MONARITA is a new play by Toronto poet Shannon Bramer that features actors Sara Tilley and Ruth Lawrence with Mark White, and is directed by award-winning film and theatre director, Sherry White. The play is a dark comedy about two women - dealing with the joys and challenges of life. The play has had much success at the Hamilton and Toronto Fringe Festival.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Ruth about this unique play and how crowdfunding has fit into the larger fundraising efforts involved with a tour.

What was the inspiration behind the unique theatre project you are currently running on RocketHub? Why is it important to you?

In December 2008, Shannon Bramer sent her script MONARITA to a call for submissions to Women's Work, a works in progress play development festival that is co-produced by (my company) White Rooster Theatre along with She Said Yes! and RCA Theatre companies. Before I finished reading it, I knew it was a play I wanted to produce. After Sara Tilley (the artistic director of She Said Yes!) read it, we agreed that the roles were perfect for us. Three months later, the playwright came from Toronto for the workshop and before she went home we asked for permission to produce it. Fast forward one year to March 2010, it was running in St. John's, NL.  

The play, and the subsequent response from audiences, really inspired us to pursue a Canadian tour. Shannon has a unique vision of the world and we felt we should share it. In July, we took it to the Toronto and Hamilton Fringe Festivals, where again it resonated with everyone who saw it. Next up is Halifax and Winnipeg, and from there, who knows where will be next! Word of mouth really seems to be friendly to this show.

Sounds like quite a whirlwind! How has your experience been as a crowdfunding pioneer in the world of innovative theatre in Canada - how are your supporters responding?

Well, first of all, I was surprised at how soon the RocketFuel starting pouring in. We had [originally] raised $29,000 of the $30,000+ that we needed already but we ran out of ideas to pursue to get that last piece of the funding puzzle. Anyone in the arts knows how hard it is to raise money because we're always doing it. For every single project.  

I did some research on RocketHub before we jumped in, because if we were going to do it, I really wanted to do it right. As it turns out, we couldn't have done better. Your site was simple, bright and user friendly. The ability to save and proofread is INVALUABLE. We took a couple of days to pull it all together before launching.

We've had amazing support! After a very short time, we are 85% there and I know we will reach our goal. We used Facebook and email and talked it up a lot. I also did a radio interview with CBC that stirred up some interest in our fundraising. I started getting emails and calls and that's when we set our RocketHub campaign in motion. 

That makes a lot of sense - crowdfunding can be an important piece of a bigger fundraising puzzle. Any advice for Creatives looking to crowdfund a similar project?

White Rooster is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and I teamed up with two other companies (She Said Yes! and RCA Theatre) that have a history of doing good work in the community. So my first bit of advice would be to have a history of success you can build upon.

We also had a measure of success with this project by being named Outstanding Ensemble by NOW Magazine after our Toronto Fringe run. That definitely helps. Second bit of advice- have a recent track record to get people excited about supporting a winner. 

And finally, I'm a fan of the soft-sell. We sent messages out via Facebook and email but did not pummel people with constant reminders. It can be a turnoff for some potential supporters. We DID however, publicly send thanks those who did support us, via email, Facebook and in talking it up to others. A big thanks goes a long, long way.

Wow - spot on advice. A track record and credibility go a long way. Thank you for the awesome project - we can't wait to see the play. Show your support, here.

-Vlad