Funding Proposal

Unnamed Productions is an emerging, faith-based theatre company, serving high school-aged students
in Calgary, Alberta, through one-on-one mentorship and practical training in theatre, giving young artists
the opportunity to explore the fusion between art and the Christian faith and the tools to pursue
excellence in the craft of theatre production. Our mission is to accomplish this through fostering the
growth of community, provision of intentional opportunities for mentorship, a commitment to woring
individually with students to meet their artistic goals, providing physical space to experiment creatively,
and a deliberate integration of faith into an artistic lifestyle.
!e are currently planning and recruiting for a one-year pilot pro"ect, and are asing for #$%,&&& 'of a
#%&,&&& budget( for personnel costs, which will help to subsidi)e honorariums for the non-mentor
artists and a part-time salary for a development coordinator.
Unnamed Productions is led by Alida Anderson, currently woring towards her *+A in Producing at
California ,nstitute of the Arts '*+A candidate -&$&(. .he holds a /A0 in 1heatre Arts from 0ocy
*ountain College and a Certificate in Arts Administration from 2ew 3or University4s .chool of
Continuing and Professional .tudies, and interned in the office of 0oy 5abay, a /roadway producer and
general manager 'Barefoot in the Park, Dog Sees God, The Last Five Years, Jesus Hopped the A-Train, and
more(. A multi-disciplinary theatre artist trained in acting, directing, and management, Alida has also
developed curriculum for and taught theatre classes to students in grades three through nine. Alida6s
passion for producing lies in the ability to provide a space for other artists to wor. 1he ability to be a
source of support, income, training, physical space, and networing is what drew her to the field, and is
supplemented by her understanding of the artistic process.
Supplemental Materials Enclosed:
.ample budget 'income and expenses( for a one-year pilot pro"ect
7ob descriptions for 8evelopment Coordinator and *entor Artist
.tatement of +aith
Problem Statement:
1he arts have a strong presence in Calgary6s high schools, with many schools offering multiple bands and
choirs, several levels of drama classes, dance programs, visual arts, and so on9 however, these programs
are limited in their ability to provide one-on-one training for students who have an interest in a specific
area of the theatre. 1hey may provide a strong overview, but because of their si)e, students who want
more intensive experience need to see it out elsewhere. Opportunities for more intensive learning are
not always found in the schools, and trained mentors are not available in low student-mentor ratios. ,n
addition, smaller, private schools, while they may have the resources to hire the teachers, often do not
have the necessary si)e of student body to support a strong arts program9 also, students who are
homeschooled need to find a place to be trained and to supplement their at-home education in a
communal setting. 1hese demographics represent, in a broad form, the particular students that
Unnamed Productions sees to serve.
,n addition, artists approaching their from a Christian faith-based perspective are often hampered by a
lac of training that combines faith and art with professional-:uality expectations, which perpetuates
the idea that faith-based 'particularly Christian-based( art is cheesy, irrelevant, and of poor :uality.
Unnamed Productions sees to combat that misconception by providing :uality faith-based,
mentorship-driven theatre training for high school students in Calgary through the process of producing
a mainstage show, and to create a place for emerging and established artists to continue to develop
their craft through teaching and mentoring.
Unnamed Productions is not only significant in its uni:ue blend of authentic, high-:uality faith-based
theatre and intentional mentorship, but also in its commitment to provide the mentors, many of whom
are young professional artists, still establishing themselves in their fields, with a source of income and a
place of support, both professionally and personally.
Objectives:
1o run a pilot pro"ect of one show and to evaluate the pro"ect afterwards to plan for long-term
implementation.
1o pair four to six students 'actors, assistant director, assistant stage manager, assistant
designers, etc( one-on-one with professional mentors through a production process.
1o present a fully staged play at the end of the pilot pro"ect
Strategies:
Commission a new play that incorporates a small ';-< person( cast with inter-
generational=multi-age character relationships conducive to mentorship
.ee a partnership with a local church or school for donated rehearsal space
0ecruit mentor artists from college and university theatre programs, local artist networs, etc.
8evelop a "ob description for a part-time development person, who will assist mentors in
developing teaching plans, create an ongoing educational strategy based on existing models,
and evaluate the program, with feedbac from students, parents, and artists, at its completion.
.ee out students and mentors who are willing to engage in the development process of the
company, providing feedbac and suggestions to mae Unnamed Productions a viable long-term
presence in Calgary6s theatre community.
Timeline:
7anuary, -&&>? /egin looing for playwrights
+ebruary, -&&>? +inali)e contract with playwright or, if that avenue has not wored out, loo for
already existing script
April, -&&>? /egin recruitment for 8evelopment Coordinator
7une, -&&>? +ind website, logo, and poster designers and begin wor on mareting elements
August, -&&>? *areting tools for recruitment complete9 8evelopment Coordinator hired9 script
choice finali)ed
.eptember, -&&>? 8evelopment Coordinator begins wor9 recruiting begins in schools and artist
communities to find @-% students and @-% mentors9 logistics of space rentals are negotiated
2ovember, -&&>? 0ecruiting continues, including the hiring of up to % additional non-mentor
artists to round out the production team
8ecember, -&$&? *entor artists begin regular meetings with development coordinator9
production team meets 'although much of their wor will be simultaneous with the rehearsal
process(9 financing for year two sought
7anuary, -&$&? /egin rehearsals
*arch, -&$&? *areting tools for the show complete
*ay, -&$&? Perform final production
7une, -&$&? Avaluation complete9 timeline and plans for year two complete
Budget:
!e are asing for a grant of #$%,&&& for personnel costs. #$&,&&& of this will fund a stipend for the
position of a development facilitator, who will tae on the responsibility of overseeing this pilot pro"ect
with the long-term success and sustainability of this company in mind. 1his person will be responsible
for developing mentoring plans with both students and mentors, evaluating the program throughout its
process and at the end, researching collaborative opportunities with other artistic entities and schools,
researching current arts education standards 'such as the benchmars used by the 2ew 3or City
8epartment of Aducation( and adapting those for Unnamed Productions4 use, and maing
recommendations at the end of this year for future plans.
!e recogni)e that the proposed salaries are below what artists of the caliber that we see deserve, but
our hope is that these artists, who will play an integral part in creating Unnamed Productions, will stay
and grow with us out of passion for the wor and the students, and as our capacity for appropriate
salaries grows, we will mae it a priority to provide them with the remuneration that they deserve.
1he remaining #%,&&& will be used for stipends of the non-mentor artists who will be a part of this
pro"ect, who will fill out the cast and production team and who will be essential to the show4s success.
Evaluation:
Part of the 8evelopment Coordinator6s "ob will entail creating an evaluative tool for students, mentors,
and parents to have input on the success of the pro"ect. ,n addition, this person will be responsible for
existing researching benchmars set in place by educational departments and woring with the mentors
to ensure that students are learning these elements of theatre, within their specific discipline.
1he program6s overall success will be evaluated by an examination of the amount of initial interest by
students and artists 'how many applied to be a part of the program(9 the number of audience members
for the final show9 website traffic and comments9 overall donated income, both monetary and in-ind9
media coverage of the program and its goals9 and the number of students, artists, and other
collaborators who express interest in being involved in future years.
Other Long-Term oals:
Part of Unnamed Productions6 goal is to establish itself as a resource for students and artists, and to be a
presence in Calgary6s theatre community. 1here are many long-term '$&-$% years out( goals that will
help to accomplish those goals9 these are a few of the most significant ones?
Create a searchable, online database of resources for the exploration of faith and art 'articles,
organi)ations, bibliography, interviews conducted specifically for the website, etc(.
Create a searchable, online database of colleges offering theatre programs, both faith-based
and secular, and provide information in pertinent categories so that the programs can be
compared to each other using a uniform criteria.
Bave a scholarship fund for graduating high-school students who have been involved in
Unnamed Productions, who are going on to pursue post-secondary training in the arts.
Axpand the mentorship opportunities to include playwriting and provide the opportunity for
students to have their plays worshopped.
Axpand the program to include a touring summer show, offering more specific opportunities for
student leaders to develop leadership sills in the context of leading one of these teams.
Own or lease a building with office space and rehearsal rooms that can be used by Unnamed
Productions6 artists 'mentors and other artists on shows( for free or very low rent as part of an
effort to create an infrastructure to provide support for artists6 careers outside of their wor at
Unnamed Productions!
8istribute a monthly listing of other shows that staff and students are woring on9 a "ob ban
that alumni, staff, and students can access9 and other such initiatives in order to be a hub of
information, advertising, and networing.