June 21st, 2011: Willamette Shakespeare and the Cultural Trust
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 11:16AM Dear Friends of Willamette Shakespeare,
Oregon’s one-of-a-kind Cultural Trust program is a unique opportunity for taxpayers to make a statement about the importance of the art and cultural programs in our great state. As most of you know, the Trust allows Oregon taxpayers to match any donation they make to a qualifying cultural organization (there are over 1300, including Willamette Shakespeare) to the Trust for a tax credit. So, if you donate, $100 to Willamette Shakespeare and then donate $100 to the trust, you not only get a tax write-off for that original donation, when tax-time rolls around you get that second $100 back as a tax credit. And, your donation gets pushed right back into those arts organizations that you wanted to support in the first place.
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Alex Yochim and Teresa Lawrence in A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Right now, the Oregon Cultural Trust is pushing hard to reach an ambitious $630,000 June 30th fund-raising goal that would allow it to make a record $1.7 million in grants to Oregon non-profit cultural organizations. I encourage you to support this effort. Oregon can be a challenging place to run an arts organization. Municipal funding is rare, particularly in this era of cash-strapped governments, and the competition for private grants is extreme. Nonetheless, Oregonians continue to create art that entertains and educates. One need look only at the explosion of companies producing Shakespeare in the Portland area--often for free--to see this passion for arts in action.
If you have already donated to Willamette Shakespeare, you can make your matching Trust contribution right now and get it back on your 2011 Oregon taxes. If you have not, I hope you will consider doing so. Like the Cultural Trust, we are pushing toward a fund-raising goal by the time All’s Well That Ends Well opens in August at Reed College. Our spring fund-raiser was a success, but we still have a way to go to meet our goal. We are just days away from starting rehearsal and I am confident that we will be successful, but we need your help.
So, I ask you to contribute to Willamette Shakespeare and keep free classical theatre alive in the Willamette Valley. Match your contribution to the Trust and support cultural institutions across the state.
Thank you very much,
Daniel R Somerfield
Artistic Director
If you want to participate in Willamette Shakespeare's season, there are a number of ways to do so. If you are an actor, we encourage you to attend our open auditions that we hold at the beginning of the year.
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Meredith Ott as the First Fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream
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If you are interested in participating in the design or technical aspects of the production, please send a resume to daniel@willametteshakespeare.org. If you are not experienced in theatre on or off-stage but still would like to participate, there are other ways you can help: we are always on the lookout for people to volunteer as ushers, as house-managers, and for poster placement, etc.
And, of course, we welcome donations. We are committed to keeping the shows free, and we can't do that without help from people who can afford to make a contribution. Willamette Shakespeare is a 501(c)(3) public charity, and any contribution made to the organization is tax deductible and can be matched with the Oregon Cultural Trust for a tax credit. More information on contributing via check or online is available at our website.
Performances of All's Well That Ends Well will be Fridays and Saturdays at 7 PM and Sundays at 6 PM. Although food will be available for purchase, you are welcome to bring your own picnic. Local wines will be available for sale at all locations. Oregon Liquor Control Commission regulations do not permit audience members to bring their own alcohol.
- August 5th - 7th: Reed College Cerf Ampthitheatre, Portland, OR [map]
- August 12th - 14th: Stoller Vineyards, Dayton, OR [map]
- August 19th - 21st: Montinore Estates, Forest Grove, OR [map]
A number of other companies have shows coming up this summer. We encourage you to support Shakespeare in the Willamette Valley by attending as many of these shows as you can.
- 6/19 2 PM - Mt Tabor Park
- 6/21 10 PM - Location TBA - A Midsommer Nights Dream on Midsummer Night
- 6/25 2 PM - Washington Park
- 6/26 2 PM - Cathedral Park
- 7/8 8 PM - Nehalem Bay State Park (Midsommer)
- 7/9 1 PM - Nehalem Bay State Park
- 7/10 2 PM - Irving Park
- 7/16 2 PM - Laurelhurst Park
- 7/17 2 PM - Laurelhurst Park (Much Adoe)
- 7/22 7 PM - Director Park
- 7/24 6 PM - Carolwood Park, Beaverton 7/30 2pm Gabriel Park
- 7/31 2 PM - Lents
- 8/14 1 PM - Gresham Plaza
- 6/16 - 6/18 7:00 PM - Lovejoy Fountain
- 6/23 7:00 PM - Lovejoy Fountain
- 6/24 6:30 PM - Marylhurst University
- 6/25 7:00 PM - Lovejoy Fountain
- 6/30 - 7/2 7:00 PM - Lovejoy Fountain
- 7/3 6:00 PM - Meinig Park in Sandy
- 7/7 - 7/9 7:00 PM - Lovejoy Fountain
- 7/14 - 7/16 7:00 PM - Lovejoy Fontain
- 7/30 - 7/31 3:00 PM - Laurelhurst Park
- 8/6 7:00 PM - Maryhill in the Gorge
- 8/7 3:00 PM - Lynchwood Park, Gresham
- 8/13 - 8/14 3:00 PM Washington Park
- 8/20 - 8/21 3:00 PM Gabriel Park
- 8/27 3:00 PM - Marylhurst University
- 8/28 3:00 PM - Concordia University
- 9/3 - 9/5 3:00 PM - Reed College
Free
Varous parks around Portland
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