Updated for April, 2023
Dear Reveler, California Revels, inc., is in transition. Like many theater companies, our recent holiday Revels (shows) have been a barometer for changes in how communities engage with live theater, and how communities (and funders) engage with cultural and social evolution. This barometer measures theater engagement both for our local Bay Area environment, as well as in our national environment.
As with many live theaters of all genres across the nation, our audience levels have fallen to an unsustainable level. We've asked ourselves "Why?", and there seem to be at least a couple of answers. First, there's a wide variety of high-quality, lower-cost entertainment available to people that's streamed directly into homes... where the couch is soooo comfortable. Second, theater attendance as a community event requires a cohesive community of people who relate and interact with one another in real life, and promote attendance through word-of-mouth. In our contemporary, digitally distracted way of life, this sensibility of community - the kind that fills theaters - is diminishing. It must be emphasized that this is not a challenge particular to California Revels. It is a challenge for all live theater.
California Revels continues to believe that the in-person experience of community we enhance for our theater audience is something special, and that it can model an "embodied" (in-person / visceral) way of relating through music, dance, and old stories that reflect the best in human interaction, with a spiritual and historical dimension that gives hope for the future. We've never waivered from that aesthetic because it is at the core of who we are.
To move forward differently, we must ask ourselves some tough questions:
1. Who is the "Revels Experience" for?
The Revels Experience is often SO good for our cast members, that it's easy (forgivable?) (for some?) to not realize the importance of audience attendance. But theater is theater, and we create it for an audience. An audience is the most important element of a theatrical stage show!
Alternatively, is the experience of singing and acting out a program or a tradition good enough to do just for ourselves? If so, should we be exploring California Revels as a social, membership "club" experience?
2. How can we get an audience back? We're exploring these ideas:
Change our Business Model...
As a 501(c)3 charity, we are commissioned by the State of California to provide a Public Good. If we embrace this notion, we can explore providing theater to those who would otherwise not pay for it, to provide the Public Good that our Mission Statement lays out. Who doesn't pay for theater? Nowadays, most people won't pay, regardless of income! "Hmmm" you ask. "How do you make money, then?" The answer is, we don't. Ticket sales last year contributed 25% of total funding for the year, with the remaining 75% coming in from donations and grants. There are many costs involved in producing our show, including fair wages and salaries for essential staff and theater professionals. If we go to a "free show" model, there is a chance that grants more heavily geared to organizations emphasizing our Public Good, will become available to us! Also, much money is saved by not running and staffing a box office.
Make our shows free...
Just because a show is free, doesn't mean that it can't be valued by audiences, well attended, and wildly successful! California Revels measures success in how well we fulfill our mission, as defined in our Mission Statement. In recent years, ticket sales proceeds only funded 28% of the monies required to pay staff and other professionals to produce our show, which is typical of all live stage-show theaters. Our 2022 paying audience was substantially less than our 2021 audience, despite a 17.5K increase in advertising, including digital marketing provided by Hearst Media Company. In 2022 we gave away hundreds of seats just to make sure our Midwinter Revels' cast had an audience!
Our post-show "Solstice in the Forest" participatory and performance event (see Events tab) was our most successful event of the year in terms of audience attendance and enthusiasm, and it was entirely free. Advertising for this event (combined with advertising for the Midwinter Revels show) via direct mail amounted to just $900. Held in an outdoor amphiteater meant to seat an audience of 350, we easily had 450 people clamoring to attend. For a 5:00 pm show, people arrived at 3:30 to "save seats". Those who arrived on-time or late struggled to find seats, or leaned over the rails just outside the theater.
How was this different from our conventional stage show? It was outdoors, the theme was Nature (which unites us all), and the redwood trees provided all the "set" that was needed. It was highly participatory for the audience, who joined in by holding 120 glowing lanterns, which magically enlivened the darkness as both audience and performers danced, and sang together throughout the program. The performers elevated the audience's participatory experience to a high level, with musical and theatrical skill.
Follow the audience...
As stated above, California Revels values a living, embodied experience of community. "Communities of Place" (where people gather physically, because they live or work in that area), are one of the last expressions of living community in our digitally fractured culture. It may be these communities that are most available, willing, and able to be enriched by the experiential ethos of Revels. Indeed, "Solstice in the Forest" took place in a neighborhood park, and was marketed by direct mail to the surrounding "Community of Place." People clamored to get in to see the show.
Other theaters do this, most notably the San Francisco Mime Troupe, which performs free shows in city parks, also known as "Communities of Place" with lean sets and costumes. It also performs to private groups, such as corporations, presumably for a good fee. Our shows are unique and can hold their own in this environment - as Solstice in the Forest did.
OR...
3. Turn California Revels into a membership club... (Audience optional!)
If it's enough to "Create community through celebration" through artful participation - without needing an audience - we can explore becoming a dues paying arts oriented social club. Dues will pay staff for the musical and theatrical instruction they so expertly provide. There are many organizations that create fun that is open to the public in varied degrees: The public can appreciate/view, participate, or apply for membership and training. Club-style organizations often perform or create activities in the public sphere with no guarantee of an audience. Morris dancing clubs are an example of this. Burning Man is another variation of it. Membership dues can fund the fun for the choristers and amateur performers.
Donors, a special "Thank you!" for you.
Those of you who are donors, we are so grateful to you. Your recognition of the value of Revels, shows a quality of discernment and care that creates Community. You are the heart of Revels, and our production is because of you! We thank you for your continued support as we objectively, honestly, and quickly determine a healthy, vibrant path forward for California Revels.
2023 is a Turn-Around Year for California Revels. We will build smartly or "go home". Thanks to a clear-eyed assessment of our resources and capabilities, along with prudent budgeting in 2022, we have operating expenses in-place for the balance of the year. With no staff currently, the Board is maintaining the office, our communications, and our Board Recruitment efforts with volunteer management and the slimmest overhead expenses possible. Once we have enough new Board members in place, our fundraising strategy will focus heavily on public and corporate grants as befits an Arts charity. We never want to take your generosity for granted, and want you to know that your gift should sparkle within a true constellation of funding sources. Donors, we are grateful for your ongoing support during this time.
Here's how you can help:
Join the Board, or help us recruit qualified candidates.
Once on the Board, Directors will answer the above questions, then engage in fundraising.
The future of California Revels unfolds like this...
1. Build the Board.
2. Revise or change the Business Model, and reinforce our Artistic Mission in a way that's compatible with the Business Model.
3. Raise money - with an emphasis on grantwriting - to fund Staff, then fund our Project(s), whatever they may be.
In Revelry,
Dona Nobis Pacem, (below)
Dear Reveler, California Revels, inc., is in transition. Like many theater companies, our recent holiday Revels (shows) have been a barometer for changes in how communities engage with live theater, and how communities (and funders) engage with cultural and social evolution. This barometer measures theater engagement both for our local Bay Area environment, as well as in our national environment.
As with many live theaters of all genres across the nation, our audience levels have fallen to an unsustainable level. We've asked ourselves "Why?", and there seem to be at least a couple of answers. First, there's a wide variety of high-quality, lower-cost entertainment available to people that's streamed directly into homes... where the couch is soooo comfortable. Second, theater attendance as a community event requires a cohesive community of people who relate and interact with one another in real life, and promote attendance through word-of-mouth. In our contemporary, digitally distracted way of life, this sensibility of community - the kind that fills theaters - is diminishing. It must be emphasized that this is not a challenge particular to California Revels. It is a challenge for all live theater.
California Revels continues to believe that the in-person experience of community we enhance for our theater audience is something special, and that it can model an "embodied" (in-person / visceral) way of relating through music, dance, and old stories that reflect the best in human interaction, with a spiritual and historical dimension that gives hope for the future. We've never waivered from that aesthetic because it is at the core of who we are.
To move forward differently, we must ask ourselves some tough questions:
1. Who is the "Revels Experience" for?
The Revels Experience is often SO good for our cast members, that it's easy (forgivable?) (for some?) to not realize the importance of audience attendance. But theater is theater, and we create it for an audience. An audience is the most important element of a theatrical stage show!
Alternatively, is the experience of singing and acting out a program or a tradition good enough to do just for ourselves? If so, should we be exploring California Revels as a social, membership "club" experience?
2. How can we get an audience back? We're exploring these ideas:
Change our Business Model...
As a 501(c)3 charity, we are commissioned by the State of California to provide a Public Good. If we embrace this notion, we can explore providing theater to those who would otherwise not pay for it, to provide the Public Good that our Mission Statement lays out. Who doesn't pay for theater? Nowadays, most people won't pay, regardless of income! "Hmmm" you ask. "How do you make money, then?" The answer is, we don't. Ticket sales last year contributed 25% of total funding for the year, with the remaining 75% coming in from donations and grants. There are many costs involved in producing our show, including fair wages and salaries for essential staff and theater professionals. If we go to a "free show" model, there is a chance that grants more heavily geared to organizations emphasizing our Public Good, will become available to us! Also, much money is saved by not running and staffing a box office.
Make our shows free...
Just because a show is free, doesn't mean that it can't be valued by audiences, well attended, and wildly successful! California Revels measures success in how well we fulfill our mission, as defined in our Mission Statement. In recent years, ticket sales proceeds only funded 28% of the monies required to pay staff and other professionals to produce our show, which is typical of all live stage-show theaters. Our 2022 paying audience was substantially less than our 2021 audience, despite a 17.5K increase in advertising, including digital marketing provided by Hearst Media Company. In 2022 we gave away hundreds of seats just to make sure our Midwinter Revels' cast had an audience!
Our post-show "Solstice in the Forest" participatory and performance event (see Events tab) was our most successful event of the year in terms of audience attendance and enthusiasm, and it was entirely free. Advertising for this event (combined with advertising for the Midwinter Revels show) via direct mail amounted to just $900. Held in an outdoor amphiteater meant to seat an audience of 350, we easily had 450 people clamoring to attend. For a 5:00 pm show, people arrived at 3:30 to "save seats". Those who arrived on-time or late struggled to find seats, or leaned over the rails just outside the theater.
How was this different from our conventional stage show? It was outdoors, the theme was Nature (which unites us all), and the redwood trees provided all the "set" that was needed. It was highly participatory for the audience, who joined in by holding 120 glowing lanterns, which magically enlivened the darkness as both audience and performers danced, and sang together throughout the program. The performers elevated the audience's participatory experience to a high level, with musical and theatrical skill.
Follow the audience...
As stated above, California Revels values a living, embodied experience of community. "Communities of Place" (where people gather physically, because they live or work in that area), are one of the last expressions of living community in our digitally fractured culture. It may be these communities that are most available, willing, and able to be enriched by the experiential ethos of Revels. Indeed, "Solstice in the Forest" took place in a neighborhood park, and was marketed by direct mail to the surrounding "Community of Place." People clamored to get in to see the show.
Other theaters do this, most notably the San Francisco Mime Troupe, which performs free shows in city parks, also known as "Communities of Place" with lean sets and costumes. It also performs to private groups, such as corporations, presumably for a good fee. Our shows are unique and can hold their own in this environment - as Solstice in the Forest did.
OR...
3. Turn California Revels into a membership club... (Audience optional!)
If it's enough to "Create community through celebration" through artful participation - without needing an audience - we can explore becoming a dues paying arts oriented social club. Dues will pay staff for the musical and theatrical instruction they so expertly provide. There are many organizations that create fun that is open to the public in varied degrees: The public can appreciate/view, participate, or apply for membership and training. Club-style organizations often perform or create activities in the public sphere with no guarantee of an audience. Morris dancing clubs are an example of this. Burning Man is another variation of it. Membership dues can fund the fun for the choristers and amateur performers.
Donors, a special "Thank you!" for you.
Those of you who are donors, we are so grateful to you. Your recognition of the value of Revels, shows a quality of discernment and care that creates Community. You are the heart of Revels, and our production is because of you! We thank you for your continued support as we objectively, honestly, and quickly determine a healthy, vibrant path forward for California Revels.
2023 is a Turn-Around Year for California Revels. We will build smartly or "go home". Thanks to a clear-eyed assessment of our resources and capabilities, along with prudent budgeting in 2022, we have operating expenses in-place for the balance of the year. With no staff currently, the Board is maintaining the office, our communications, and our Board Recruitment efforts with volunteer management and the slimmest overhead expenses possible. Once we have enough new Board members in place, our fundraising strategy will focus heavily on public and corporate grants as befits an Arts charity. We never want to take your generosity for granted, and want you to know that your gift should sparkle within a true constellation of funding sources. Donors, we are grateful for your ongoing support during this time.
Here's how you can help:
Join the Board, or help us recruit qualified candidates.
Once on the Board, Directors will answer the above questions, then engage in fundraising.
The future of California Revels unfolds like this...
1. Build the Board.
2. Revise or change the Business Model, and reinforce our Artistic Mission in a way that's compatible with the Business Model.
3. Raise money - with an emphasis on grantwriting - to fund Staff, then fund our Project(s), whatever they may be.
In Revelry,
Dona Nobis Pacem, (below)
Sofia Pellegrini
California Revels Board President
Member of the Executive Director Group with Board Officers Chas Schley & Dan Gross
California Revels Board President
Member of the Executive Director Group with Board Officers Chas Schley & Dan Gross