It’s First Take’s third year (crazy, we know), and we’re looking to level up. We have a huge backlog of projects we want to bring your way: new plays, musicals, immersive events, short films – all things pitched by our community of artists!

To make these things happen at the scale you deserve, we’re looking for donations to get our artists paid now and let us focus on the things that matter most: bringing y’all independent, cutting-edge work.

It’s First Take’s first fundraiser – thanks for coming along.

Our 2025 season is going to operate on a tiered model, where the more we raise, the more we can do. You should see the spreadsheets. They’re ridiculous.

Our first goal is to reach $2500 to unlock our Tier 2 project. Anything raised above that threshold will go towards supporting those projects to their fullest extent. Anything below that, and we use those funds to make our Tier 1 projects the best they can be!

If we cross the threshold into a new tier, our budgets shift ever so slightly so we can bring you another cool thing. Get it? Got it. Good!

That’s the magic! As we reach each funding goal, we’ll announce the formal details of each project. Who’s involved, production dates, and where you can expect it to happen. What we CAN tell you is that we’ve already committed to two projects for 2025:

Our smash-hit club concept returns this summer. Bigger, bolder, and better than ever, get ready to dance until you drop.

Last seen in Knoxville during PROOF OF CONCEPT 2022, First Take founder Ethan Graham Roeder’s play THE BEARCAT has been accepted into Camden Fringe in London, England! About the play:

In an act of campy desperation, Garrett ropes the denizens of the club into a plan so ridiculous and borderline offensive it just might work. Set in an Appalachian town on the brink of progress, THE BEARCAT is an exploration of gender and racial politics within the generational divide of the contemporary American Southeast. Also, it's a comedy. Promise.

By bringing THE BEARCAT back to life, your donations will get us on track for a full production in Knoxville sooner rather than later. The world's a different place than when we started -- and we can't wait to show you how we (and the show!) have grown.

We’re proud that our events have covered our operating costs and been able to pay many of our artists for their time, but we’re looking to pay all of our collaborators fairly. While we continue to build a Living Wage Fund to ensure artists are compensated, we recognize that with the economy the way it is, doing anything for free right now is a struggle. 

By raising funds to cover production costs, income from ticket sales can go towards building First Take into an even more sustainable business, which includes:

First Take believes in compensating artists fully for their efforts in production. While we continue to work towards a living wage for all artists, we’re committed to paying everyone who works on a production for their time. This means actors, singers, DJs, designers, technicians, directors – you name it! 

For each of the listed productions above, these funds will be used to pay artists for their time and bring you the high-quality experiences you’ve come to love. This means things like scenic elements, props, costumes, venue rentals – the stuff that makes shows possible. It might not sound like a lot, but it is:

For our dream production of THE JANE AUSTEN EXPERIENCE, the cost solely to hire actors would be over $14,000. 

This doesn’t include any musicians, stage managers, costume designers, directors, playwrights – this is just what it would take to get the actors up on their feet in a (donated!) room.

While we aren’t at this scale (yet), we’re working hard to raise the capital to bring projects like this to life. Your support of our 2025 season will help us in our journey to realize the grandest version of our mission.