Any good ideas for fundraising for a play?

Question

I wrote and will perform my one woman show in LA. We found a theatre but I would need to raise about a $1000 to rent it. ANy good ideas for fundraising or finding a sponsor?

Answer 1

DO you have head shots, or any promotional material that explains your show? Submit it to your local paper, church,schools  and trade for advertising at your show.

Also, offer other services to raffle off that could be traded. Women In Film have an LA office that could help.

Best,

T

Answer 2

Umm...most people put up their own $$$$ for the theatre and get it back from ticket sales. Otherwise find a smaller venue.

To find a sponsor call around to women-oriented places:

Gynocologist offices

Women`s medicine clinics

Spas

Salons

Women`s gyms

If it is an edgy thing:

Edgy clothing places

Coffee houses

Concert/bar venues

You could approach a dessert restaurant (somewhere people might go after the show) to put in a coupon (even 10% off) for dessert after the show into a program. If you are not planning to have a program hand out a one sheet blurb on the show with little ads around the border.

Art gallery

Think about the places that would cater to your audience. In this economy most businesses will not sponsor an unknown in a show for the sake of art -- they have to use their marketing budget wisely.

To raise $1000 quickly -- nope -- I got nothing but the advertising thing. It takes me about 15 minutes to make up a spec display ad in Illustrator/Photoshop/Publisher. Take this with you along with a blurb about the play and a request for exactly what you want from them. Sell five ads at $200 or 10 ads at $100 or a ``main sponsor`` ad at $100 and five more for $100.

It should be a quick turnaround thing for them and not take too much of your rehearsal/set up time.

Answer 3

Go to your local community center and put up posters and set up an event for fundraising that involves themes similar to your show. For example, if it's about french fries, you could buy lots of french fries and charge them for a bit more then the original price and sell them in a form of promotional event. Put up posters or have a bake sale or even if there is a current show playing at the theatre, you can talk to the people in charge of it and see if you can have people in the theatre advertising and taking donations from theatregoers in exchange for tickets (e.g. every 25+ donation buys you a ticket and every 100+ donations buys you five...)