBeth, directed by nationally-acclaimed Nike Imoru, will feature actors of color set in a climate-crisis narrative. We bring fresh perspective to old tales, while shining a light on new voices with unique experiences.
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Contact Applicant
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