Following a Rocky Year, Georgia Shakespeare Moves Ahead

After a tumultuous season of financial uncertainty, stands on solid ground in order to save the 27-year-old theater company.

With mounting debt to vendors, staffing and productions costs, coupled with an oppressive economy, for good. It's production director and board launched an aggressive "do-or-die" campaign to raise a half million dollars to pay staff and satisfy other operational costs.  Once that task was completed, the first check-off on a long list of to-dos was to hire a managing director to oversee administrative and budgetary changes which Georgia Shakespeare had been missing for years.

Since the November of former Long Beach Playhouse Executive Director Lauren Morris to take over as managing director, the company has retired most of its $200,000 debt. The rest was allocated toward operational expenses from October through January 2012.

“We’ve won rounds one and two,” Morris said of the fundraising appeal and the ability to finance the production The Glass Menagerie. “Now we’re on to round three.”

Round three, Morris said, are the upcoming events this year, which have been reorganized to garner the highest return on investment while maintaining its popular appeal to fans.

For example, Shakespeare in the Park is back, but bigger.

“We were giving away 900 tickets a night. This year we’ve moved to [Piedmont Park] Legacy Fountain and it’s twice the size,” Morris said. We will still give away the tickets, but now we can sell the others and we think we can sell around a thousand tickets.”

This year, Morris said patrons will have the opportunity to reserve special seating for the showing of Shakespeare's The Tempest:

• Reserved general admission: $10
• Reserved chairs:  $20
• Reserved table: $500
• Reserved picnic space: $20 pp

Additionally, this year, the Bard’s Bash annual fundraiser has a slew of new partners including the new venue - The Goat Farm Arts Center. 

Restauranteur Patrick La Bouff's Dinner Party Atlanta will work with Georgia Shakespeare to coordinate the evening's cuisine with a collection of Atlanta's hottest chefs. Scoutmob is also partnering to host the gala's after party (more details below).  For entertainment, local band Blair Crimmins & The Hookers will perform. Ann and Sid Mashburn - of the Buckhead boutiques - will serve as style hosts for the evening. Tickets for the Bard's Bash is $250 with an after-party for $35.

Morris said operationally, Georgia Shakespeare has a renewed focus on financial management and controls.

“We’re looking at every little tiny thing. We’re looking at everything we do and making sure that we’re not raising money just for an event, but that we have the money already in advance to produce the event.”

The new fundraising season starts this month, Morris said, with the goal of raising 60 percent or $720,000 of its $1.8 million budget.

Morris said donors don't have to wait for the official appeal to start. Donors can  give early this year through the website or by mailing in their contribution.