Description
Large-scale musicals like those staged at Harper College are expensive to produce. The cost of everything involved is staggering. While musicals are often more popular than non-musical productions, the revenue earned through ticket sales has not kept pace with the cost to produce these shows. This is why we need your help. Named after Mary Jo Willis, the founder of our theatre department who also generously donated funds to become our first angel, we have created the Willis Angel Fund to help support the work of our theatre department.
Donations are applied to...
Your donation helps our students, and our community experience the art of live theatre. You are making it possible for us all to experience the true magic of the theatre: elaborate sets, fabulous costumes, intricate props, and more. It is through the theatre that we can connect with each other and see things from new perspectives.
Special Giving Opportunities
Donations of all sizes are deeply appreciated and help us bring excellent theatrical productions to our community. We are proud to offer giving levels with additional recognition and benefits that will help us underwrite specific aspects of the production
Producer Angel ($5,000)
This angel underwrites the Royalty cost to produce Guys and Dolls. The production rights for most plays and musicals are held by play publishers (also known as "royalty houses") on behalf of the authors. This means that Harper College cannot produce a copyrighted play or musical without written permission and the payment of royalties for that production. Help us bring what Time Magazine called, “The greatest of all American musicals!” to our stage this spring. For your donation, you receive:
--Six complimentary tickets
--Special recognition in our program and preshow announcement
--Special recognition in the Performing Arts Center Lobby
--Invitation to an open rehearsal which includes a tour of our performance spaces and shops
--Recognition (print, digital, and verbal) and invitation to Harper College Educational Foundation events
Set Design Angel ($4,000)
This angel underwrites the creation of the physical space in which the action of Guys and Dolls takes place. Our resident set designer, Lauren Nichols, who was recently awarded the highly prestigious Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award, is responsible for creating the various locations the story requires. Lauren utilizes her creativity and practicality to not only create a stunning design, but also to make sure it can practically come to life within budget. As the price of construction materials has dramatically increased (lumber, hardware, paint, tools, rentals, hauling, etc.), you can help bring our physical production to life. For your donation you receive:
--Four complimentary tickets
--Special recognition in our program and preshow announcement
--Special recognition on the set model display in the Performing Arts Center Lobby
--Invitation to an open rehearsal which includes a tour of our performance spaces and shops
--Recognition (print, digital, and verbal) and invitation to Harper College Educational Foundation events
Costume Design Angel ($3,000)
This angel underwrites the scores of costumes that will appear onstage in our spring musical Guys and Dolls. Everything the actors wear (purchasing fabric, suits, dresses, uniforms, wigs, hats, shoes, boots, jewelry, accessories, etc.) is conceived by our resident costume designer Jane DeBondt and either built from scratch, rented or pulled from our stock. Help us bring these colorful characters to life through your generous donation. For your donation, you receive:
--Four complimentary tickets
--Special recognition in our program and preshow announcement
--Special recognition on a costume display in the Performing Arts Center Lobby
--Invitation to an open rehearsal which includes a tour of our performance spaces and shops
--Recognition (print, digital, and verbal) and invitation to Harper College Educational Foundation events
Props Design Angel ($1,000)
This angel underwrites the intricate and vast number of props that will appear onstage in our spring musical Guys and Dolls. Props are the items held or used by actors onstage to make the action more realistic. Everything from food eaten onstage to curtains and other set dressing count as props. From designing innovative and useable props to sourcing the best materials to finding the best price to fulfill budget, our props designer wears many hats to create their art. Help us bring the specific life of Guys and Dolls to our audiences. For your donation, you will receive:
--Two complimentary tickets
--Special recognition in our program and preshow announcement -- Special recognition on a props display in the Performing Arts Center lobby
--Recognition (print, digital, and verbal) and invitation to Harper College Educational Foundation events
Friends of Harper Theatre ($100+)
Your gift of any amount can help us provide the resources that enable the Harper College Theatre Department to create productions on stage now and in the future. For your donation, you will receive:
--Special Recognition in our program
Why are donations necessary?
Your donation helps our students, and our community experience the art of live theatre. You are making it possible for us all to experience the true magic of the theatre: elaborate sets, fabulous costumes, intricate props, and more. It is through the theatre that we can connect with each other and see things from new perspectives.