Wildwood Summer Theatre, DC’s youth-run theatre company, is excited to share our newest fundraising initiative with the DC theatre community. Every summer since 1965,WST has produced a full-scale Broadway musical.
Sounds like a lot of summer theater groups, right? Here’s the difference: everyone in our company – from the Chairman of the Board of Directors, to the Board themselves, to the actors, technicians, staff, and musicians – are all between the ages of 14 to 25. No one older, no one younger. This allows young people the rare experience of creating a fully-realized theatre production from top to bottom, beginning to end. WST prides itself on being a learning theatre in which each generation inspires the next; returners and newcomers alike enjoy the unique opportunities WST offers.
We are proud of our many alumni, several of who have gone on to well-known careers in the theater world, including Michael Mayer (Tony-winning director; producer of Smash), Richard Scanlan (Tony-nominated librettist of Thoroughly Modern Millie), Michael Bobbitt (Artistic Director of Adventure Theatre MTC), Jonathan Hadary (Broadway and Hollywood Actor), David Costible (Broadway’s Titanic, TV’s Breaking Bad, featured in Lincoln, currently in theaters), and Brad Watkins (Director of Theater Services for theaterWashington), among countless other working professionals in DC, New York, and just about everywhere else.
We are currently running a Kickstarter with the goal of raising $4,900 for our 49th year! If you’re unfamiliar with Kickstarter: you set a funding goal and a time limit to reach that goal. If you receive enough pledged money by the deadline, you get it all! If you don’t meet your goal–you get nothing. So, this is the definition of an all-or-nothing fundraiser. When you pledge, you also sign up to receive gifts from us based on your level of giving. For this project, our gifts include everything from a mention in the program, to a karaoke night with the company, to free tickets to WST shows for LIFE.
Currently, we have been pledged $3,513, or 70% of our goal! We need to reach or exceed $4,900 by December 5th in order to actually receive the funds. We are now reaching out to the incredible DC theatre community in the hopes that kind souls such as yourself will pledge to help this company going. Additionally, WST is a 501-c3 nonprofit organization, so all pledges are tax-deductible.
Visit our Kickstarter at this site and please, consider making a pledge to us today. Just $5 could make an incredible difference.
Any questions can be directed to Ben Lurye, Chairman of the Board, at [email protected]
Thanks everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Ben Lurye
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Wildwood Summer Theatre
