<div><strong>Birthday Fundraiser: Help Us Record the Music!</strong>
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<div>As I celebrate another trip around the sun, I'm focusing this fundraiser on the next major milestone for Gaslighting: The Musical! -- professionally recording demo tracks from the show.
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<div>Over the past year, this project has grown from an idea into a fully developing musical with original songs, workshop and preview performances, artistic collaborators, community partnerships, and grant support. The next step is creating high-quality recordings that can help the show reach a wider audience.
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<div>These recordings will help me:
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<ul>
<li>Give audiences a chance to experience the music beyond the stage
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<li>Share the music with producers, theatres, festivals, and presenters
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<li>Create promotional materials and social media content
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<li>Support future grant applications and fundraising efforts
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<li>Build excitement for future productions
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<li>Preserve and develop the musical's unique sound as the show continues to evolve
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</ul>
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<div>If you've been looking for a way to support the project, this is one of the most impactful investments you can make. Every dollar helps bring these songs to life and move the show one step closer to future audiences.
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<div><strong>And as a birthday gift this year, I'd be incredibly grateful for your support! &lt;3</strong>
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<div>Below is the original project description, which explains the larger vision for the show.
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<div><strong>GASLIGHTING: THE MUSICAL! (a circus of the mind)</strong>
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<div><em>A dark solo musical comedy about emotional abuse, narcissism, and the circus inside your mind by award-winning solo artist Brooke McCarthy. </em>
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<div>Hi friends,
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<div>I’m Brooke McCarthy, actor, singer, writer, and award-winning solo performer — and I’m asking for your help to build something new! It will be raw, ridiculous, and uncomfortably real -- a true genre bending night of theatre.
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<div>My next show is called <em>Gaslighting: The Musical! </em>(a circus of the mind).
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<div>It’s a dark musical comedy that dives headfirst into the chaotic experience of emotional abuse, told through original songs, character work, circus-inspired physicality, and the ironic metaphor of a one-ring circus happening inside your brain.
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<div>This is a show about what happens when someone convinces you not to trust your own memory, perception, or gut… and how you begin to rebuild when the circus charade collapses.
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<div><strong>Why this show matters</strong>
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<div>I wrote this show after surviving a deeply confusing, manipulative relationship — one where I kept second-guessing reality, myself, and my worth. As I started naming the experience (gaslighting, love bombing, future faking, breadcrumbing...), I realized I wasn’t alone. So many people — especially women — have lived this story.
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<div>But we almost never get to laugh about it.
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<div>We rarely get to own it on our own terms.
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<div>And we certainly don’t get a musical number to reclaim the chaos in the spotlight!
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<div>This show is for anyone who's ever asked, "Am I crazy?"
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<div>Spoiler: you're not. You were manipulated. And that deserves a FREAKIN' SONG.
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<div><strong>Where your support goes</strong>
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<div>Thanks to early support from the Charlotte community and venues like CATCh, Charlotte’s Off-Broadway, and Davidson Community Players, the show is gaining momentum. I also received a Creative Growth Grant from the City of Charlotte for the development, but it won't cover everything. Plus, the song recording endeavor sits outside of my current grant. 
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<div>Your donation will help me:
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<ul>
<li>Professionally record demo tracks from the show with my collaborators
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<li>Continue writing and developing the remaining original songs
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<li>Pay collaborators (composer, director, designers, magic consultants, etc.)
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<div><strong>My current goal is to raise $3,000 toward recording the first five songs from the musical. </strong>That will include:
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<li>Recording studio time plus mixing and mastering
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<li>Professional musicians
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<li>Streaming service fees, etc.
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<div>Your donations have already helped me to:
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<li>Rent rehearsal and performance spaces
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<li>Create a circus of the mind — full of illusions, puppets, masks, magic, and mind games
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<li>Stage the first workshop in December 2025
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<li>Stage a preview performance in May 2026
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<div>Continuing goals include:
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<li>Produce the fully staged World Premiere at Davidson Community Players in November 2026
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<li>Build a community of support for audience members who need it
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<div>Even $10 brings me closer to paying an artistic collaborator, printing materials, or building a prop that turns pain into empowerment!
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<div><strong>Ways to help</strong>
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<li>Donate (every dollar makes a difference!)
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<li>Share this campaign with theatre lovers, mental health advocates, or anyone who’s been gaslit and lived to tell the tale
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<li>Follow the show’s journey on Instagram: @GaslightingTheMusical
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<li>Sponsor a recording session ($250)
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<li>Sponsor a song demo ($500+)
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<li>Help fund mixing, mastering, and musicians ($100+)
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<li>Feel free to reach out with any type of in-kind donations as well (rehearsal spaces, print materials, production marketing like photos/videos, etc.)
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<div>Thank you for believing in the power of edgy theatre, healing comedy, and the resilience of survivors. I’m so excited (and terrified!) to build this show, and I couldn’t do it without your support.
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<div>With so much love and gratitude,
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<div>Brooke McCarthy
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Shannon Miller

Daniel Doyle

Richard Vincent

Karen Graves

Luis Medina

Anonymous

Christopher Nellis

Jay Englander

Marcellene Thompson

Tasha Bovain

Jonathan McDonald

Caren Keyes

Kaitlyne Colbert

Adrianne Blanks

Caitlin Styres

Joshua L Freeman

Support Brooke McCarthy's GASLIGHTING: THE MUSICAL!

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