Getting Ready – Looking Ahead
Shoe Killer
We had a great tech rehearsal this weekend for our upcoming production of Much Ado About Nothing in Fremont Park . So much fun, we killed a shoe…
I’m so impressed by this amazing group of women, women who have full lives and still find time to come together to make Shakespeare magic on stage with me. I’ve been encouraged/asked/suggested to fill in a part when something inadvertently takes a cast member out of the show…I usually decline, not because I don’t want to be on stage with these amazing women, but because I also like being in the audience during performances to watch the magic. That perspective gives me so much joy as I watch this play evolve from words on a page to characters on a stage.
Creative Economy
This year is a little different for us. We are recipients of the Creative Economy Pilot Project Grant from the City of Sacramento. This grant has allowed us to expand our offerings in the city parks to include two Monday Night Shakespeare performances, one of Much Ado on June 4 and one of Romeo & Juliet on Sept. 17, and two Brown Bag Bard performances in Cesar Chavez Park of Much Ado on June 18 & 28 at 12:15pm. We’ve always offered free tickets and in addition to continuing that, this year we get to do things like purchase some materials for set pieces, provide stipends to our participants, pay for the park fees, and more.
The work is ahead of us, though. This grant has given us a taste of what can be done with some help…so, that means we’ll need to do more grant writing to stay at this level. We have great plans for our young women’s company, Blossoms, in the next year. We also have some inspiring ideas for a Women’s History Month tribute to take place in March where we will need to rent an indoor space. And, we have big plans of a fully produced indoor production within the next couple of years of one play in the canon – title to be announced closer to the project.
Your Help
Why am I telling you this? Because we need your help. We are seeking funding opportunities, grant opportunities and donations – monetary and in-kind. Wildflower Women’s Ensemble’s goal is to continue to offer free all-female Shakespeare based on Original Practices in Fremont Park, working through his canon without repeat until we’ve completed it. The Blossoms Company of Wildflower Women’s Ensemble is our youth company catering to young girls ages 12-17. We will be exploring Shakespeare through themes that the girls face everyday. Last year we had the opportunity to work with two local organizations, St. Francis of Assisi School and Wellspring Women’s Center when the weather chased us out of the park. We wish to continue building relationships like these and offer special performances for the communities they serve. And this takes funds.
Do you write grants? Are you good at fundraising? Do you have ideas on how to creatively raise money? If you wish to know how you can help, please contact us. Wildflower is an all volunteer organization. We are a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas.
You may be asking about the all-female aspect and how can others participate. The all-female portion of the company is solely the performances where performers must present as female to be on stage. We welcome all gender identities to be a part of our company and we value the input of all members regardless of gender identity.
Thank you
We cannot do what we do without you, therefore we thank you for your continued support. As a sponsored project, all donations are tax deductible to extent allowed by law when made through our online donation link or by check made out to Fractured Atlas with Wildflower Women’s Ensemble in the note.