In a perfect world
Can I just quit my day job so that I can plan this theatre company full time, work out for over an hour a day, and just do the things I want to do while somehow remaining financially stable? Because that would be great. Someone should work on that.
The government is complicated. Nonprofit status is complicated. Articles of incorporation, filing a 501(c) 3 form, writing by-laws, putting together a board of directors, making a business plan, attracting donors and writing grants to get the money to form a budget in the first place, and who knows what else down the line. I'm trying to get my head around it all, because if I'm serious about doing this, I'm going to need to know the ins and outs of Missouri tax laws and the Missouri Nonprofit Corporations Act. I'm seriously considering this M.F.A. program in Arts Leadership and Management at Webster. Not in the next year or anything, but maybe fall 2010. It's information I'll need to know and be comfortable dealing with on a regular basis, plus I'd have a Master's degree. I could even stay in St. Louis and keep building this thing as I work through school. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I just want to do this work now, because I've found a project that I'm inherently passionate about. I talked to the artistic director of Soundstage Productions about performance spaces and St. Louis theatre, and he just sounded so discouraged. "There's a lot more people in this town that want to do theatre than people who want to come see it," is what he said. At first I was a little deflated, but then I said to myself, "You know what? Forget that guy. Because this is what I was put on this earth to do, and so if I really want to revitalize regional theatre and foster a passion in the general public for new work, then I'll find a way to do it. I'll throw myself at this, because I know it's what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. I will beat down doors to fill my houses. I'm prepared to make this my life's work." I'm glad I can be determined about overcoming this whole no-one-cares-about-theatre-except-theatre-people idea instead of being defeated by it. That's a UIowa thing I'm glad I adopted. I'll just keep hacking away at it, and things will inevitably fall into place. Why? Because I said so, that's why.
Oh, and I need a name for this company ASAP. It'll make me sound a lot more professional talking to all these people than me saying, "My friend and I want to put on a play." Ideas?
The government is complicated. Nonprofit status is complicated. Articles of incorporation, filing a 501(c) 3 form, writing by-laws, putting together a board of directors, making a business plan, attracting donors and writing grants to get the money to form a budget in the first place, and who knows what else down the line. I'm trying to get my head around it all, because if I'm serious about doing this, I'm going to need to know the ins and outs of Missouri tax laws and the Missouri Nonprofit Corporations Act. I'm seriously considering this M.F.A. program in Arts Leadership and Management at Webster. Not in the next year or anything, but maybe fall 2010. It's information I'll need to know and be comfortable dealing with on a regular basis, plus I'd have a Master's degree. I could even stay in St. Louis and keep building this thing as I work through school. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I just want to do this work now, because I've found a project that I'm inherently passionate about. I talked to the artistic director of Soundstage Productions about performance spaces and St. Louis theatre, and he just sounded so discouraged. "There's a lot more people in this town that want to do theatre than people who want to come see it," is what he said. At first I was a little deflated, but then I said to myself, "You know what? Forget that guy. Because this is what I was put on this earth to do, and so if I really want to revitalize regional theatre and foster a passion in the general public for new work, then I'll find a way to do it. I'll throw myself at this, because I know it's what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. I will beat down doors to fill my houses. I'm prepared to make this my life's work." I'm glad I can be determined about overcoming this whole no-one-cares-about-theatre-except-theatre-people idea instead of being defeated by it. That's a UIowa thing I'm glad I adopted. I'll just keep hacking away at it, and things will inevitably fall into place. Why? Because I said so, that's why.
Oh, and I need a name for this company ASAP. It'll make me sound a lot more professional talking to all these people than me saying, "My friend and I want to put on a play." Ideas?