Help LifeHouse Theater Recover from the Pandemic

UPDATE:

To our Wonderful supporters and LifeHouse Family,

We have just been overwhelmed by the support our GoFundMe campaign received.  The fact that we made our original goal of $30,000 was a Godly blessing made possible by you.

But you'll notice I said original goal.  Sadly this is true.  Never did we think that here at the end of May we'd still be looking at being closed through at least the month of June still.   Never did we consider that the state regulations would still be keeping so much of the state locked down, which unfortunately includes us.

However, we do see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Businesses are reopening and being part of the Phase 3 reopening, we anticipate soon we will be able to open.  The downside of that is it will at least temporarily be to limited capacity, which of course hurts our budget.  And it will take a bit of time to get rehearsals going again to be ready to open "The Rise of King David."  

So once again, we need your help.  We need to raise another $30,000 in operating funds to get us through the remaining shutdown time and help balance out the the shortfall in ticket sales resulting from the decreased capacity when we do reopen.

We truly hate needing to once again ask for help, but you have all been so faithful in keeping LifeHouse Theater going that we wanted to be honest with you about where we are at and what needs to be done to get the theater running once again.  Let us also pray that the state and county allow us to open our doors very soon!


ORIGINAL POST:

Dear Friend of LifeHouse Theater,                                                                                                                                         

Thanks to you, LifeHouse has survived and thrived for 26 seasons!  

But the current Coronavirus pandemic has put the theater in jeopardy.  The directives from our state and federal governments has forced LifeHouse Theater to suspend operations temporarily.  It is our hope to be back up and running by May.  However, that creates a month and a half without any income coming in except the gracious donations of our supporters.

This will lead to a shortfall of nearly $30,000 in income for the theater and puts us in danger to continue operating once life returns to normal.   We are asking for your help to get through this.  LifeHouse Theater is a 501-3c so all donations to the theater are tax-deductible.

Even before the Coronavirus issue, LifeHouse Theater was already facing a financial shortfall due to the following factors: 

• California's new AB5 law forcing a reclassification of independent contractors into employees.
• The passing of a few key donors
• Increase in the lease for both our theater and the rehearsal studio/workshop
• Increase in operating cost including set materials, office supplies, phone/internet rates, copier lease, insurance, and many other behind the scenes costs

You may not know that ticket prices never cover any theater company’s true costs—not here, not on Broadway, nor anywhere we know of.  Insurance, utilities, scenic construction, storage, security and other unglamorous “hidden” costs are staggering—even with our efforts to be frugal and wise stewards of what God has entrusted to us.

The names of dear friends who have helped us for many years are listed on the last page of our program.  But they cannot support the theater alone.  Operating costs beyond our control are rising substantially.   The real estate market is pushing monthly rent on our facilities up —an increase of $35,000 annually. 

Our ongoing financial need now totals $150,000 per year, which we raise through corporate sponsors, fundraising events, and partners like you.  These efforts keep our ticket prices affordable for families.  We also give back to the community by partnering with charities to provide seats for guests with special needs.

We seldom ask for help, but we have pressing needs.  May we please count on your assistance?

Your tax deductible contribution will help strengthen LifeHouse in our continuing mission to change lives for the better.  No gift is too small.

Thank you for whatever you may do to help.