Help reduce Sarah's debt from The Pocket Theater
TL;DR: The Pocket Theater is having to close down, and we don't want to leave Sarah, the owner, with thousands of dollars of personal debt!
The full story: Five years ago, The Pocket Theater opened its doors in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood and started a revolution in the local theater scene. It has provided creative opportunities for all kinds of performers to reach an audience, without performers having to spend money to rent a venue. The improv, sketch, comedy, and theater communities in Seattle have seen a resulting explosion in new groups and performers in the last half-decade, and The Pocket’s success has inspired other area theaters to provide similar performance opportunities.
Unfortunately, as is too often the case with small arts in the Seattle area, rising rents and demand for real estate have come together to make The Pocket economically unsustainable, and the theater will be closing after its last night of shows on December 20.
Sarah Mack helped make The Pocket the amazing venue it is, first as a volunteer and eventually buying The Pocket from its founder at the beginning of 2018. Sarah has poured amazing effort and thousands of hours, plus thousands of dollars of their own money, into keeping the theater thriving.
And that’s why this GoFundMe has been created. Along with amazing memories and pride in what The Pocket has done for Seattle’s arts community, Sarah is also facing a personal five-figure debt as a legacy of The Pocket’s closing, due to putting their own funds into keeping the theater alive.
Given how much we have all benefited from The Pocket Theater, through opportunities to perform there, through seeing hundreds of creative and innovative shows, and through a Seattle indie creative community that has grown exponentially since the theater opened its doors, it would be great if we could all give a little back by helping Sarah reduce the personal debt that they are facing with The Pocket’s closure.
Sarah didn’t ask for this GoFundMe to be created, but was appreciative when I suggested it.
So let’s please say “thanks!” to Sarah, and to The Pocket and its amazing legacy, by donating to this fundraiser. We can’t reduce the emotional impact this closure is having on the Seattle arts community, but we can at least thank Sarah by reducing the personal debt they incurred while keeping this amazing venue running.
If everyone who has enjoyed The Pocket Theater, as a performer or in the audience, makes a small donation, we’ll make a big impact and help pay back for all that Sarah and the theater have given us.
