Kickstarter

Hi, Im Catherine Love, one of the producers for Theatre 180.  We are here to ask you to help us raise funds for a very important theatrical production here in Hollywood, California.  Theatre 180's mission  is to present plays that look at important societal issues, from new/different angles. Whether presenting current plays, or mounting classics in new and insightful ways, we want to make our audiences think, question and motivate them to participate in social change in our Los Angeles Community. In 2011 we were  voted most promising new Theatre Company in Los Angeles by Backstage West and we are now raising funds for our upcoming production of Dog Sees God by Bert V. Royal.  This unauthorized parody of Charles Schultz's Peanuts characters shows their teenage counterparts struggling with issues of drug use, sexual identity, peer pressure, teen violence and suicide.  Alternatingly humorous and heart-breaking this production is particularly relevant in the light of the recent rash of suicides by homosexual teens like Rutgers University's Tyler Clementi,  14 year old Jamey Rodemeyer, and West Hollywood's own Eric James Borges.  This is a growing issue; one that isn’t going away, and Dog Sees God shines a light on the problem.  High schools can become powder kegs when, what starts off as a student questioning his or her identity, turns into public humiliation and then explodes into violence.   We started rehearsals this week with Hollie Mendillo directing.  The cast is entirely from the prestigious Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio, and already, the actors are creating some incredible scenes.  The money raised in this kickstarter campaign will help us mount this production at the Zephyr Theatre in Hollywood for 2 weekends in May.  It will give us the opportunity to collaborate with THE TREVOR PROJECT, an organization that works to prevent suicides by LGBT youth and raise money for their suicide prevention programs. Please help us bring these important issues to the stage by investing here on kickstarter.