Honest Pint Theatre Co. Announces Patreon Campaign

Honest Pint Theatre Company, a small professional theater company located in Raleigh, NC, since 2013, announces the launch of their Patreon campaign for funding. The company will use the Patreon model to build, develop, and maintain relationships with its donors (or Patrons).

David Henderson and Susannah Hough, Co-Artistic Directors of Honest Pint explain: "We feel that this model allows us to do what we do best - make really good theatre. In these uncertain economic times and with arts funding on a national and regional level in jeopardy, new methods of fund raising must be adopted. The Patreon model will allow us to focus on making art and expanding our presence in the community (both onstage and offstage) and not exhaust our donors by constantly asking for money to do what we do. It's different from other crowd-sourcing models, like Kickstarter. With those models, creators have to go back to the well to obtain funding every time there is a new project. So we thought... What if the model of support could change? What if you could support the arts all year long and do it at the level that fits your budget, and in a way that was seamless and easy for you? How can we form long-lasting and more meaningful relationships with our supporters? Patreon is the answer."

The Patreon model allows supporters to give whatever amount of money they are comfortable with on a monthly basis to Honest Pint. It could be $1, $10, $50, $200 - any amount. That donation is automatically charged to their credit card, seamlessly. A gift receipt is automatically issued to the donor and payments are made until the donor instructs Patreon to stop. So for as little as the cost of their daily latte, or a beer at their favorite brewery, or their Netflix bill, a supporter can support live, local theater and ensure the cultural richness of our community continues to thrive. In exchange for their support, Patrons receive special rewards from Honest Pint only available to them: free tickets to all shows, branded tee shirts, pint glasses, ball caps, and house concerts and discussions with production creative teams.

Honest Pint has grown a lot since their first production in 2013. In four short years, they have presented A STEADY RAIN by Keith Huff, David Stevens' THE SUM OF US, Sharr White's, ANNAPURNA, a complete UNCUT version of William Shakespeare's HAMLET, and the regional premiere of Conor McPherson's THE NIGHT ALIVE. All of these shows were critically acclaimed and solidified Honest Pint's place in the theatre community.

They managed to do all of this largely because of people's generosity. People have donated time, talent, space, and money to help the company get where it is today.

Henderson and Hough: "We've learned that the business of producing art works best if we focus on theatre that is intimate, engaging, emotionally powerful, and affordable to everyone. We believe that audiences should get their money's worth and that art doesn't have to be expensive to have an impact. The Patreon model will allow us to expand our offerings and realize future goals."

Some of Honest Pint's upcoming programming includes:
• HALF PINT, a youth ensemble focused on devised theatre:
• HOME BREW a series that will workshop and develop plays written here in North Carolina
• MICRO BREW a series that brings short plays to life
• KING LEAR, (a touring production in partnership with Sweet Tea Shakespeare and William Peace University) in September and,
• The regional premier of Bathsheba Doran's THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX in October.

Future goals include:
• Providing the ability for Honest Pint to produce shows across North Carolina.
Culturally underserved areas in the region need to see and hear some of the stories that Honest Pint tells. They would love to be able to share them with people in eastern and western NC.
• Increasing actor/director/tech stipends.This would allow the company to keep using local artists and pay them hard-earned wages making art.
• Finding venues in which to produce shows and projects. Commercial space in the Triangle area is at a premium and rents are costly. The smallest theatre companies in the area actually pay the most for space. Honest Pint has no "special arrangement" with the City of Raleigh concerning venue space so it has to pay hefty rental fees.
• Subsidizing ticket costs for students and young adults who otherwise would not be able to afford a ticket a live Honest Pint show.

Henderson and Hough: "Theatre has the power to illuminate, transform and heal. We know that live theatre is an essential part of the cultural richness of a community, and that participating in community events enriches the quality of our personal lives, our families, and the quality of our work.

We are grateful to those who support us every day, and that includes our directors, actors, designers, venue hosts, audiences, and anyone who reads and shares one of our Facebook statuses. By coming a Patron, our fans can help us reach our goals and support local, homegrown theatre."

To access the Honest Pint Patreon page and for more information: www.honestpinttheatre.org or https://www.patreon.com/honestpinttheatre.

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