Last week, I ruffled feathers on the wings of angels. It was my comment that while most theater companies have organized a financial response to Hurricane Katrina, many seem to be equally motivated to increase ticket sales.
“That kind of blanket statement rules out anyone’s best intentions,” said Kellie Rae Rockey of the Miners Alley Playhouse, which stages a benefit performance of “Dead White Males” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, with 100 percent of proceeds going to America’s Second Harvest. “It covers all of us with an air of skepticism and decreases all our credibility. It says, ‘You theater (people) are selling tickets on the back of misfortune.”‘
MAP, as well as the Colorado Theatre Guild’s massive Sept. 25 benefit at the New Denver Civic Theatre, are above reproach because the key figure there is “100 percent.” A similar Next Stage performance of “Assassins” on Monday raised $2,700 for the Red Cross – with only 100 people in the house.
“I think it is wonderful that members of the theater community are helping in some way, particularly given that so many cannot afford to give from their own wallets,” said Next Stage’s Jenny Hecht, who has been imploring companies all over town to designate one performance as a Katrina benefit. She asks that all or a portion of proceeds go to a general pool that will be sent to the Red Cross as a single donation from “The Denver Theater Community.” Dozens of performers, staff and musicians are donating their pay. All funds will be matched by the Gill Foundation.
My statement was in response to the several companies that pledged smaller donations, generally 15 percent.
This is where the nature of giving becomes a tricky business. Every little bit helps, but when a company prods its subscribers and e-mail listees to attend a “special benefit performance,” and then donates 15 percent of gross then, yes, I find their motives to be suspect – because clearly the theater benefits in kind. Audiences are more likely to turn out for a benefit performance because that plays on their grief and feelings of helplessness. It’s the way we are hard-wired as humans – and theaters know it. As a result, their revenues will be up, and so will their bottom line.
Subtle profiteering in the wake of Katrina is evident everywhere – from the gas pump to the Gap offering victims a 15 percent discount, when it would take 60 percent to even come close to impacting the Gap’s profit margin. When a discount is that small, people see through the gesture.
Rockey agrees but thinks my cynicism would be better directed at McDonald’s, which donated $5 million, then spent millions more promoting their gift.
“We theaters have much smaller budgets, and 15 percent is still better than nothing,” she said.
Dave Matthews could run for mayor and win after his Red Rocks benefit raised $1.5 million in one day. But why do you suppose Matthews, admittedly one of the greatest philanthropists in the world, added a fourth show rather than simply designating his third scheduled show as the benefit? Because while he wants to help – and bless him for that – he did not leave Denver with one dime less than he was budgeted to leave Denver with before the storm.
Whenever a selfless act is not entirely selfless, one must ask these tough questions. It reminds me of Catholic school (OK, umpteen productions of “Godspell”), when we are told that if a man asks for your shirt, to “give him your coat, as well.” I’m fairly certain what Jesus would say if your response was, “I’ll give you 15 percent – that’s about half a sleeve.”
For info on Monday’s “Dead White Males” 100 percent benefit, call 303-935-3044. For info on the CTG’s 100 percent communitywide benefit Sept. 25, call 303-739-1970. Scheduled performers include Jamie Horton, Gene Gillette, Karen Slack, Leonard Barrett, Erik Sandvold and the Buntport Theatre.
$300,000 Elitch grant
The historic Elitch Theatre has won a $300,000 “Save America’s Treasures” grant, which will allow the first phase of exterior renovations on the 114-year-old theater to begin this fall. That means replacing the roof and, for the first time, laying a foundation.
The federal grant, which was backed by U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., puts the Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation at about $4 million toward its $14 million capital campaign. The largest donors to date have been the city of Denver ($2 million), developers Perry Rose ($550,000), the Colorado State Historic Fund ($365,000) and now this $300,000 infusion.
“That shows how important this project is on a federal, state, city and local level,” said board president Kevin Causey.
Briefly …
Daniel Valdez, composer of Su Teatro’s upcoming “El Sol Que Tu Eres/The Sun That You Are” world premiere, performed Friday at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C as part of a program commemorating the historic farmworkers march of 1965. …
Denver’s zoning department will allow the one-woman Zelda Fitzgerald play “Expenses” to open as scheduled Thursday while the Crossroads Theatre continues to be brought up to compliance (303-296-0212).
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-820-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
