an email I recieved from Epiphany Theater

Epiphany is on the brink and I need your help to get to the other side. I don’t usually send appeals to artists, but this is an extraordinary year and I’m hoping that you will pitch in to help us support the work of early career artists the way that it SHOULD be supported. I’m not asking for much – just the equivalent of a few drinks in a trendy bar. I’m very proud of the fact that we’re heading into our 9th season of producing the work of early career theater artists. Two short years ago, we were producing one showcase a year, had no paid staff, actors got $50 a week, and our designers scrounged together sets from found objects. I’m sure you’re familiar with the process. Now, just two years later – we’ve moved into a new theater in Saratoga, we’re on a full equity contract, and our designers have budgets with a whole extra zero on the end. We’ve come a long way. But let’s not kid ourselves, we have a long way to go. This year is the crossroads. If we can pull off our ambitious season plans (in Saratoga Springs), we will be in position to become a true regional theater committed to producing the work of early career artists. That means playwrights will see their work developed and premiered (even though they don’t have an agent), directors will have full rehearsal processes (even though they’ve never won an NEA fellowship), designers will have the budgets they need to realize their artistic visions (even while they’re moonlighting as dressers), and all of us in that very difficult first period of our careers, and those who follow us, will have the chance to work in the professional environment we, and they, deserve. So I appeal to you, as an artist, to help create a regional theater specifically dedicated to the work of early career artists - those artists who are either within the first 10 years of their professional careers or still earning supplementary income from something other than their craft. If you no longer meet that criteria I invite you to remember back to when you did. It was hard. Please take this opportunity to help make it easier. I hope you’ll consider donating $25 to $100 today. You can do it online with a credit card by clicking this link: http://www.epiphanytheater.org/newyork/ or you can mail a check to 154 Christopher Street, suite 2B, New York, NY 10014. Thank you! And we wish you the greatest of success no matter where you are in your career. Fondly, Amy Kaissar Producing Director