CLICK TO PRINT Mail-In Donation Form (pdf)
Dear Friend of AFT,
What a considerably crazy year it’s been at AFT. We had wonderful success with our world premiere of Bing! The Cherry Musical. Thousands of you attended this lovely valentine to Door County and we couldn’t be more grateful to you for helping us to set a couple of records this summer:
We had our biggest two-show day in the history of the company on July 27, with 1,154 attending. We also saw our most successful week ever - 4,180 patrons strong!
The summer was good to us, especially the weather. Normally, getting through the gauntlet that is “theatre under the stars” unscathed would have us breathing easy. But who knew that the devastating rainstorm portrayed in Bing would be a portent of things to come? That’s the crazy part. Fickle Mother Nature dealt out a thunderous dose of irony on the opening weekend of The Spitfire Grill. You might have heard about it or been here to experience the freak tornadic wind storm that knocked power out throughout the county and totally derailed our final dress rehearsal and opening night, which had to be canceled.
We won’t sugar coat it: taking this hit and the subsequent days of no power at our office left us scrambling to play catch up, like scores of other businesses in the county. As a result, we know that many people who might have otherwise attended the stellar production of Spitfire just simply didn’t have the opportunity. The gains of the summer were quickly devoured by this unexpected turn of events.
We need your help to make up the difference.
Even with these extraordinary obstacles, we managed to pull off the rescheduled Limitless Legacy of Fred Alley Gala event and with your generous support were able to add enough to the Fred Alley New Musical Fund to commission another new show.
We know that’s what you love about AFT and our unique mission. We create our shows for you. Who else does that year in and year out?
Next season, in the true spirit of AFT, we’ll offer the world premiere of Victory Farm by Emilie Coulson, Katie Dahl, and James Valcq. Those are most likely some very familiar names to you. Emilie and Katie started attending AFT shows when they were little girls, became friends through AFT, and went on to become part of the AFT family as dedicated employees throughout the years. James wrote his first AFT show, The Passage, with Fred Alley in 1994 and, as you know, went on to write Spitfire with Fred.
Victory Farm is a lovely, heartwarming, and funny show with terrific songs.
Muellers’ Bay View Orchard, in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin, has been in the family for generations. Now, in 1944, with a war raging overseas and a labor shortage on the homefront, Edna and her daughter Dottie aren’t sure how their farm will make it through - until help arrives in the most unexpected way. A story of home, heart and harvest, Victory Farm promises to be another wonderful addition to the forty-seven original works that AFT has generated in the past twenty-one years.
It’s a remarkable achievement only made possible by your continued support.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help keep the new works coming.
The lights might have gone out for a short spell this fall but, rest assured, the ever-glowing spirit of AFT burns bright.
See you under the stars!
Jeffrey Herbst, Artistic Director
Dave Maier, Managing Director
2011-2012 Donor Letter - Full Version (pdf)
CLICK TO PRINT Mail-In Donation Form (pdf)
AFT General Operating Fund
As a nonprofit organization, we strive to provide the highest quality original musical theatre at the most affordable price. Ticket revenues cover only about 65% of our expenses each year. The rest of these dollars come from our dedicated donors through charitable contributions. All donors are recognized in our Playbill. Gifts of all amounts are greatly appreciated.
Benefactor Categories
Visionary ($10,000 and up)
Benefactor ($5000 - $9999)
Producer ($2500 - $4999 )
Director ($1000 - $2499 )
Actor ($500 - $999)
Designer ($250 - $499)
Stage Manager ($100 - $249)
Donor ($50 - $99)
Friend ($1 - $49)
Secure Donations Accepted Through PayPal
Our Mailing Address: American Folklore Theatre, PO Box 273, Fish Creek, WI, 54212
AFT holds to its mission of providing original musical works appropriate to people of all ages. We do this while promising to keep our ticket prices affordable. In 2008 our average price for a summer evening performance was just $12 per ticket - truly a bargain for professional theatre.
This can be a challenge for a professional theater with professional theatre expenses. Therefore we must rely on philanthropic support to keep performances moderately prices. In addition to financial contributions, we have over 180 community volunteers who assist the organization throughout the year.
Support excellence in the performing arts by donating to American Folklore Theatre. Your charitable gift qualifies as a tax deduction, as allowed by the IRS.
Company Match
Many companies will match their employees' donations to non-profit organizations. if your employer participates, please contact them and let them know you would like them to match your donations to AFT. They will have some paperwork for you to complete.
Fred Alley New Musical Fund
AFT produces original musical works. A new show can take three years of writing and workshopping before it is ready for production. AFT needs to provide for our authors and directors with financial resources and time to continue bringing you the excellent shows that have become a standard for AFT. To this point we have provided minimal funds for New Works. Our goal is to have monies set aside for the writing and workshopping of New Works. For more information please visit the Fred Alley New Musical Fund page.
Contribute specifically to the Fred Alley New Musical Fund...
Secure Donations Accepted Through PayPal
Consider a Gift of Stock or Securities
A gift of stock can provide much needed support for AFT and offers you financial benefits as well. Publicly traded securities (stocks, bonds, etc.) may be transferred to AFT, entitling you to an income tax reduction for the full market value of the the securities. For more information on how to transfer your securities to AFT, contact Kaye Christman at the AFT Office, (920) 854-6117.
If you have any questions, please call (920) 854-6117 or send an email to hfeldman@folkloretheatre.com
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