Sea Tea Improv: Let's Reopen This Thing!
Donation protected
We know you need a laugh.
When Sea Tea Improv locked up our theater and studios back on March 13, 2020, we committed to coming back. We had no idea that the ensuing 439 (and counting) days would be some of the Not Funniest days of our lives. We have been among the lucky: our savings cushion, a little bit of PPP, good grace of our landlord, online shows, "just because" donations, the possibility of a Shuttered Venues grant, and a very strong community have kept us going. Thank you to everyone who stuck with us through such an unexpected time.
As the months rolled by, we heard from our audience, our performers, our staff, our teachers, our community partners, and just about everybody that they just couldn’t wait for us to get back up to our old shenanigans again.
Finally, finally, finally-- it’s time to open!
Thanks to the miracle of vaccines (thanks, science), we can gather indoors for workshops and classes in our studios and shows in our theater once again. Yes, there will be masks at first. Yes, it will be super weird. Yes, you can wear your pajamas into the theater. And yes, we want you to laugh.
But we need your help to make this happen.
Our goal is to raise $25,000 for a safe, swift, stable reopening. We’re hoping you can help us raise $20,000 of that here and $5,000 at our Mini Golf Tournament, and we’re hoping to get there one month from today- June 27th- to be ready to open for our July shows.
Reopening isn’t the end of the story, it’s the beginning. We will be opening our doors with about a year and a half of revenues gone (including two years of our shining star, the Hartford Improv Festival), in a city whose workers haven’t come back to the office, with an audience who has experienced a collectively traumatic event and might not have the same ticket-buying behaviors. We have truly no idea what will happen. Lucky for us, adaptability is our jam.
Here’s our dream:
To have enough money in the bank to pay our staff, even if show attendance is small but mighty.
To have enough cash to stay in the good graces of our landlord, to hang on to our spaces for years to come.
To have enough runway to intentionally keep class sizes small, greatly enhancing student safety while greatly reducing our profits.
To have enough budget to pick up some HEPA filters, spare masks, and cleaning supplies.
To have enough dough to invest in marketing, and finally lighting up our outdoor sign, so that the world knows we’re still kicking.
To have every last one of you come back with laughter and joy, whenever you’re ready.
So… here’s what we’re asking:
Please help us get to our goal of $20,000 by donating whatever you can, and passing this along to your friends and neighbors. How much should you donate? Well, here are some guidelines:
You could donate $10 for every ticket you might have bought in the last 15 months.
$10 covers one empty seat.
$50 restocks your favorite beer.
$100 restocks all the snacks for the little kids at the family show.
$200 staffs the theater for one night of shows.
$500 makes our space a lot more COVID-safe.
$1000 makes you a big hero.
Whatever you can give is deeply appreciated. We know that these have been the hardest of times. We would be equally appreciative if you came to a show, or attended our “Out of the Hole… in One!” Miniature Golf Fundraiser on June 12th. (You can find information on that event on our facebook page and website, www.seateaimprov.com.
Find the support that feels right for you. Please do not feel like you must give out of guilt, or fear that we will close. We hope that you can donate to our reopening with a spirit of joy, hope, collaboration and community.
After all, that’s how we’ve always done it. And that’s how we will continue.
Thanks for all of your help, neighbors. See you very, very, very soon.
Sea Tea Improv
When Sea Tea Improv locked up our theater and studios back on March 13, 2020, we committed to coming back. We had no idea that the ensuing 439 (and counting) days would be some of the Not Funniest days of our lives. We have been among the lucky: our savings cushion, a little bit of PPP, good grace of our landlord, online shows, "just because" donations, the possibility of a Shuttered Venues grant, and a very strong community have kept us going. Thank you to everyone who stuck with us through such an unexpected time.
As the months rolled by, we heard from our audience, our performers, our staff, our teachers, our community partners, and just about everybody that they just couldn’t wait for us to get back up to our old shenanigans again.
Finally, finally, finally-- it’s time to open!
Thanks to the miracle of vaccines (thanks, science), we can gather indoors for workshops and classes in our studios and shows in our theater once again. Yes, there will be masks at first. Yes, it will be super weird. Yes, you can wear your pajamas into the theater. And yes, we want you to laugh.
But we need your help to make this happen.
Our goal is to raise $25,000 for a safe, swift, stable reopening. We’re hoping you can help us raise $20,000 of that here and $5,000 at our Mini Golf Tournament, and we’re hoping to get there one month from today- June 27th- to be ready to open for our July shows.
Reopening isn’t the end of the story, it’s the beginning. We will be opening our doors with about a year and a half of revenues gone (including two years of our shining star, the Hartford Improv Festival), in a city whose workers haven’t come back to the office, with an audience who has experienced a collectively traumatic event and might not have the same ticket-buying behaviors. We have truly no idea what will happen. Lucky for us, adaptability is our jam.
Here’s our dream:
To have enough money in the bank to pay our staff, even if show attendance is small but mighty.
To have enough cash to stay in the good graces of our landlord, to hang on to our spaces for years to come.
To have enough runway to intentionally keep class sizes small, greatly enhancing student safety while greatly reducing our profits.
To have enough budget to pick up some HEPA filters, spare masks, and cleaning supplies.
To have enough dough to invest in marketing, and finally lighting up our outdoor sign, so that the world knows we’re still kicking.
To have every last one of you come back with laughter and joy, whenever you’re ready.
So… here’s what we’re asking:
Please help us get to our goal of $20,000 by donating whatever you can, and passing this along to your friends and neighbors. How much should you donate? Well, here are some guidelines:
You could donate $10 for every ticket you might have bought in the last 15 months.
$10 covers one empty seat.
$50 restocks your favorite beer.
$100 restocks all the snacks for the little kids at the family show.
$200 staffs the theater for one night of shows.
$500 makes our space a lot more COVID-safe.
$1000 makes you a big hero.
Whatever you can give is deeply appreciated. We know that these have been the hardest of times. We would be equally appreciative if you came to a show, or attended our “Out of the Hole… in One!” Miniature Golf Fundraiser on June 12th. (You can find information on that event on our facebook page and website, www.seateaimprov.com.
Find the support that feels right for you. Please do not feel like you must give out of guilt, or fear that we will close. We hope that you can donate to our reopening with a spirit of joy, hope, collaboration and community.
After all, that’s how we’ve always done it. And that’s how we will continue.
Thanks for all of your help, neighbors. See you very, very, very soon.
Sea Tea Improv
Organizer
Sea Tea Improv
Organizer
Hartford, CT