Bearded Ladies Cabaret: Grassroots Fundraising for Social Commentary Theater
by Michael Pelusi
(Originally posted on Generocity.org on November 1, 2012)
Smaller theater companies have limited resources. They don’t have benefactors signing veritable blank checks. And they don’t always have access to state-of-the-art facilities and blockbuster-caliber props.
Any grassroots arts organization would be well-served by taking a cue from Philadelphia’s Bearded Ladies Cabaret. In existence since late 2010, Bearded Ladies recently both won a Knight Arts Challenge grant of $30,000 and raised $12,000 in less than 60 days on Kickstarter. Both sets of funds are being used in preparation for the Cabaret’s next show, Marlene and The Machine, set to open in the Wilma Theater lobby on December 5.
The Bearded Ladies Cabaret utilizes cardboard props to perform pieces that address social and political issues and play with gender identity. They are fiscally sponsored by the Wilma Theater. This means patrons can donate to the Bearded Ladies via the Wilma’s gift-giving system.
The Cabaret’s artistic director, John Jarboe says this allows them to “act as a nonprofit sometimes. But we are not a nonprofit. And a lot of grants in town, a lot of foundational support, are directed towards a system of nonprofits. Basically there’s a system that’s built that says, if you have money already, you can get money. But how do you get to the point where you can apply for those grants?”
The Knight Arts Challenge was an especially good fit for The Bearded Ladies. “They just love the ideas, says Jarboe. “They don’t ask for any of your financial information to begin with. They just want a paragraph that’s a great idea, or two great ideas.”
After becoming a finalist for the Arts Challenge, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret had to fill out a more standard, detailed grant application. Jarboe says, “Balancing product-based language with process-based language is a challenge in writing grants.”
Donna Frisby-Greenwood, the Knight Foundations’ Philadelphia Program Director, explains the decision to award the Bearded Ladies the grant. “Even though the Bearded Ladies troupe is run by a small group of artists, their challenge idea — to attract new audiences to theater on the Avenue of the Arts by creating an original, late-night cabaret series — can have a big impact,” she says. “Putting cabaret in the spotlight, and using the medium to explore social issues, exposes audiences to a genre of performance art with which they may be unfamiliar, expanding horizons and broadening cultural understanding.”
Rallying the community
Additionally, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret was able to raise $12,000 in less than 60 days through Kickstarter. “I was kind of shocked with the outpouring of support,” Jarboe says. “We had over 166 backers support us. And most of the donations were small.”
The Bearded Ladies spread word about the Kickstarter campaign by alerting members of the email list, and performing around the city, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Eastern State Penitentiary and other locations. Jarboe also says that Facebook was key, and the source of most of their Kickstarter funds. If you’re looking to use the site, Jarboe advises, “Plan ahead and make sure you have the man- and woman-power to do the asking that you need. If it’s just one or two people that are running a Kickstarter, you’re not going to do all that. I had a big group of people in the company, posting it on their Facebook walls and contacting people, and I think that made it possible.”
Thanks to the Knight Arts Challenge and Kickstarter, plus a grant from the Samuel S. Fels Fund, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret is two-thirds of the way toward their fundraising goal. With the money raised so far, they were able to hire a part-time managing director and pay cabaret members a small weekly amount.
Overall, Jarboe advises arts companies to seek out fundraising solutions that involve the community. “I think it’s important to legitimately include people, which is why Kickstarter is a valuable tool. Because it makes people feel like they’re part of your work. I think the people that will succeed are the people that make a concerted effort to involve the community in their work, and therefore in supporting their company.”
Michael Pelusi, Content Strategist 