Just a week had passed since the postponement and cancelation of all South Florida theatre productions for the foreseeable future, and Theatre Lab’s Matt Stabile already had an idea to generate income for theatre artists—while keeping us entertained from home.
On March 22, Stabile announced Stories About Hope, an online original monologue festival, in which South Florida’s finest actors, under professional direction, would perform short solo plays, all of them dealing in some fashion with hope. Stabile canvassed playwrights for content and received over 100 submissions, which he then whittled down to 40. Last Sunday, actors performed the monologues on Facebook, in a remarkably speedy turnaround, and the results can be viewed below—many of which provide the laughter we sorely need right now:
As you’ll see, the actors bookended their performances with links to the Venmo or Paypal accounts, so if you appreciate their work, please donate! These talented thespians lost approximately six months of income virtually overnight, not to mention the supplementary funds they would usually receive in the service, education, administration and other industries where they work second jobs. Every little bit helps.
Another great resource to support theatre artists in need is the South Florida Theatre League Relief Fund, also launched in the days following the recent mass postponements. Seeded from funds originally budgeted for the Theatre League’s annual post-Carbonell Awards Soiree, this emergency relief fund is hoping to build on this modest largesse with support from readers like you. Donate here.
In an effort to boost donations to this Relief Fund, Fort Lauderdale’s New City Players has begun hosting “Late Show Live,” an Instagram Live stream, every night at 9 p.m., in which Artistic Director Tim Davis interviews a different theatre professional—over drinks!—about their craft, and managing their careers in the era of coronavirus. Tonight (Wednesday) features Krystal Valdes; Thursday is Clay Cartland; Friday is Roderick Randle; Saturday is Gaby Tortoledo; and Sunday is Mary Gundlach. Tune in here every night, share the camaraderie, and open the wallet for a worthwhile cause.
