Dear Boomerang Supporters:

It is upon us!! With the 2008-2009 Season, the Boomerang Theatre Company is celebrating its 10th Anniversary of producing theatre in NYC! Now is the time to say thank you, to look back at our accomplishments, and set our goals for the next ten years.

Boomerang was born around the convergence of two ideas: bringing rotating repertory to New York City and creating a program that created a cultural thru-line through time by positioning classics next to contemporary work. Now, in the planning and fundraising stage, we are undertaking the most important part of our season, because without ongoing support, we will not be able to continue to expand and enhance our programming.

With that in mind, we have established a firm goal for the 2008-2009 season, and we ask you to help us reach it. With the advent of our 10th Season, we are launching Boomerang’s Leading Edge Initiative.

Our goal: to raise $50,000 over the next nine-months.

How do we plan on meeting this goal? Already, several generous supporters have pledged close to 10% of the total. We are also seeking additional support through foundation and community grants, corporate sponsors, and individual giving. Community response has been amazing, but we need your help to achieve this goal.

What do we plan on doing with your pledge? We will produce a fantastic tenth season of NYC theatre, and we will prepare for the programming and production enhancements that are coming with our next decade of producing.

Let’s take a quick look back at what have we achieved:

• 9 productions serving over 20,000 audience members with our Free Outdoor Shakespeare Program of some of Shakespeare’s greatest works. This year in celebrating our 10th season, we are remounting our inaugural show As You Like It in a whole new way;
• 25 productions in our Mainstage Rotating Repertory Program. Boomerang reinvented the concept of a small theatre performing in rotating repertory, and the company has become an example for other small theatre groups operating in rotating repertory in New York City;
• Over 50 readings and workshops of new plays through our First Flight Reading Series. Many of these went on to other productions or have been taken to full production and had their world premiere with Boomerang;
• 3 special event productions including the US Premiere of Irvine Welsh’s You’ll Have Had Your Hole in the NY International Fringe Festival.

• Some milestone productions within our nine repertory seasons include: our inaugural production As You Like It which was redesigned and restaged four times—first mounted outside in three parks around NYC, it was then transferred to Theatre 22 for our first indoor season; an OOBR award winning production of Moliere’s The Misanthrope; the world premiere of The Monster Tales by Mary Jett Parsley which was our first to be published in NYTE’s Plays and Playwrights Anthology; the World Premiere of Taylor Mac’s The Hot Month; Kelly McAllister’s Burning the Old Man which won two NYIT Awards out of six nominations.
• Over the years we have also successfully launched plays that offered challenges for small theatres in both technology and size. These included: Frank Kuzler’s The Substance of John which combined a large cast, video multicast and a live, three-piece jazz band; Brad Fraser’s The Ugly Man which brought realistic gun play to a small space safely; and two larger than life O’Neill productions in Beyond the Horizon and Anna Christie.

Now is the time to give because we need your support in order to continue producing great work and in order for us to expand programming and production values. Every bit helps, even if you think that it is so small that it couldn’t make a difference. It can.

We ask you to make a contribution to The Boomerang Theatre Company and support our 2008 season. When you do, you are supporting both our legacy, and our future success in one gesture.

One of our goals has always been to create theatre that is accessible to all. That can mean a free production in a Central Park, or an affordably priced repertory season. What makes our mission unique is the blend of new and classic in one season on one stage. With new modern work running side by side with classic plays and “lost” classics or neglected plays, we create an atmosphere where ideas can respond to each other within each audience member. Commonalities and differences are highlighted, ideas shared between generations are recognized, and the human condition is exposed and glorified. Not just in our time, but throughout time.

This vision has been embraced by the public and critics alike, reflected in our positive reviews, awards, and citations. But all of this is only done with your help.

During our 2008-2009 season, we will be campaigning for the much needed funds that support our work each year. These donations supplement our ticket sales, and make up approximately 55% of our annual budget.

With your help we can achieve our $50,000 goal. In fact, if everyone on our mailing list were to give just $20 we would not only meet this goal, but exceed it!

The Boomerang Theatre Company has always relied on the generosity and support from individuals like you to make this work possible. No matter how big or small your contribution, you are helping to keep Boomerang’s productions in full swing throughout the year.

• For $20, you help cover costs on our Outdoor Shakespeare Program
• For $50 you cover rehearsal space for our First Flight Reading Series
• For $100 you help purchase costumes for our Indoor Repertory Season at CenterStage/NY
• For $500 you contribute to the stipends paid to scenic, lighting, and production designers
• For $1000 you help pay for performance space on one of our mainstage productions.

In closing, let me say that we could not have made it to our 10th Season without the generosity of our amazing supporters like you. You, our patrons and donors, have made it all possible. We look forward to the next decade of producing high quality theatre for your enjoyment. Thank you!!

Sincerely yours,

Tim Errickson
Artistic Director

Frank Kuzler
Managing Director