Official Kickstarter to get Spring Awakening to perform on the Tonys- Page 7

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 6:56pm

" Some of the gifts for donating a certain amount are pretty interesting. Not sure if I'd personally want any of them because I'd be too afraid of it being terribly awkward but for some super fans I'm sure it's worth it. "

I hadn't taken a look at the rewards for different pledge amounts until I saw this. Wow. And people complain about the demands fans put on actors at the stage door. Sure, some of things can be conducted over skype but this sounds like a bit of a weird situation.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 7:34pm

The Kickstarter page is claiming that contributions are tax deductible and representing itself as a charity right? That's not allowed on Kickstarter, see rule 3 https://www.kickstarter.com/rules

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 7:43pm

NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "The Kickstarter page is claiming that contributions are tax deductible and representing itself as a charity right? That's not allowed on Kickstarter, see rule 3 https://www.kickstarter.com/rules

 

"

DEAD!

[AnnieBlack]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 7:53pm

Kickstarter can't be responsible for tax deduction receipts, which is why they don't allow the charity fundraising thing. Its one thing to raise money for a performance or album, another thing to do it under the guise of charity

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 8:32pm

NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "The Kickstarter page is claiming that contributions are tax deductible and representing itself as a charity right? That's not allowed on Kickstarter, see rule 3 https://www.kickstarter.com/rules"

Wow just wow. I saw that and assumed Kickstarter had changed their rule on this. (There are plenty of other sites that DO handle charitable giving.) I'm surprised Kickstarter doesn't have a filter for this. But it does throw an elephant-size wrench into this whole ridiculous saga.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 8:47pm

I was thinking the same thing, but all Kickstarter pages and rewards have to be approved by kickstarter before they go live so I'm not sure how that would have gotten through them... hmmm... they are also breaking the rule of misrepresenting themselves. Yikes. I LOVED this Spring Awakening and I am stoked they're performing at the Tony's... this whole kickstarter thing though is just making me very uncomfortable. Why didn't they use Indiegogo or GoFundMe???? So weird and fishy... and typical of all things Davenport... 

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 8:47pm

HogansHero said: "NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "The Kickstarter page is claiming that contributions are tax deductible and representing itself as a charity right? That's not allowed on Kickstarter, see rule 3 https://www.kickstarter.com/rules"

Wow just wow. I saw that and assumed Kickstarter had changed their rule on this. (There are plenty of other sites that DO handle charitable giving.) I'm surprised Kickstarter doesn't have a filter for this. But it does throw an elephant-size wrench into this whole ridiculous saga"

Yup. I saw someone on Twitter who tweeted that they reported the campaign to Kickstarter for violating that rule. Who knows if anything would come of that.

[GreenSharpie]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 8:55pm

From Kickstarter's FAQ page:

 

"Is my pledge tax deductible?

In general, no. However, some US projects started by or with a 501(c)(3) organization may offer tax deductions. If so, this will be touted on the project page. If you have questions about tax deductions, please contact the project creator directly via the "Contact me" button on the project page."

https://www.kickstarter.com/help/faq/backer+questions

Some of you guys are really doing the most in this thread and I'm having a hard time understanding why you are taking this all so personally. This is Deaf West Theater! Accessibility in the arts! Deaf actors and the first actor in a wheelchair performing on the Tony Awards for the first time! Deaf West was almost destroyed by the recession, so let them have their victory run now. Yes people are not curing cancer by funding the Tony performance, but no non-profit theaters do that and most of them get much larger donations. 300 people have given $25 - they're hardly being deprived of their rent money. Give it a rest..

[gypsy101]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 8:59pm

they're probably offended because the whole thing is shady as hell

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 9:04pm

@greensharpie-thanks for that info. It does seem that their pages are inconsistent. the reason this is a thorn in the side is that the performance is already funded, and this is a sleazy way of repaying a loan as well as creating a ridiculous narrative. Davenport really seems to have his claws in this organization, and that's sad on so many levels.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 9:09pm

Ah thanks for the extra info regarding Kickstarter and non-profit info. So I guess if you donate you'll receive a receipt from Deaf West. 

 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 9:19pm

GreenSharpie, give it up. 

[seahag2]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 9:19pm

A tumblr post referenced this thread lol...

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 9:20pm

seahag2 said: "A tumblr post referenced this thread lol...

 

"

Link? Or name of tumblr?

[GreenSharpie]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 9:28pm

HogansHero said: "@greensharpie-thanks for that info. It does seem that their pages are inconsistent. the reason this is a thorn in the side is that the performance is already funded, and this is a sleazy way of repaying a loan as well as creating a ridiculous narrative. Davenport really seems to have his claws in this organization, and that's sad on so many levels."

I agree that Ken Davenport can be a ridiculous mess with his marketing tactics and ends up just unintentionally alienating fans. Another producer would have been able to do so much more for this show, but then again I heard on the Theater People podcast that no other producer was crazy enough to bring it to Broadway so fast, and the original cast (and with them the magic of the show) might have completely changed if they waited a year to transfer with another producer. But I just hate to see Deaf West's reputation go down with his. And I do think his heart is in the right place- he brought this beautiful show to Broadway in tact after all (and I also loved Daddy Long Legs, and thought the live stream was inspired). He just simply needs to learn how to market his shows without turning literally everyone off with tone-deaf tactics.

Updated On: 5/25/16 at 09:28 PM

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 9:32pm

I think everyone has been pretty generous to Deaf West about it. It doesn't change my feelings for the show or their work. 

[RW3]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 9:43pm

Now, it would be something if when the list of performances comes out and Spring Awakening is on it but the Kickstarter still shows that they haven't reached $200,000 yet.

[pupscotch]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 9:55pm

The Kickstarter is already at 25% of the necessary profits, so I think they'll get there. You guys are really ripping this though! Though this is a little bit sketchy, I pledged $10, because I have that money to spare, I loved the show, and I want to see a Tonys performance and get the word out there for this fantastic show, especially if they plan to run a national tour.

[A Director]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 9:57pm

From a Think Progress article.

CULTURE

Why Does A Tony-Nominated Musical Need To Raise $200K To Perform At The Tony Awards?

BY JESSICA GOLDSTEIN MAY 25, 2016 3:50 PM



CREDIT: JOAN MARCUS

 

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Deaf West Theatre’s Spring Awakening has been nominated for three Tony Awards. The cast has also been invited to perform at the ceremony, which will air live on CBS on Sunday, June 12.

There’s just one problem: They can’t afford to go.

“Our show closed in January, so we do not have a marketing budget to spend on this performance,” David J. Kurs, Deaf West’s artistic director, wrote to ThinkProgress. (Kurs is deaf, so we conducted our interview through email.) “The cost involves all of the little things that go into a performance: our cast is all over the nation, and we have to fly them in, for example. There are performance fees to pay out, we have to get our costumes and props out of storage, and so forth. The little things add up.”

The little things add up to $200,000, which Deaf West is trying to raise on Kickstarter. At press time, Deaf West was about 25 percent of the way toward that goal, with 17 days left to go in fundraising. 

According to Kurs, the American Theatre Wing, which produces the Tony Awards, does not offer funds to the shows that perform. Kurs recalled that when Deaf West’s production of Big River was nominated in 2003, “We wanted to do a live production” but didn’t have the money. “The show played a highlight reel of the production instead.” 

A representative from the Tony Awards had no comment.

Deaf West is using Kickstarter in part because “it had the best brand recognition” and in part because of the “nice synchronicity about it: We began this production by raising funds on Kickstarter for our small 99-seat production of this show two years ago.” Deaf West’s Spring Awakening played a sold-out engagement at Rosenthal Theatre in Los Angeles in fall 2014, then opened in New York last September at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it concluded its critically-acclaimed run on January 9. (Read our review of the Broadway production here.)

Related Post

How Deaf West's 'Spring Awakening' Gets At The Heart Of The Show: Everyone Wants To Be Heard

When the show opened in New York, Kurs said, "We met so many people who had never seen sign language or a deaf person for that matter. I wish that more people understood the richness and depth of our language and culture, and that deaf people have so much to offer the world. Only language separates the two worlds."

Kurs claims that he was "caught off guard when the nominations were announced" and, as a result, unprepared for this financial conundrum. "I was under the impression that our chances of recognition were diminished because we had closed our limited engagement in January. I was even more thrilled, however, at the offer of a performance slot. I prefer to show the magic that we do than, say, to explain it in words."

 

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 10:05pm

I think Deaf West is wonderful and would happily support them (just not in the next month or so bc I have other charities that I've long supported vying for my cash). I'm just not interested in giving them money for this because I don't think it will really do as much to help them as people think. If you don't have the chance to explain what the group does in a few minute speech, I seriously think some people won't necessarily even realize they are using ASL or that some of the performers are deaf. 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 10:13pm

OMG. A Director, you can paste in the contents but not the URL?

 

http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2016/05/25/3781956/tony-nominated-play-need-raise-200k-perform-tony-awards/

[seahag2]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 10:19pm

Call_me_jorge said: "seahag2 said: "A tumblr post referenced this thread lol...

 

"

Link? Or name of tumblr?

http://revolutionaryscreed.tumblr.com/post/144921681964/dwsa-kickstarter-tonys-logistics

"

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 10:21pm

It's clear:

1. The consensus is we want to see this performance on the Tonys.

2. Contributing to the Kickstarter thing will have no effect of the performance happening because the money has of necessity already been spent. 

3. The campaign will be manipulated into success so that rich people will be able to take money from gullible people of less means.

4. In my experience, being a snake oil salesperson is not something such a person can ever step away from. 

[Johnnywhatwhat2]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 10:27pm

GreenSharpie said: He just simply needs to learn how to market his shows without turning literally everyone off with tone-deaf tactics.

 

"

What kind of tactics? Yikes. ("Literally"

[binau]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 10:30pm

I can understand the criticism RE: this campaign because there does seem to be a bit of disingenuity about it - it is not really consistent with 'crowdfunding' if a commercial producer has already funded it.

However, besides potential exposure for a National Tour or publicity for Deaf West - I don't see any commercial advantages for investing in this television spot. So (assuming these reasons aren't a good enough reason why it should only be funded by a commercial producer) if anything I see it as an admirable trait for a commercial producer to take a risk funding and/or getting loans for this spot to ensure it happens, while also seeking the support from the community.