Alberta Theatre Projects exceeds goal in desperate appeal for donations
The show will go on for Alberta Theatre Projects.
The longtime Calgary theatre company on Tuesday announced that their urgent fundraising campaign had succeeded in raising more than $250,000, $50,000 over their $200,000 goal.
During a celebration with supporters, community partners and neighbours on Olympic Plaza, ATP’s executive director Vicki Stoich spoke on the success of the funding drive. Earlier, ATP had said that its future was far from certain beyond next season.
“In the two months since we launched our appeal, we’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity from our community,” Stoich said in a copy of the remarks provided to media.
“Through your donations, kind words and offers of support, we’ve seen just how passionate our community is and how much it values the groundbreaking work that ATP does and our role as community builders. In response to this incredible show of faith, we offer our sincerest and most heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to donate, share the news, vocalize their support for the arts, see a show, and help ATP forge a new way forward.”
Launched on March 1, 2017 in response to what ATP says was a cumulative 77 per cent drop in corporate sponsorship that left the company with a $400,000 gap in funding, the campaign was bolstered at the outset by a onetime, $200,000 proactive grant from The Calgary Foundation, leaving the remaining $200,000 to be raised through a public appeal.
Of that $200,000 public goal, 90 per cent of all donations that were received came from individual donors. In total, over 780 people contributed to the fundraising campaign, the overwhelming majority of whom were first-time donors to ATP.
“The success of this fundraising campaign has helped ATP buy much-needed time over the short term to develop and implement adaptive changes that are necessary to address the new market realities facing not-for-profit arts companies in Calgary,” said Frank Durnford, ATP board of directors’ vice-president of development, in a statement.
ATP says it will look at changes to the company’s producing model and other parts of its core business, working toward a new model by 2021-22, ATP’s 50th anniversary season. The company says it is working with a program called New Pathways for the Arts, developed by EMC Arts, to help it discover and implement new ways of working that will allow it to become more adaptive and resilient to changes in the arts and culture industry.
Individual and corporate support currently make up roughly one-third of ATP’s total annual operating revenue, and enables the organization to provide plays to more of the Calgary community by keeping ticket prices down.
“We’re not expecting to see corporate sponsorship return to the levels we saw before the economic downturn, and with current government support remaining flat, that will likely mean that individual donors will have a larger role to play in ensuring the viability of local, not-for-profit theatre for the foreseeable future,” said Levonne Louie, the ATP board of directors’ treasurer, in a statement.
The 45-year-old ATP most recently presented the political comedy 1979, and had a smash hit last year with Waiting For The Parade.
Anyone who would still like to donate can make a tax deductible $20 donation by simply texting the word FORWARD (all capital letters) to 45678 until May 31.
More details about the mobile giving campaign as well as information about matching programs for larger donations can be found by visiting www.ATPlive.com/ support-ATP.