NOTE: This was written as a personal plea to friends and family by Artistic Director Jaimelyn Gray. As you are all are part of our friends and family, we are sharing this as a “Giving Wednesday” ask. An ask for today, and every day. It is filled with bad language and dark humor. Be warned.
It is Giving Tuesday. As the leader of an Arts Organization, I am obligated to ask you for money. Nay I dare say, BEG even. That is what we do. That is what we are supposed to live for.
But I hate this shit. Truly I do. I truly hate that we live in a country where the arts aren't an invested societal value. Where arts organizations have to ask Joe Public again and again and again for more and more generosity because theatre is not yet a PUBLIC GOOD. But that is a WAY larger discussion for another day.
I have been building The Constructivists to be the deep, dark, and dirty shit in all its accessible glory some have come to know and love for three years now. And while we have had some great successes, my biggest goal is that I want to be able to PAY ARTISTS THE LIVING WAGE THEY DESERVE when working for this organization. From the upcoming Under Construction Play Development program to the NETHER remount, they ALL deserve a raise. We absolutely bust our asses to make you laugh, cry, shake with fear – the full spectrum of cathartic emotion – and we all deserve to be paid a living wage for that time and visceral output. For you. We do it for you. (Okay, and a little bit for the demons in our heads.)
But as things stand right now, we can't do that without extra help from the community. From friends of mine and parents of actors and random patrons who fall in love with The Constructivists. We keep ticket prices low for accessibility, but hey, if we only have 50 seats x $15 x 8 shows, and rights alone are $100/performance, and we give comps to friends and family, and we don't sell out every performance, well.
You do the math.
And I really can't even begin to get into how the pandemic has affected The Constructivists. Can I tell you though that Brown Paper Tickets never paid us for THE NETHER for starters? Fun times. You can Google that shit. We weren't the only losers in that shysterism. Suffice it to say, right now, we need every penny we ask from you, Dear Friend, Favorite Aunt, Third Cousin twice removed, and Dave. All you Daves.
If you can help, please do. Today, tomorrow, next Tuesday, December 31st – hell, make it a sustainable donation if you want to be the first to do that shit. But if you have ANY ability to help us get through this challenging time for artists, and to pay those artists better starting now, please donate. Or if you hate artists and want to pay for the scenery, do that. It's your prerogative. There are tons and tons of things to pay for. We'll use it.
I am grateful for you and grateful to have been able to provide what we have thus far. But we want to do more. Please send help.
Jaimelyn Gray
Artistic Director
The Constructivists