HAWK’S WELL BOOST
THE Hawk’s Well Theatre has a number of fundraising initiatives planned for the Autumn season.
At the start of the year it was announced that the theatre has been successful in securing €550,000 in capital funding from The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD.
This money has been pledged but will only become available once the same amount of money has been fundraised by the theatre.
This season the theatre has a wonderful raffle prize on offer thanks to Ireland West Airport and Ryanair.
A winter sun holiday in Lanzarote for two is up for grabs with all proceeds going to the renovation fund. Raffle tickets are available to purchase at the Box office for €4 or three tickets for €10.
This holiday is for two adults and is valid for travel between December 2017 and March 2018. The competition closes on the 3rd of December 2017 and the draw will be made on the 4 th of December 2017.
The theatre is also hosting a fundraising auction, Lots at the Well on Thursday 19 th of October at 8pm. This one-off, fun and exciting evening will take place under the direction of auctioneer Robbie Fitzpatrick.
Businesses all over Sligo and beyond are donating a fabulous selection of intriguing items from artworks to unique experiences, which will all be going under the hammer on the night with proceeds going to the renovation fund. Booking is advised for this event which promises to be lots of fun.
Tickets are €5 which includes a glass of wine and there will be plenty of entertainment along with the chance to bag a bargain or two.
The annual Sligo Sings event is also raising money for the theatre this year. This popular programme aims to get the whole of Sligo singing and has already fostered the growth of many new choirs. This uplifting event in November is a major celebration of the choirs’ achievements. Tickets are €16/8 u18s and early booking is advised for this sell out event.
Two ‘Sing for the hell of it’ sessions will also take place this season and are open to everyone and anyone who likes to sing. These fundraising sing alongs are hosted by choirmaster Dave Flynn and are great fun.
The Hawk’s Well join with Sligo Choral festival on Saturday 18th of November to ‘sing for the hell of it’ at 5pm and join with Kieran Quinn on Tuesday 28th of November to record a Christmas Song for Sligo with proceeds going to the renovation fund. The theatre has launched a new ‘Renovation Patron’ scheme and is asking the public for its support to fundraise. Individuals, families or companies can contribute to the renovation fund by becoming renovation patrons and donating funds across various levels of support.
Renovation patrons will be acknowledged in perpetuity within the extended building and will become a permanent part of the Hawk’s Well history.
AIB have recently become renovation patrons. Charlie Kane, Branch Manager from AIB Sligo commented “AIB Sligo is delighted to support and become a Renovation Patron of the Hawk’s Well. The theatre has a long tradition with Sligo and is a magnificent ‘not for profit’ amenity to have in our community.
“We wish the team every success with their fund raising which will be utilised to fund the major essential repair and renovation works that have to be undertaken at the theatre.”
A number of artists and groups are also running fundraising events for the theatre. This season alone local group Man in the Moon Productions present Shaun Purcell’s musical ‘ The Raven Beckons’ for two nights on Monday 9 th and Tuesday 10 th of October with the profits from the show going to the Hawk’s Well renovation fund.
This story of romance and tragedy journeys through the lives of a young couple from different sides of the tracks.
It has been described by critics as ‘an unqualified success’ (The Sunday Times), “Like blood brothers but better” (The Irish Times) and “a musical that every father and teenager in the country should go and see.” (Gay Byrne).
Popular musician Kieran Quinn’s next big ambitious project ‘Our Place’ is also fundraising for the theatre.
Kieran has been focusing on his song writing and was supported in this with a short residency at the theatre. Our Place is original songs inspired by Sligo which will be released as a new album this November with a new original song being released each month.
“It’s a worthy cause, it’s a huge addition to our community, they’re making efforts to reach out to all areas of the community, it enables me to release my songs and it raises money for a worthy cause” says Kieran Quinn about the project.
Jane Parsons, Fundraiser at the Hawk’s Well is delighted with the response to the fundraising campaign so far: “We are delighted to have this funding pledged to us but we have a tough job ahead to match fund and raise €550,000 ourselves in order to start the renovation.
“We have already added €1 to the price of all tickets sold and this small levy will raise approximately 40% of the match funding required.”
Through the development levy, fundraising events and donations from the public, along with pledged money from Sligo Council, Sligo BID and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht the theatre will be in a position to start renovations within three years’ time.
The plan to renew and regenerate the theatre will ensure its future for many years to come.
The proposed improvements and redevelopment at the site will transform the theatre into a stunning arts centre, providing a visitor experience that is lively, accessible, authentic and interactive.
It will have the potential to transform the theatre into an artist hub in the North West and will be a major attractor of visitors to Sligo, creating a coherent experience that is innovative, authentic and transformative.
It will help to strengthen the region’s strategic positioning in Irish tourism markets and will highlight the wealth of the arts and cultural activity in the county.
Key elements of the project that underpin this vision are:
- A landmark renovation of the existing theatre’s entrance and foyer space to create an accessible and inviting building for one and all
- An upgrade of the auditorium to bring it in line with modern day theatre standards.
- Implementation of essential flood prevention measures.
Renovation cannot start however until funding has been secured.
“For every €1 the public donate, this will be matched by the Department so if you are donating €100 to the theatre, this will become €200,” adds Jane Parsons. “The levels for our renovation patrons scheme start at €1,000 and go up to €5,000 but we are delighted to receive any donation at all from the general public, no matter how small.”
If you would like to support the theatre’s renovation fund please contact Jane Parsons at the Hawk’s Well Theatre jane@hawkswell.com.