The show must go on: Squamish’s only community theatre group is fundraising after an expensive year that included an unexpected storage relocation.
After 25 years of putting on shows and helping people access the arts, Between Shifts Theatre is hoping to raise $10,000 through community donations.
“We’re trying to raise some money and give ourselves a cushion, so we don’t feel as if we’re constantly in a state of crisis,” said artistic director Kathy Daniels.
So far, around $400 has been raised in 20 days. The nonprofit is using crowdfunding website GoFundMe in order to collect donations and offering rewards such as tickets to shows and sponsorship opportunities.
“We’re always eking through things. It would be nice to get about $10,000 or more in our bank account, just so we can take a breath. We want some money in the bank, so we can offer more to the community.”
Daniels said the costs of putting on a show, from theatre rentals to royalties to cost of materials, are always going up.
On top of those costs, the theatre unexpectedly lost its affordable rental storage space this year in November and struggled to find a new place to keep sets, tools, props and materials.
While a local business did come forward, the moving expenses came out of the theatre’s pocket and the more pricey storage space is only guaranteed for six months.
“We’ve been breaking even on some of our productions, we’ll do better than break even on our Christmas show, but you know, we do good theatre. But it costs money to do quality theatre,” she said.
For this year’s Christmas show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Daniels said the cast included seven adults and 14 youth.
Between Shifts has been putting on productions for 25 years in Squamish.
Between Shifts recently announced casting for the spring show, The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble, a whirlwind drama about a family dealing with the fallout of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
The nonprofit also hosts workshops and talks by performers, competes in festivals and annually contributes to Howe Sound Secondary School’s scholarship and bursary fund.
In a town with few opportunities for theatre outside of school-age programs, Daniels said Between Shifts is an important resource.
Daniels said despite the important work the theatre does, it can be hard to promote the arts in a town so singularly focused on outdoor recreation.
“We all love to do outdoor activities, but it’s hard in this town for us to get a home and more recognition,” she said, adding that newcomers are sometimes surprised there is a local theatre.
“Some of our young kids have gone on to really good schools and had really good careers in theatre. They started out with us, doing shows around town,” she said. “Community theatre is for all.”
The fundraising page can be found at www.gofundme.com/save-between-shifts-theatre.
