Let's Put On A Show launches Kickstarter

For-profit theater company Let's Put On A Show becomes the second local group to attempt to fund a show using Kickstarter.

Let's Put On A Show announced a Kickstarter (http://kck.st/1dzaJLb) to fund their production of Laura Lorusso's original work "Afterlife of the Rich and Famous" over Labor Day weekend. LPOAS, co-founded by Scott Lilly and Kevin Moriarty, seeks $1,500 to fund lights, costumes, props, publicity and facility rental.

Here's the video prepared by Let's Put On A Show:

Kickstarter is a great tool, although the platform definitely has some quirks, particularly with regard to rewards. If other theaters jump on board, I'd love to see how they adjust their rewards in order to gain funding.

Ghostbird Theatre Company, Britney Brady's experimental, not-for-profit troupe entering its sophomore season ensconced at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers, raised almost $3,000 from 42 backers in May via KickStarter.  The success nearly doubled the theater's goal.

Rewards are the backbone of Kickstarter. (Read my Ghostbird story for more in Kickstarter: http://www.gonaples.com/news/2013/may/22/ghostbird-theatre-kickstarter-brittney-brady/) Backers want something tangible, like a book, a shirt, a poster or a game. The most successful Kickstarter projects tap into that desire - finding things people didn't even know they wanted, like that "Veronica Mars" movie.

Others, like the Ghostbird one, offer unique rewards, like pieces of the set, a styling session or dinner with the cast.

In the future, theaters may offer many smaller rewards, like signed playbills, posters and thank-you cards. From a donor's perspective, it is much more realistic to give $5 or $10 than it is to hand over $100 or $200. Also, most Kickstarters have a reward level that's basically "face value for the item;" for amateur theatre it would likely be a pair of tickets for $25.