Alberta Theatre Projects launches ‘urgent’ plea for public donations
Alberta Theatre Projects, a 45-year-old arts institution in Calgary, says it needs to raise $200,000 in two months to continue operating beyond 2018.
A desperate plea was put out Wednesday afternoon by the organization, a not-for-profit theatre company that was founded in 1972 and focuses on new Canadian theatrical works.
The economic downturn in Calgary has led to a 77-per-cent drop in corporate sponsorship, ATP executive director Vicki Stroich said in a news release.
“Our 2017-18 season will be going ahead as planned, but looking beyond next season has become extremely difficult given our financial situation,” Stroich said.
She was not available Wednesday to speak to Postmedia News.
The organization has launched its “urgent” fundraising campaign that encourages supporters to donate through a mobile campaign.
The Calgary Foundation has given the company a one-time grant of $200,000, but the theatre company will need to raise a further $200,000 from the public by May 1 to meet its $400,000 goal.
ATP receives funds through private donors and local, provincial and national public arts funding, along with revenues from ticket sales.
The company will be working toward a new business model that will make it less reliant on corporate cash, but the $400,000 is needed to make the shift.
Over the course of its history, ATP has produced more than 288 Canadian plays and premièred more than 156 works by Canadian playwrights that have gone on to win more than 39 major awards, making it one of the country’s most lauded producers of new Canada plays.
Anyone interested in supporting the company can make a tax deductible $20 donation by simply texting FORWARD to 45678. Full 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.