With our fundraising deadline fast approaching, I thought I would pause today to update you on our progress.
As you likely know by now, in January I launched a fundraising campaign to support the production of a high-quality DVD of my solo show, Piecework: When We Were French. The response has been humbling. In just the first day of the campaign, we raised $1,000, and in the week that followed, we nearly tripled that amount. Since then, we’ve built on our early momentum, and to date we’ve raised nearly 75% of our $7,000 goal. This strong response has demonstrated continued audience enthusiasm for the show and a heartfelt demand for the DVD, which will allow the production to live on and reach new audiences.
Piecework: When We Were French was commissioned for the Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration in my hometown of Burlington, Vermont, to explore the legacy of French-Canadian immigration to Vermont and New England. I interviewed Franco-Americans from around the region, including members of my own family, and based on their stories and other research, I created ten characters whose monologues explore the Franco-American experience, and how our stories, memories, and secrets define us. Since its premier in 2009, I have toured the show throughout Vermont and in New England and Quebec, and I’ve watched it create valuable discussion about history, identity, and ethnic diversity across borders.
My first solo show has been a learning experience in many ways. It’s made me a stronger writer and performer; I’ve learned a great deal about my community and my own family’s history; and touring is a great master course in the business of being an artist. But the greatest lesson has been that I was never really “solo” through any of this. Where the show’s creation began with the generous cooperation of my interview subjects, audiences picked up where those conversations left off, and after each performance, they’ve shared their own memories and stories, expanding my vision of the show and its themes. I continue to learn from these interactions, and they are, in fact, why I keep the word “piecework” in the show’s title: so many others have made the show with me, and for that I am eternally grateful.
This fundraising campaign has been an effort to widen that circle further, to invite others to collaborate in the creation of a DVD that will ensure a future for the show: that in libraries, living rooms, and classrooms it can continue to create dialogue about our past, present, and future.
If you’re been waiting to give, please don’t wait any longer! Now is the time. By donating today you can reserve your copy of the DVD and bring us one step closer to our goal. We have just two weeks left to raise nearly $2,000. Please continue to spread the word by sharing the link to our fundraising page (http://www.indiegogo.com/WhenWeWereFrench), and by following the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.
This project can’t come to fruition without your participation and support! Please donate what you can now.
ABBY PAIGE 