Stone Soup Theatre Co. Founding Fundraiser
Donation protected
We are delighted to announce the creation of the Stone Soup Theatre Co (SSTC), a community-based non-profit theatre company created to serve local enthusiasts and performing artists in the communities of Durham and Chapel Hill, NC. In addition to producing plays and musicals, SSTC will provide affordable pre-professional theatre training and serve as a platform for new and emerging artists to showcase their work.
To have the most successful start possible, we need your support! We will be performing the hilarious 2015 musical comedy "Something Rotten!" at the historic Forest Theater on the UNC-CH Campus this October. Set in 1596, the plot follows the Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, who struggle to find success in the theatrical world as they compete with the wild popularity of their contemporary, "rock star" William Shakespeare.
Keep reading for more information on our company, or scroll down for our donation tiers and perks!
We are Ready to Go:
SSTC is headed by experienced, talented leadership with a history of working well together. Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis and Zachary Cook are professionals representing diverse backgrounds in the performing arts including: producing, directing (artistic, musical and technical), conducting, stage management, design, choreography and performance.
SSTC has been incorporated as a non-profit in NC and we are in the process of applying for for 501(c)3 status. We have the rights to produce the play (an excellent musical!), a location (and outdoor, socially distanced venue), and the means to pull together a fantastic cast and crew.
We Need Your Help:
Between our Founders, we've been able to underwrite the cost of obtaining the rights and securing the venue. We now need help to raise the funds to produce the show. YES! You can donate goods or service if you prefer! If you have either goods or services you would like to donate to this fundraiser, please contact us at [email redacted]. We are in the process of applying for Federal non-profit status (as a 501(c)3 organization). At this time, donations to SSTC are not deductible from federal taxes.
SUPPORT SSTC:
We thank Dr. Joanna and Mr. Jos Sisk-Purvis, Lt. Col. Ken and Mrs. Judith Hoisington, and Dr. Patrick and Mrs. Melissa Dombrowski for underwriting our initial costs to secure the venue and rights to this production.
Please consider joining us at one of the following personal sponsorship levels:
Tier 1 - $10+:
- You will be listed as a supporter in the “Something Rotten” program and on the SSTC website.
Tier 2 - $50:
- Tier 1 +
- Preferential seating for the opening night performance of “Something Rotten” .
Tier 3 - $100:
- Tier 2 +
- 2 tickets + preferential seating to "Something Rotten" on opening night (October 9th)
Tier 4 - $250
- Tier 3+
- Listed on website as a founder forever
- 2 more tickets/preferential seating to opening night (4 total)
Tier 5 - $500
- Tier 4 +
- 2 more tickets/preferential seating to opening night (6 total)
- Pre-show "behind the scenes experience"
- If you are interested in making a larger contribution, please contact us for additional tiers and additional perks!
Want to donate but can't use your ticket? Let us know and we will work with local schools and non-profits to provide those tickets to local underserved students up to age 18. Please let us know in your notes if you'd like to donate your seats.
We are also looking for local business sponsors! We can offer in-program advertising, weblinks, discounted tickets, preferential seating, and special pre/post experiences with our artists. Please write to us at [email redacted] to start the conversation!
The Story of STONE SOUP:
Once upon a time a traveler came across a small and quiet town. They knocked on several doors in the village in a search for a meal and a dry place to rest their head. At each threshold, the inhabitant answered the traveler in the same way: "We have barely enough for ourselves. We've nothing to share that is of any use to you. "
After several houses, the traveler understood there was little hospitality to be had in the village and came up with a plan.
When they next faced rejection they smiled upon the crofters at the door. "Friends," said the traveler, "I understand. And while it is true that I search for a dry place where I may lay my head, I have no need of food. I have everything I need and plenty to share with those suffering from empty bellies tonight." The traveler went to their cart and took off a large cast-iron pot, filled it with water from the village well, and set a cheerful fire beneath it to set the water boiling. They then reached into the bottom of their sack and pulled out a smooth, flat, and otherwise unremarkable stone. With great satisfaction, they laid it gently in the simmer water, closed their eyes and inhaled the steam and looked very contented indeed. The villagers watched from behind their window curtains and doors to see what the traveler would do next.
Eventually, an elder of the village approached the traveler and said "You've said that you have enough food to share, yet it t seems to us that you are boiling a stone for your soup." The traveler smiled up at the elder, offered them a seat close to the fire, and answered thus: "It is true that this stone makes the most marvelous and filling soup in the kingdom! Give it some time and we will have enough to share with the entire village." The traveler leaned in closely, then, and whispered to the elder: "That said, it can always use a little onion. Yes, a little onion makes all the difference to making this a most tasty soup." The elder shared that he had a few handfuls of aging onions in his pantry that he would gladly trade for a few bowls of delicious soup.
When the traveler added the onions, another villager approached and asked about the stone and the soup. They told the traveler "I've a little salt and some bay leaves that are old and dry. You can have them to flavor your soup if there is enough to spare for me!" The traveler thanked the villager and added their contribution to the cauldron. As the sun set and the fireflies came out to do their evening dance, the villagers ventured from their homes in search of what smelled so very good. Each learned that the soup would be so much better if only it had a little more of something or another. One bachelor had only garden greens to fill his belly for the next week and he gladly gave them up in exchange for some nourishing soup. A widow had only beans and a little salt pork in her larder and felt it a good bargain to exchange them for a hot, delicious meal. They brought out their winter-stored carrots, parsnips and turnips, potatoes in droves to contribute to the soup's much improved flavor in exchange for a good meal provided by the magical stone. By the end of the evening there was plenty of food for all, and all were fed and had full bellies when they got to their beds.
To have the most successful start possible, we need your support! We will be performing the hilarious 2015 musical comedy "Something Rotten!" at the historic Forest Theater on the UNC-CH Campus this October. Set in 1596, the plot follows the Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, who struggle to find success in the theatrical world as they compete with the wild popularity of their contemporary, "rock star" William Shakespeare.
Keep reading for more information on our company, or scroll down for our donation tiers and perks!
We are Ready to Go:
SSTC is headed by experienced, talented leadership with a history of working well together. Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis and Zachary Cook are professionals representing diverse backgrounds in the performing arts including: producing, directing (artistic, musical and technical), conducting, stage management, design, choreography and performance.
SSTC has been incorporated as a non-profit in NC and we are in the process of applying for for 501(c)3 status. We have the rights to produce the play (an excellent musical!), a location (and outdoor, socially distanced venue), and the means to pull together a fantastic cast and crew.
We Need Your Help:
Between our Founders, we've been able to underwrite the cost of obtaining the rights and securing the venue. We now need help to raise the funds to produce the show. YES! You can donate goods or service if you prefer! If you have either goods or services you would like to donate to this fundraiser, please contact us at [email redacted]. We are in the process of applying for Federal non-profit status (as a 501(c)3 organization). At this time, donations to SSTC are not deductible from federal taxes.
SUPPORT SSTC:
We thank Dr. Joanna and Mr. Jos Sisk-Purvis, Lt. Col. Ken and Mrs. Judith Hoisington, and Dr. Patrick and Mrs. Melissa Dombrowski for underwriting our initial costs to secure the venue and rights to this production.
Please consider joining us at one of the following personal sponsorship levels:
Tier 1 - $10+:
- You will be listed as a supporter in the “Something Rotten” program and on the SSTC website.
Tier 2 - $50:
- Tier 1 +
- Preferential seating for the opening night performance of “Something Rotten” .
Tier 3 - $100:
- Tier 2 +
- 2 tickets + preferential seating to "Something Rotten" on opening night (October 9th)
Tier 4 - $250
- Tier 3+
- Listed on website as a founder forever
- 2 more tickets/preferential seating to opening night (4 total)
Tier 5 - $500
- Tier 4 +
- 2 more tickets/preferential seating to opening night (6 total)
- Pre-show "behind the scenes experience"
- If you are interested in making a larger contribution, please contact us for additional tiers and additional perks!
Want to donate but can't use your ticket? Let us know and we will work with local schools and non-profits to provide those tickets to local underserved students up to age 18. Please let us know in your notes if you'd like to donate your seats.
We are also looking for local business sponsors! We can offer in-program advertising, weblinks, discounted tickets, preferential seating, and special pre/post experiences with our artists. Please write to us at [email redacted] to start the conversation!
The Story of STONE SOUP:
Once upon a time a traveler came across a small and quiet town. They knocked on several doors in the village in a search for a meal and a dry place to rest their head. At each threshold, the inhabitant answered the traveler in the same way: "We have barely enough for ourselves. We've nothing to share that is of any use to you. "
After several houses, the traveler understood there was little hospitality to be had in the village and came up with a plan.
When they next faced rejection they smiled upon the crofters at the door. "Friends," said the traveler, "I understand. And while it is true that I search for a dry place where I may lay my head, I have no need of food. I have everything I need and plenty to share with those suffering from empty bellies tonight." The traveler went to their cart and took off a large cast-iron pot, filled it with water from the village well, and set a cheerful fire beneath it to set the water boiling. They then reached into the bottom of their sack and pulled out a smooth, flat, and otherwise unremarkable stone. With great satisfaction, they laid it gently in the simmer water, closed their eyes and inhaled the steam and looked very contented indeed. The villagers watched from behind their window curtains and doors to see what the traveler would do next.
Eventually, an elder of the village approached the traveler and said "You've said that you have enough food to share, yet it t seems to us that you are boiling a stone for your soup." The traveler smiled up at the elder, offered them a seat close to the fire, and answered thus: "It is true that this stone makes the most marvelous and filling soup in the kingdom! Give it some time and we will have enough to share with the entire village." The traveler leaned in closely, then, and whispered to the elder: "That said, it can always use a little onion. Yes, a little onion makes all the difference to making this a most tasty soup." The elder shared that he had a few handfuls of aging onions in his pantry that he would gladly trade for a few bowls of delicious soup.
When the traveler added the onions, another villager approached and asked about the stone and the soup. They told the traveler "I've a little salt and some bay leaves that are old and dry. You can have them to flavor your soup if there is enough to spare for me!" The traveler thanked the villager and added their contribution to the cauldron. As the sun set and the fireflies came out to do their evening dance, the villagers ventured from their homes in search of what smelled so very good. Each learned that the soup would be so much better if only it had a little more of something or another. One bachelor had only garden greens to fill his belly for the next week and he gladly gave them up in exchange for some nourishing soup. A widow had only beans and a little salt pork in her larder and felt it a good bargain to exchange them for a hot, delicious meal. They brought out their winter-stored carrots, parsnips and turnips, potatoes in droves to contribute to the soup's much improved flavor in exchange for a good meal provided by the magical stone. By the end of the evening there was plenty of food for all, and all were fed and had full bellies when they got to their beds.
Organizer
Melissa Dombrowski
Organizer
Durham, NC
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