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 Hi there! This is Katie Wetch, Cheyenne Haynes, &amp; Meagan Harris-- and we are the Witches 3. We are a fierce Dallas based female/queer run theatre company; conjuring daring stories with sharp teeth and unapologetic spirit. We have gathered with a simple intention; to spark imagination, restore the play in plays, and conjure a creative space where everyone feels they belong.
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 And to do this, we need your help. We are in the process of prepping for our premiere production Taming: A Folktale, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew set in Appalachia and featuring music by the incredible Justin Locklear.
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 We are excited to be collaborating with some of the best creatives in Dallas and bring this work to life in a brand new way. One that has a bite to it. But as you can see we three stay pretty busy.
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 And in order to make sure we can properly compensate all of our creatives: our creative team, our crew, and our actors, we need to make sure we have the funding. As a newer company and as three independent artists who stay busy, we could use a little help reaching our goal budget. Our goal is to raise $5,000, and the money you donate would be used to pay our artists and creatives who are vital to making this beautiful show a reality.
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 As a thank you for donating, we do have personal sponsorship gifts. If you donate $25 - $49 you will receive a shoutout in our playbill for Taming: A Folktale when it premiers this fall, and a handwritten thank you from us.
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 If you donate $50 - $99 in addition to the program acknowledgement and the thank you note, you will receive a custom Witches 3 Art Print
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 And if you donate $100 or more you will receive the program acknowledgement, the thank you note, the custom print and a Witches 3 t-shirt
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 In addition to Taming: A Folktale we’d love to invite you to our free community events, where you can meet us and meet the community we are serving, so you can see where your donation is going to. Or if you’re an artist or someone just wanting to learn a new skill, we’d love to have you at one of our workshops, which also goes to support our production. As three diverse artists, we have an array of workshops that we alternate throughout each month, so there is always something new.
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 For more information on our workshops, free events, or other production updates, you can follow us at Witches 3 Productions on both Instagram or Facebook. Our website www.witches3.com. We are also on tiktok witches3productions.
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 Thank you so much for your support. Anything helps whether it be big or small or even just spreading the word. Please share with your family and friends, so we can get the word out and continue to help grow the arts in DFW
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 And follow us on social media or come see us at an event. We promise we don’t bite. But our shows do.
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Join us in Bringing Taming: A Folktale to Life

<div><strong>THE PROJECT: </strong>

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<div>Based on the young adult novel of the same name, THE PENUMBRA is a new musical written for and about adolescents navigating deep waters of grief and trauma. Utilizing innovative, practical effects to create theatre magic, the story touches on themes of identity, uncertainty, and family--the kinds we’re born into and the kinds we choose. A supernatural thriller about rediscovering what you already know--but don’t want to believe--about yourself, THE PENUMBRA is an unflinching look at the strange, heartbreaking process of navigating trauma before you can even drive a car.

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<div>THE PENUMBRA will hold its first public workshop in August 2025 at Dallas' historic Bath House Cultural Center and will hold one staged reading at Dallas Children’s Theater in April 2026. 
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<div><strong>THE WRITING TEAM: </strong>

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<div>Ian Ferguson (composer/lyricist) and Lauren LeBlanc (writer) met in 2018, during callbacks for Ian's original musical, The Manufactured Myth of Eveline Flynn. Lauren was cast and in the years since, the two friends have been hunting for a project to work on together. When Lauren finished her young adult novel, THE PENUMBRA, Ian was one of the few people she asked to read it. He loved the story and proposed a musical adaptation, an idea Lauren knew instantly could only work with Ian as composer.

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<div>As actors, they pride themselves on the simple and difficult art of "planting your feet and telling the truth." As writers, the task is adjusted, but no different: create truthful responses to fictional scenarios. Remind the misfits, the outcasts, those swimming upstream--particularly children--that they are seen and valued and heard. Not to teach a lesson, necessarily. Only to pull back a curtain.

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<div>The writing team is in the process of applying for several grants to provide adequate compensation for the time and talent of the artists who've signed on for the workshop. Additionally, they'll bring a certified therapist on board for a post-show talkback.

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<div><strong>THE PLOT: </strong>

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<div><em>Okay, yes. Josie Wood sees floating orbs, and MAYBE there was something hovering in the orchestra room during rehearsal. But none of this means Josie believes in the supernatural, not after watching her mom fake that stuff for years at their family’s psychic shop. But kids have started disappearing from Mount Holly and no one knows how or why. When her big sister vanishes and Mom doesn’t do anything about it, Josie enlists the help of a shop regular and strange new girl at school to figure out where the missing kids have gone and how to get them back. What they discover brings them face-to-face with a force driven by madness and grief, a thing both ancient and reckless.</em>

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<div><strong>THE ASK: </strong>

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<div>No donation is too small. Every donation will go directly to:

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<li>workshop rental fees

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<li>fair and equitable compensation for workshop actors/designers/musicians

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<li>mental health resources for audience members + surrounding community

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<li>mentorship resources for student performers/musicians, who will work alongside professional artists for the August workshop

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<div><strong>THE IMPACT:</strong>

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<div>Mental health care is not only widely stigmatized, but access is often cost-prohibitive, limited to those with financial independence. As part of the show's outreach, a licensed therapist will conduct post-show discussions on healing and navigating trauma. Ian and Lauren want to use their art as an access point to help audience members--particularly those from underserved communities--understand that grief and trauma do not have to be experienced in isolation. They are committed to centering youth voices, a critical component to the show's narrative and vision. In addition to being a classroom teacher in inner-city Dallas, Lauren is certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid and works in communities of color, helping historically arts-starved communities gain equitable access to the arts.

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<div>The conversation is not only vital in financially insecure communities, but in the artistic sector as well. The performers’ union, Actors Equity Association, commissioned a 2021 review of more than 100 academic studies relating to mental health in professionals and students in the performing arts sector over the past 20 years. The studies showed depression to be twice as likely in performers than in the general population. Other findings showed that 52% of acting students, 60% of actors and 90% of rock musicians reported experiencing anxiety on a regular basis. Among the general population, 6% of individuals are thought to experience anxiety in any given week (<em>The Guardian</em>). In addition to the show’s content and the post-show talkback, workshop artists and attendees will be provided with local, budget-friendly mental health resources, should they choose to continue their mental health journey after the curtain closes.

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<div>Making art has never been more important. Thank you for your support of Dallas artists!

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<div class="youtube-replace"><a href="https://youtu.be/AfiKrg9jM8E?si=5bn7UZ5ZZKsBW7e9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://youtu.be/AfiKrg9jM8E?si=5bn7UZ5ZZKsBW7e9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://youtu.be/AfiKrg9jM8E?si=5bn7UZ5ZZKsBW7e9" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://youtu.be/AfiKrg9jM8E?si=5bn7UZ5ZZKsBW7e9</a></a>

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THE PENUMBRA: A New Musical

<p>On Tuesday, August 17, a fire broke out in Ronald and Penny Stewart’s family home in the Mountainview area of Waco, Texas, while both of them were inside. Tragically, Penny did not survive. Ron was treated and released from the hospital, but is unable to return to the only place has has called home since 1995. The Stewart children - Jakob (of Houston) and Jenni (of Dallas) - were shocked and devastated to learn what had happened and rushed to Waco to assist their dad. In addition to dealing with the sudden and traumatic loss of their wife and mother, the Stewarts are also dealing with the mounting unexpected financial burdens associated with a house fire and the related loss of shelter and possessions.  Jakob, Jenni, and Ron have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that has come their way in the past week, and many people have asked how they can help further. We are asking the friends and loved ones of the Stewarts to contribute to this fund so that the family can use the money to tend to their immediate basic needs, and also the longterm costs of demolition, relocation, and other tasks. They both have contributed so much to all our lives, and appreciate any help we can give.
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Sam Lisman

Sam Lisman

Featured causes

Join us in Bringing Taming: A Folktale to Life

THE PENUMBRA: A New Musical

Stewart Family Home and Funeral Costs

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