2023 was an incredible year for Theater in Asylum! Thanks to your generous support we were able to present our biggest production to date,The Nobodies Who Were Everybody. We are looking to build upon this success in 2024, and we humbly ask for your support once again. You’ll be supporting our transition into an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization, a cabaret in the Fall 2024, and the continuation of Cold Readings. You’ll also be sustaining us as we begin the multi-year process of creating our next production. We never stop here at TIA, and we thank you for making all this possible.
The team behind The Nobodies Who Were Everybody. Photo by Shubhra Mishra.
Our Continuing Mission
Theater in Asylum (TIA) challenges and empowers our community through the joyful pursuit of a rigorous-research and ensemble-driven approach to theater making. Since 2010, we’ve created theater to investigate our past, interpret our present, and imagine our future. We prize space to process and question—asylum—for ourselves and our community.
Looking Back, Reaching Forward
Last year, your support made so much possible. In 2023 we:
Premiered our latest production: The Nobodies Who Were Everybody, with 20 paid artists and over 400 in attendance.
Hosted 9 Cold Readings, and supported 9 organizations doing good work in the process.
Paid our admin staff our highest rates yet, at $1,200 (that’s $100/month) each for their work through the year.
Maintained FREE tickets at all our events, including The Nobodies which had sliding scale tickets from $0-$40. During our run, 105 people took advantage of the free ticket offer.
…finally realized it’s time to become a 501(c)3.
With your support, we can build on our growth in 2023 to reach new heights in 2024. For our 14th year, we’re looking to:
Become a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, opening us up to new grants and funding opportunities.
Produce a cabaret in Fall 2024, hiring dozens of artists and welcoming about 200 audience members to share in their work.
Host 9 Cold Readings, with a mix of online and in-person gatherings.
Pay over 30 artists, building on our 2023 rates and issuing 1099s for the first time.
Maintain a free ticket option at all public events, a commitment we have kept since 2016.
At long last, it is time for Theater in Asylum to graduate from being fiscally sponsored to a 501(c)3 non-profit organization on our own.
Why do this?
As you may have heard us grumble about, 2023 brought new rules to New York State arts funding (NYSCA), barring us from eligibility for a grant we had consistently won in years past. In addition, most grants (including DCLA grants) are only available to 501(c)3 nonprofits. As our company continues to grow, this fiscal transformation will restore and also open valuable funding streams for our work.
So what’s the big deal? Why do you need money to do this?
We are a small team working on TIA part-time, and becoming a 501(c)3 is a considerable investment of time, resources, and money. In addition to needing a lawyer to file this transition for us, we’ll need to upgrade our bookkeeping to the rigorous levels required of nonprofits. In 2023 we began a transition to Quickbooks and paid people high enough to require 1099 filing for the first time. We hope to continue this in 2024 and add a bookkeeper to our team.
Theater in Asylum has always been a politically minded organization, and we’re certainly keeping an eye on November 5, 2024 (ARE YOU REGISTERED?). In preparation for this, and to keep our spirits up and feet active, we’re planning the How to Survive the End of the World Cabaret. We’ll look at a variety of threats and offer performances from our community to resist and reverse these threats. We believe the only certain world-ender is the belief that we’ve already lost. And knowing that all is not lost, we aim for this cabaret to be something of a “first aid kit for the soul.” We plan to hire dozens of artists and we’ll return to our beloved Jalopy Theatre for two nights on November 1–2, 2024. Save the date!
Since 2015, Theater in Asylum has gathered friends and fans to read and discuss great plays (158 so far!). Wednesday nights have become a cherished place not only for play reading but for processing these wild times. We plan to continue a combination of online and in-person readings, as well as invite guest facilitators to bring new plays and ideas to the group. Part theater literacy, part social event, Cold Readings continue to be a bright spot in Theater in Asylum’s work.
Theater in Asylum commits to two competing goals: pay every working artist a meaningful stipend, while keeping our work financially accessible to all (with a free ticket option at every event).
We believe in radical transparency and accessibility. We know theater must be accessible to the widest audience possible in order for ideas to ignite, spread, and catch hold. Therefore, we've had a "Pay-What-You-Can" option at every Theater in Asylum event for the past eight years. It is also imperative to recognize the time, skill, and talent of each artist with whom we engage. With your help, we can meet both of these competing goals.
Next year we will:
Keep up our admin work and become a 501(c)3: $3,363
Pay 30 artists (Personnel Costs): $9,750
Rent space for 2-night Cabaret and 9 Cold Readings (Space Costs): $1,260
Produce excellent work (Production Costs): $1,550
Learn and become better artists and people (Professional Development): $1,030
Have a backup fund (Contingency): $782
Total planned spending in 2024: $17,735
Our Revenues
We rely on the support of our community to make this all possible. This year we are planning to raise:
$10,200 from this fundraiser (Our goal is $11,000, with an $800 processing fee going to our fiscal sponsor)
$1,800 from other donations throughout the year
$0 from grants (we had a rough year for grants in 2023 and budgeted to be safe next year)
$1,845 from ticket sales
Total revenue in 2024: $13,845 (we are covering the difference between costs and revenues with the surplus we made previously.)
Our Ask and Our Gratitude
If you are in a position to donate, we humbly ask for your support of Theater in Asylum’s work in 2024. From $5 to $5,000, any amount is helpful and will make a difference! Plus, as an extra thank you for donating, we have a number of lovely perks for you to choose from!
I can’t donate, but I want to help. What else can I do?
Have a talent you can lend us? Become a perk partner and donate your time and talents to our donors. Email info@theaterinasylum.com
Have social media or a blog? Write about us and encourage your friends to chip in to our fundraiser!
We are so grateful for all that’s been made possible these past 13 years, and we look ahead to 2024 with eagerness and hope.
Taste the magic If you've worked on a TIA show, you've tasted these incredible cookies. Fudgey melty salty magic.
** If you live within biking distance of Rick and Paul's Brooklyn apartment, we'll HAND DELIVER the cookies. Otherwise, we'll mail them to you.
One-of-a-kind Andy Boyd original artisanal cartoon
Donate $25.00 or more
Amount over $1.00 is tax-deductible.
An Andy Boyd Cartoon You provide a spicy word (and $25...), and Andy will conjure a whimsical work of art. See examples of Andy's hilarious cartoons here.
Amanda Ghosh & Danny Bradley Our Theater in Asylum friends in Liverpool will send you a Beatles-influenced short thank you song!
Tarot Reading with Marcella
Donate $45.00 or more
Amount is fully tax-deductible.
Marcella Adams "My name is Marcella and when I’m not acting, I LOVE to help others by using my spiritual abilities to empower others and give them insightful guidance to help them navigate the ebbs and flows of life. I am an intuitive reader who can connect you with your higher self and spirit guides and ancestors to deliver much-needed messages to guide you. My ultimate goal is help and support: life is hard and we really do not have a guidebook to help us on our individual journeys. No matter what your background or struggle, I believe we all need help in some form and someone who can be a cheerleader and my job is to do just that and be that support when you most need it!
Donating $45 will get you an in-depth, 30-minute LIVE reading with me where I will be able to channel your current energy and provide you with general or question-specific guidance. We will meet virtually via Zoom or Google Meet and this reading includes two parts: an energy download and a tarot spread. The energy download and forecasting will inform you of where your current energy is, obstacles/chakra points that need attention, blockages, and/or messages from spirit guides and ancestors supporting you on your journey. The tarot spread expands on the current energy/question and will give specific guidance, next steps, and outcomes based on what is discussed."
Nadia Diamond Do you know a young person ages 9-18 in need of an academic boost in a remote, hybrid, or just plain hectic schooling environment? Nadia has been an academic coach for almost 10 years, with experience in executive functioning development, school-subject support, and standardized test preparation. With a donation of $75 or more, your young person can experience a virtual 1-hour session with experienced tutor Nadia Diamond to receive guidance on navigating any academic challenge they are currently facing (except physics, chemistry, or calculus)!
Ecstatic Cookie Box by Rick
Donate $115.00 or more
Amount over $25.00 is tax-deductible.
Ecstasy Are you ready for a box of assorted cookies baked by the one and only Rick Fudge.
WARNING: Consumption may cause ecstasy.
CLARIFICATION: Aforementioned ecstasy is caused by sugar, butter, chocolate, and salt. These are NOT pot cookies.
** If you live within biking distance of Rick and Paul's Brooklyn apartment, we'll HAND DELIVER the cookies. Otherwise, we'll mail them to you.
Headshot session with Shubhra
Donate $150.00 or more
Amount over $50.00 is tax-deductible.
Shubhra Mishra If you're reading this now, you've seen Shubhra's gorgeous work. She has shot Theater in Asylum events for the past few years and we couldn't be more thrilled with her work. For a donation of $150, you'll meet with Shubhra for a 45 minute headshot photoshoot. 1-2 looks, resulting in 5-7 headshots. Shubhra will send you the files for your to print at the printer of your choice. Sessions to be scheduled between Jan 15-Feb 29, 2024.
Fully Claimed!
Custom painted bottle by Carolyn
One of Carolyn's gorgeous custom-painted bottles Carolyn Creative Co. will custom paint a bottle of Veuve Clicquot for you. You can share photos, dates, names to commemorate a special moment or memory that will live forever on your bar. Instagram: @carolyncreativeco
