"We know what we are, but not what we may be." -- William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 4, Sc. 5
We want to take a moment to answer three of the biggest questions that we've been getting from our friends, family, and peers in the performing arts community since we announced Threepenny's launch last month.
QUESTION #1
"Hey y’all... Why would you start Threepenny Theater Co. when there are already two other theater companies in our small community?"
To which we’d say:
"That's a great question, and thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to hear what we have to say!"
(Seriously, we love when people actually take the time to listen.)
And the answer is pretty simple: We’ve spent a long time yearning to build something new for ourselves, but we want to bring something new to our region as well.
We equate it to an ambitious chef who's worked in a restaurant for 10-plus years. That chef enjoys what they do. A lot. And at some point, inevitably, that chef decides that they want to strike out on their own. They want to start their own restaurant, take risks, and practice their craft on their own terms.
That’s where we’re at with Threepenny. We’ve been doing this a long time, we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t for us, and we’re ready to try something new.
QUESTION #2:
"But won't Threepenny be competing with the other local theater companies for resources?"
To which we’d say:
"That's a really good question, and we understand your trepidation, but the answer is… mostly no."
The most significant resource that our local theater companies can compete for, or share, are the people: the actors on the stage and the crew behind it.
But we've planned for that, and are planning to produce manageable shows that involve manageable amounts of like-minded folks who are in it for the same reason we are.
If you're talking about money, the sort of income the nonprofits usually get from donations and sponsorships, then… no. We’re not taking anything from anyone else.
Threepenny is actually a for-profit company; its "financial" goal is basically to put on great shows, celebrate when we turn a good profit, and share that success with our fellow performers.
This was an intentional choice. If our actors give moving, rousing, hilarious, or earth-shattering performances, and we turn a profit because of it, then we want them to be able to be paid for their hard work. And at our local counterparts, this is simply not possible at this point in time.
Not to say that these other companies are not vitally important to our wider arts community! But the other companies in our community are nonprofit organizations; they have a vast wealth of options and opportunities to raise funds that for-profits don't have access to. For example, nonprofits can apply for a number of private and federal grants if they maintain transparent finances and can make a sound case for their need for financial assistance.
Threepenny is not a 501(c)3 nonprofit at this point in time, and cannot apply for most grants. If anyone donated to Threepenny, it would be mostly out of the kindness of their heart or love of the arts; there'd be no tax-deductible benefit for doing so. It’d be more like you were giving us a tip for providing a service you enjoyed.
Which leads us to…
BIG, SCARY QUESTION #3:
"But you'll be competing for audience members and their money, right?"
The short answer?
"Not if we can help it, no."
First, at Threepenny, we decided very early on that we would, to the best of our ability, make sure we didn't schedule any of our events to directly conflict or overlap with events from our fellow performing arts groups in the Brookings-Harbor area.
Second, our artistic goal for Threepenny is to get to a place where we can perform a different type of theater for our fans; this includes shows that might otherwise not sit well on the stages of our fellow ‘theaterpreneurs.’
These other companies have been active in our community for a long time and they have pretty well-established reputations, and we respect their goals and missions. There are scores of shows out there that we’re interested in producing that other venues might not feel comfortable with, so to speak; shows that are more experimental, edgy, and even dark at times.
Threepenny has no reputation yet, nor does it have an incredibly loyal and staunch supporter base that comes to see every show without fail. And that’s exciting! We want to fill a space that provides something new and compelling for theater lovers on the Southern Oregon Coast... and maybe even attract new folks who are theater lovers, but just don’t know it yet!
As far as we’re concerned, Threepenny isn't competing theater; it's more theater, for the more-than-usual crowd in our community. And we’re excited for you to sample what we have to bring to the table--starting with God of Carnage, which opens at the Brookings Event Center on July 7. We hope to see you there!
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