Thank you for stopping to read about an innovative new theater initiative based in Buffalo, NY called The Lightbulb Project.  I hope you find it inspiring, bold, thought-provoking . . . something truly to be a part of.  This initiative could have a significant, positive impact on the theater community of Western New York -- and beyond.  And your support could have a significant impact on the Project's success.

The Lightbulb Project is about the pursuit of something three-fold:
1) A profound theatrical experience
     - performances that are alive, present, surprising, connected, fresh at every performance
     - actors that are intimately connected to each other on the stage, responding moment-to-moment to each other and the world they're in
     - production elements artistically crafted, with a minimalist's eye and a professional's commitment to excellence, focusing the audience on the performers
     - performers that are uniquely connected to their audience, living out stories from the heart
2) An artist-centered process
     - a process of rehearsal and development that is intentionally organic, collaborative, focused on listening, honesty, purpose, and discovery
     - designers, performers, and staff that are absolutely safe, nurtured, compensated, and inspired
And:
3) A profoundly inclusive and engaged audience/patron community
     - theater from which no one is excluded because of ticket price
     - an audience base that is invested, generous, and connected
     - an audience that is ever-expanding, not just in size but in demographics, until it looks absolutely like Western New York in all of its glorious diversity

The Inspiration
This initiative has been a long time coming.  An avid stage performer since I was nine years old, I've known for more than 20 years that directing live theater is more than just a joy: it's a calling.  Studying at Lee University (Cleveland, TN), I was trained in the acting methods of Stanislavski while learning a profoundly organic style of stage direction.  While in Boston, training for two years under Lyralen Kaye of Another Country Productions, my heart thrilled at the acting philosophies and methods of Sandy Meisner, as I discovered a pathway to being more honest, open, alive, and present on the stage.

As an actor, director, and stage manager, I've been a part of over 100 productions at more than 30 different theaters in East Tennessee, Greater Boston, and Western New York.  Many of these productions have been deeply soul-fulfilling.  Yet as the years have gone on, my heart has yearned more and more for that pulse-quickening, heart-skipping experience of seeing people actually connecting on the stage, for feeling the liveness of the performance -- as if the event unfolding at that moment in front of me is a moment that may have never happened before, and may never happen in the same way again.  To sense that I'm one of the lucky ones -- a witness to something great, something intimate, something meaningful: a story being told to us, for us, tonight.  Maybe once every 10 or 15 productions I've seen or taken part in, I have experienced it.  I want it more than that.

I have been granted the training, experience, and inspiration to seek it out.  But to find a space and the freedom to experiment . . . to discover what works and what doesn't, for each actor and each cast of artists . . .  That's what The Lightbulb Project is for.

Yet, that's not all the Project is for.  More and more over these last several years, I've felt the exclusionary force of the price of play tickets.  Seeing live theater is expensive because producing live theater is expensive!  To be one of 400 or 500 people to see a show that cost $40,000 or $50,000 to produce . . . $30 or $40 per ticket is a bargain!  But for a lot of people, that's why theater has become an "elitist" form of entertainment: only those with the means to pay can participate.  At the same time, theaters become beggars for money: you give them your patronage once, and they hound you for support for the rest of your life.

I want to create a different culture than that -- one based on a totally different sort of economy:  an economy of grace, inclusion, and spontaneous generosity.  I believe in a model in which, instead of the few paying a high price for art, the many are paying according to what they value and what they are able.  I believe that there are a lot of people who have never felt welcomed into the experience of theater, but who would love it if they were.  As local enterprises recognize the value of scale, they will realize that to partner and promote with us brings them value.  And if anyone feels deeply enough about what we're doing to give us anything . . . I want them to become part of a family: a community that's connected, invested, and welcoming.

Production #1: The Siegel by Michael Mitnick
In the spring of 2021, I contacted The Alleyway Theater -- a historic theater in the heart of the Theater District in downtown Buffalo, now under new ownership and seeking to redefine itself for a new generation -- and secured a favorable deal to rent their mainstage for a six-week period in January-February, 2022.  In September, my wife and I paid the Alleyway out of our own pocket the 50% deposit on our rental contract.  We are fully invested.

From January 28 to February 20, The Lightbulb Project will present, on The Alleyway Mainstage, The Siegel by Michael Mitnick, a modern romantic comedy for six actors.  First produced in 2017 in Orange County, CA, I echo the thoughts of the OC Weekly, who called it "as sharp as the pop of a whip, entertaining and endearing."  The LA Times accurately said, "The dialogue is spirited and wacky, with a distinctively millennial edge."  The play is a perfect fit for the kind of organic, connected performances I'm looking for.  And perhaps most importantly of all, there are gut-deep reasons to tell this story.  The play asks questions that anyone can relate to: important questions about what it means to really love someone, to commit to someone, to let go of the past, and to hold on to what is in front of you.

What We Need
My design philosophy right now is one of "excellence with little."  Even with that in mind, I have discovered that The Siegel will cost us about $32,000 to produce. 

Our Production Costs for the show will total about $20,000, roughly broken down as follows:
Local Talent: $8,500
Theater Rental (The Alleyway): $8,125
Royalties & Scripts: $1,800
Stage Materials: $1,575

Administrative Costs will total about $12,000, including box office, legal fees, program printing, marketing, promotion, website, payroll, insurance, accounting, and financing.

How much will ticket sales cover?  We will perform the show 15 times (weather permitting) to a house that fits 96.  If we're lucky enough to average $30/ticket and 40 tickets/performance (a terrific turn out for a new company), we would earn $18,000 in ticket sales.  So . . . where will the other $14,000 come from to cover costs?

That's where you come in.

The Rewards (ie., the "Perks")
When you view our Rewards, you will see that the returns we offer for your investment are more than just your name in our programs (although that is included).  What we offer is welcome into an active community.  The Lightbulb Family, The Lightbulb Founders Club, The Lightbulb Firmament.  Read their descriptions.  Become as involved in these communities as you like.  But if you give to The Project, you have the chance to be a part. 

If you are a member of an organization, you can also acquire Show Sponsor designation in our programs, on our website, and in our publications and marketing.  We seek to create our programs, website, publications, and marketing with the same excellence as anything else we do.

Tax-Deductibility with Fractured Atlas
The Lightbulb Project was organized in the summer of 2021 as a single-member LLC.  It is our goal to achieve non-profit designation sometime before 2023.  In the meantime, The Lightbulb Project is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non‐profit arts service organization.  Contributions made by check payable to “Fractured Atlas,” or by credit card directly through this crowdfunding campaign, are tax‐deductible to the extent permitted by law.

It's about more than just The Siegel
The Siegel is just the inaugural production of a company that we hope will last many years to come, and produce many shows.  Our business plan is to be producing at least 4 shows a year within the first five years, including dramas, comedies, and musicals, with a diversity of directors, designers, and performers that reflect the diversity we seek with our audience.  As our team of artists grow, as well as our staff, so will expand the creativity and diversity of our offerings.

Yet this is the critical juncture.  My wife and I cannot put the financial load of our dreams on the back of our day jobs alone.  If this company is to become what's in our hearts for it to become, it will take the buy-in of many people . . . like yourself.

One Last Note (in case you're interested): Why the Lightbulb?
The conceptual inspiration comes from Thomas Edison's 10,000 "failed" attempts to find a filament that would burn just right -- a light that was sustainable, faithful, and available to everyone.  When asked about it, he said, "I have not failed, not once.  I’ve successfully discovered 10,000 ways that will not work."  My hope is that we will not have to endure 10,000 ways that don't work . . . but the lightbulb has always symbolized the worth of experimentation, of patience and perseverance, of the willingness to risk failure time and time again for the sake of finding something truly valuable.

The image of the lightbulb speaks to several things that are important to us as a company:
- the intentionally bare-bones nature of our early productions

- the distilled light of inspiration that we're looking for: the spark of life at the heart of each play 

- the connection of that spark to the hearts of the artists, and to the hearts of the audience

Like Thomas Edison, we are searching for a way to turn a power source (for us, a written play) into a light that is unsullied, sustainable, and available to all -- a light that chases shadows, helps us see our own world and our own selves more clearly and more generously, makes hiding more difficult but living more possible.  We search for a way to share that light effectively with everyone in the room . . . and to make sure that everyone's in the room.

Come join us in the Project

Come join us in Buffalo for our run of The Siegel, if you can!  Performances are on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights from January 28th to February 20th, 2022.  Bring a friend or two. 

If you think you may have talents, labor, or materials that could help us, please do reach out to me!  And if you think you might like to collaborate with us, or advertise your organization on our website and in our professionally printed programs (beyond Sponsorship) . . . again, reach out to me.

Finally, please spread the word.  If you know others who have a heart for creative, passionate, compassionate theater . . . please, let them know we exist.

Thank you for believing in us.  Thank you for giving to us . . . and in so doing, becoming a part of us.

Yours truly,
Lucas Lloyd
Buffalo, NY
lucas@lightbulbprojectonstage.com