ADOPT-A-PERFORMANCE / GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN

A Christmas Carol is one of Toronto’s cherished holiday traditions and has been enjoyed by thousands of audience members over our six-year history. It is, however, something of a miracle that we are able to present it at all given the unique realities of our production:

Our cast of fifteen is larger than most professional theatre productions, and that number doesn’t even include the dedicated members of the creative and production team working behind the scenes. The historic and immersive setting of the Campbell House is one of the elements that makes our presentation so intimate and magical, but also means that our audience capacity is a mere fraction of that of a traditional theatrical venue and significantly limits our potential revenue – even with sold-out performances. To give you some perspective, the Princess of Wales Theatre, just a few blocks away, can accommodate approximately 70 times as many patrons per performance as we can.

Furthermore, we produce this show without the financial assistance of any major corporate sponsors, governmental entities, granting bodies, or other similar funding on which larger theatre companies typically rely.

In spite of these challenges, we have endeavoured to keep our tickets moderately priced (and well below what most other professional theatres in Toronto charge) to ensure that our production remains accessible to as wide an audience as possible. In keeping with the spirit and tenets of A Christmas Carol we also maintain a tradition of charitable engagement; this year we are pleased to be partnering with ZoomerMedia (The New Classical FM, Zoomer Radio) and will be donating a portion of all ticket sales to their Holiday Hope Fund in support of individuals and families facing hunger and homelessness.

The reality is that, like so many independent theatre productions, A Christmas Carol is very much a labour of love. Bringing it to life is a joyful experience, but none of the performers or production team members receive anywhere near the compensation they deserve. What modest surplus is left after our significant production expenses are accounted for is shared between all the artists involved and typically amounts to an honorarium that, if divided hourly, falls far short of minimum wage. This is compounded by the fact that most theatre artists are forced to supplement their income with part-time jobs in other sectors, and participating in a show often means having to turn down better paid work in the name of art.

For these reasons, we are introducing our Adopt-a-Performance Program; we invite firms, organizations, and individuals who have the means to make more sizable donations to “adopt” one of our 28 performances with a financial contribution of $950 or more. Doing so will mean that the hard-working artists of A Christmas Carol are fairly compensated for their time, effort, and talent. This, in turn, will ensure we remain a viable annual tradition, and that we can continue to share the joy and humanity that have become the hallmarks of our big little show and a glimmer of light in these dark times.

Depending on the success of the program this year, it may allow us to pursue other initiatives on our wish-list, such as subsidized tickets for low-income communities and/or pay-what-you-can performances, and school group performances with talk-backs.

In exchange for adopting a performance, we can offer a number of unique in-person and online perks including:

• • Two complimentary tickets to your adopted performance.
  • A special ‘Thank You’ delivered at the top of the show acknowledging your support of that performance.
  • An insert in the show programme acknowledging your support of that performance.
  • A private post-show meet-and-greet with members of the cast and/or creative team (e.g. Director, Playwright).
  • Your name, logo, and website link (if applicable) included on both the sponsor page of our website and in the sponsor footer of our website (visible on every page).
  • A special ‘Thank You’ via our social media channels and e-newsletter, acknowledging your support.

As part of our charitable partnership with MZ Media, they will be promoting A Christmas Carol on air via The New Classical FM, Zoomer Radio, as well as through their Listener Newsletters, and on BlogTO; we anticipate Adopt-a-Performance Program sponsors will receive significant exposure as a result of the increased interest and website traffic this widespread promotion will generate. This is in addition to our usual publicity efforts which includes outreach to over 350 Toronto-based media outlets and journalists.

As we are an unincorporated artists’ collective operating on a not-for-profit basis, we are unable to issue charitable tax receipts. However, since the majority of the benefits we can provide are promotional in nature, a contribution to the Adopt-a-Performance may be considered a marketing expense and, as such, still be tax deductible.

If you are interested in adopting one or more performances, either individually or by way of a firm or organization you are affiliated with, or if you simply want more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to co-producer Justin Haigh at . We would love to hear from you!

If you are not in a position to meet our ask for the Adopt-a-Performance Program but still wish to support the artists of A Christmas Carol with a smaller donation, you can do so via our GoFundMe Campaign. We are grateful for any contribution you can offer; every dollar counts and no amount is too small!

We thank you in advance for your kindness, generosity, and support.

Sincerely,

The Members of the Three Ships Collective