Invest in The Whimsical World of Sherlock Holmes!
Invest in THE WHIMSICAL WORLD OF SHERLOCK HOLMES for its New York debut in September!
*** A NOTE FROM MARNEY MAKRIDAKIS, CO-WRITER ***
I can hardly believe that I'm writing these words but ... a musical that I wrote with my husband Tony is about to have its New York premiere in September, as part of a prestigious Off-Broadway Theatre Festival. After being rescheduled several times in 2020, now this will be one of the first live performances to be happening as NYC opens back up again! But to bring The Whimsical World of Sherlock Holmes to the New York stage, we need YOU!
The musical, called The Whimsical World of Sherlock Holmes, will be part of The Broadway Bound Theatre Festival, performed at a venue called Theatre Row, a complex of several theatres in the heart of Times Square. The New York-based creative team and actors start rehearsals this week (omg!), so the focus is now on the crowdfunding campaign to raise the crucial remaining funds to make this happen. This is your chance to be a New York poroducer and be part of this musical's history forever!
New York Theatre was once only financed by big players with deep pockets. Thankfully, the model is changing. We are so very fortunate, because being selected for The Broadway Bound Theatre Festival greatly reduces our production costs, as many major budget lines -- i.e. space rental, insurance, consultants, ticketing, and front of house personnel - are covered. We've also had successful preliminary fundraising through 2020 via an innovative "Page to Stage" program for youth. But here is where the rubber meets the road: we still need investors for the remaining budget, which covers: rehearsal space in NYC, salaries for actors and creative personnel, props/costume/set, travel & lodging to NYC for final rehearsals and performances, promotion, photography, videography. This is why we need your support!
Becoming an investor in The Whimsical World of Sherlock Holmes offers the rare opportunity to immediately create double the impact – your sponsorship supports both the New York production itself and a great charitable cause that empowers kids through hands-on live experiences in the arts: The Page to Stage Experience, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for kids to be part of a musical being put on in a real Off-Broadway Theatre in New York...from anywhere!
As an extra bonus: Read Play Love, the producing entity, is a 501(c) organization, and all contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. With your tax-deductible donation of any amount, you will...
- Be an Off-Broadway Producer of an acclaimed new musical!
- Support the resurgence of new musicals at a time when the world needs it most!
- Support an amazing charitable cause for children!
- Be part of this show's history forever!
*** PERKS FOR PATRONS! ***
Donate $1-99 and receive:
- An audio mix of song samples from the musical from our demo recording
- A personal thank you on our Facebook page
- Your name listed in the souvenir program
Donate $100-249 and you'll also receive:
- Complete access to The Page to Stage Experience -- you can come along for the ride with behind-the-scenes updates and experiences from now through opening! Exclusive access to my behind-the-scenes blog, weekly meetings with our Kid Producers (you can attend or watch by video), and video streaming of rehearsals and our time in NYC! (Note for Parents: make a donation of at least $100 and your kids can participate in The Page to Stage Experience!)
Donate $250+ and you'll also receive:
* Exclusive DVD of the performance
Producer Perks for Donations of $1K+ also recieve:
- Featured recognition in the program
- Acknowledgement by name at each performance
- Sponsorship acknowledgement in press and promotional material
- Archival program autographed by the entire cast and creative team
We'd like to extend our sincere thanks to all of our donors who have contributed thus far, sponsoring The Page to Stage program, which began in 2020, providing an innovative opportunity for kids to follow the process behind the scenes!
*** ABOUT THE MUSICAL ***
The Whimsical World of Sherlock Holmes is the story of Sherlock Holmes and his fellow fictional characters leaping off the page to live out their fantasies and discover their own free will. It's a look at art (and life) - an exploration of who is in control, creator or creation - and how do they work together?
For the past few years, my husband and I have been writing musicals for kids, as part of our non-profit arts center, Read Play Love. Musical theatre is one way that we use the arts to empower kids and create an inclusive culture of love. As it happened, one day a New York producer saw a performance of our children's show, and told us to rewrite it for adults in a full-scale production. He said he wanted to help us get it to New York, to seek backers and investors and see if we can take it all the way. He encouraged me to rework it, make a demo, get it submitted into Festivals. And here we are.
“The Whimsical World of Sherlock Holmes” has a bright future ahead of it. It is refreshing to see a new musical that honors the very best traditions of musical theatre, while also being completely unique in storytelling. Mark my words – this one can go all the way to Broadway, with audiences humming its hit songs as they leave the theatre doors." –Michael Jenkins, Broadway Producer & 4-Time Tony Award Winner
*** ON A PERSONAL NOTE* **
This is my life-long dream. It is my sincere desire that in my sharing my life-long dream, little seedlings will fly all around for dreams everywhere. Maybe someone reading this will think about your dream in a different way. That's my hope.
After all, there really is nothing like a dream. There is no greater fuel than the moment that a desire makes itself known and it feels so real, so true, so alive, as "what if?” pours through your veins and you stretch your arms out, like sweet sunflowers touching the sky.
Sometimes that feeling stays with us for just a fraction of moment – so quickly we don’t even remember it. And other times it's the magnetic filament that sticks and won't let go.
Meeting a dream is like falling in love. It’s an awakening of the things we forgot we could feel. I hear a lot about “the right dream” – kind of like finding “the right one” to settle down and commit to. Personally I’m more at home dating my dreams…usually more than one. I'm a polydreamist. :-)
And why not, when there are so many dreams to be had.
There are dreams that yell at us, begging for attention.
Dreams that sing to us, trying to show off.
Dreams that are so quiet that we can’t hear them.
There are dreams we know are part of us, that will always be part of us, because they are in our cells, and if we avoid them, our bodies will be sure to let us know.
There are dreams that are fantasies, the places we’d go if we could project ourselves into a film or novel - the impossible things that yet give us possible glimpses of what is true about us.
There are dreams that are shadows, that make us shake, that burn our edges until we evaporate into the atmosphere where we are meant to dance.
There are dreams that come up unexpectedly, the glass slipper that we don’t know we are looking for.
There are dreams that we thought were gone but they come back. And being back in NYC with a musical on stage is one of those. I left theatre when I left New York decades ago. Lemme tell you, this was a gone dream. And now ... the theatre where this production will be performed is literally around the corner from where I lived about 28 years ago, when I was pursuing a theatre career in NYC.The studio where the actors and creative team will begin rehearsing next week is right around the corner from that. Time is folding over on itself.
And so I wonder... What would it be like to meet my 20-something self, bumping into her in a late night in Times Square, recognizing her brokenness and pain. What would I say to her? Would I tell her to do things differently? Would I stop her from making mistakes? Would I give her some advice? Oh, how she desperately needs it....
Or maybe what she needs more than advice is just a bit of hope. Maybe I would just tell her that it's all going to be ok. Maybe I would tell her that her life isn't going to look like anything she thinks. That it's going to be awful and amazing, and utterly extraordinary.
I'd tell her that the real dreams don't go away. They come back. And that I'm back, 25+ years later, to see show my show come to life on the New York stage. And I'd ask if she'd be my guest to sit in the audience to watch it together. Maybe she would even feel safe enough for me to take her out for coffee after the show.
What would you do,if you met your former self? Would the two of you talk about dreams you thought were gone? And are there dreams you are holding tightly to right now, dreams in a drawer, dreams in fear, dreams that feel far away and out of control? The theme of this musical is all about the power to live our best, most creative lives, grasping each moment to be who we are here to be...and I invite you to join me in doing so!
*** MORE LINKS ***
For more information: http://whimsicalsherlockholmes.com
For tickets: http://broadwayboundtheatrefestival.com
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whimsicalsherlockholmes
Get "News & Clues" weekly updates: http://www.whimsicalsherlockholmes.com/news.html
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