Dear friends and fans of Tuckaberry Productions,
2007-2008 has been an amazing year for Tuckaberry. We produced a record four shows–two musicals, one cabaret, and one Shakespeare classic–and brought our spring musical to local schools for our first tour. We’re reprising Aesop’s Foibles next month (you’ll hear all about that very soon!) and we’re thrilled to be planning a family picnic in Prospect Park in August.
But as we reflect on a successful season, we face challenging changes in the year to come. Tuckaberry Productions is, to put it simply, homeless. The Impact Theater’s owner has not renewed his lease and the building’s owner has decided to close it down for some much-needed renovations. And while we’ve grown considerably over three years, we haven’t grown quite enough to take on a lease of our own. We’re at peace with renting local space by the hour for our next season, but we had grown rather fond of having a place to call home.
We would love to have that again.
So we thought: why not ask the folks who come to see our shows if they have any suggestions?
And as long as we’re asking for help, we figured we should shoot for the moon. Here is what our dream home would have:
–A performance space. It does not have to be a theatrical space, or even have a stage. It must simply have room for an audience, a small set and electrical outlets. We generally put on 2-4 shows a year for about a month at a time, on weekends in the afternoons.
–A rehearsal space. For about two weeks before the show, we generally rehearse in the aforementioned performance space in the evenings and on weekend afternoons. We are, however, accustomed to working with shared spaces and are very flexible, friendly, and neat.
–A space to store our props, costumes and scenery. Most of our belongings are in boxes, and the scenery is modular, folding up completely. We would need no more floor space than what a small self-storage unit would provide.
–A rate within our means. This could mean either an hourly rate which would be proportionate to our ticket sale intake or a co-production agreement (cut of the box office).
–Location, location, location. We have had the honor of being Prospect Heights’ only resident children’s theater company, and we’ve gown attached to the area and the neighbors who frequent our shows. We’d prefer to stay within one of the following three neighborhoods in Brooklyn: Park Slope, Fort Greene, or Prospect Heights.
Tuckaberry is a non-profit incorporation and any lending of space ‘below cost’ would count as an in-kind donation to a New York State Charity. We can also offer free or discount performances to groups and assistance with janitorial services/cosmetic renovations as barter for a co-production agreement.
If anyone receiving this message has any ideas, we’re open to suggestions. If you know anyone else who might have ideas, please send this message to them. We are optimistic about the future and we look forward to the 2008-2009 season ripe with possibilities. Thank you all for being a part of our family; Tuckaberry will continue keep you informed, and we look forward to bringing you more great theater for all ages over the next year.
fantastic new sound system progress!
and you can buy them
