Let me share a fun little project that Oklahoma's very own Sis founded called Thee Open House Project!
Thee Open House Project is an organization who's purpose is “for theatre audiences to reclaim the house." It is a mutual aid fund for theatre audiences dedicated to making shows more accessible for marginalized artists. This project aims to “open the house" for folks who would otherwise be unable to afford seeing shows. Theatre should be for all of us, so we want to provide tickets for the passionate artists who deserve to see themselves on stages across the country- not just on Broadway, but at professional theaters everywhere. Our hope is that if we combat this specific inequity, we can help people realize their dreams.
Free tickets are just the beginning; we dream of ultimately creating opportunities for master classes, trainings, class trips and much more!
Here's how it works:
Thee Open House Project will operate biweekly. Every other week they will:
- Fundraise on Friday ONLY from 1-6pm EST***
- Open a Google form the following Monday at noon EST for folks to receive free tickets. Apps will close after the first 25 responses.
- Choose recipients & distribute tickets by that Wednesday.
***DO NOT DONATE OUTSIDE OF THE ALLOTTED TIME SLOT. ANY FUNDS SENT OUTSIDE THE SPECIFIED 1-6PM PERIOD WILL BE TREATED AS A DONATION TO THE ORGANIZERS, SO DO NOT DONATE. WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO DONATE OUTSIDE OF DONATION HOURS.
DONATIONS:
Every other Friday, TOP will publish IG (@theeopenhouseproject) posts announcing the start (1PM EST) and end (6pm EST)*** of each fundraising period. These posts will list the shows of the week and where to donate. They will only be accepting donations of $25 or more. This is about people with disposable income redistributing their wealth so that low-income folks can see shows. They only want to accept money from those with plenty to spare! They only have capacity to accept donations via Venmo. PayPal donations may be accommodated upon request (email us at [email protected]).
RECEIVING TICKETS:
The following Monday, TOHP will publish an IG post at noon EST announcing the opening of the Google form, where folks will be able to apply to receive the free tickets purchased by TOHP. Until the capacity increases, forms will close at 25 responses. The cofounders will sift through the applications and choose recipients personally. They will send recipients their tickets via email by Wednesday. Until further notice, tickets will primarily be purchased for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday shows.
TRANSPARENCY:
Screenshots of donations, ticket transactions, and proof of ticket gifting will be posted to an IG highlight after tickets are distributed. DONOR NAMES, DONATION AMOUNTS, AND NAMES OF ALL RECIPIENTS OF FREE TICKETS WILL BE MADE PUBLIC FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES. If you are not comfortable with being part of our transparency process, please understand you will likely not be able to participate in this project. If you are a potential donor with a special request for anonymity, please email [email protected].
CONTACT:
TOHP does not have the capacity to respond to messages / comments on social media, or via our private accounts. Please direct all correspondences to mail to: [email protected], with the understanding that it may take us several days to respond. Again, we will only be replying to correspondences via email. Our Linktree, http://www.linktr.ee/THEEopenhouseproject will be regularly updated with important links such as FAQ, volunteer applications, and more. For more information go to @theeopenhouseproject on Instagram.
*This information comes directly from Thee Open House Project Official Instagram account.*
Anyway, this project is to allow marginalized folks to get tickets to see shows on Broadway and I believe tours too. This is for people who otherwise would not be able to afford seeing live theatre, so if you are able to donate, think about doing it. (But only donate if you really can! Don't stress about donating if you can't afford to, people who donate should do it because they definitely can and truly want to, not because they are guilted into it!) And if you live in or near NYC and are willing to take a trip because you've never been able to see a show due to low income, try this out! You're also eligible if you're a theatre or arts student. It's a really cool organization that's gonna hopefully gonna change Broadway audiences for the better.
