Hi everybody,

Obviously, with three days left to raise $14,000, unless a very unexpectedly famous or rich (or both!) donor decides to throw their support in here on Kickstarter, we will not be reaching our goal.  Despite this, I believe that The Aegis Project is far too important to fall by the wayside simply because we did not reach our goal.  I know that times are difficult, but I cannot express to those who have donated just how much it means to me.  So I am going to ask for one more favor from you: when time expires and you are released from your pledge to the Project, I am going to ask you to write a check to me that will make The Aegis Project and the tour of "Extremities" a reality.  It is basically the same as the Kickstarter campaign, except instead of a credit card, I am asking that you make your pledge with a check.  If you do, you will still receive each reward that you receive for your pledge level.

You may be asking: But Chris, if you didn't reach your goal by a long-shot, what can our pledges do now?

My answer: The entire production will be stream-lined.  On the advice of my mentor, I have cut the entire set of the show and blocked it with two chairs and a table.  The production will be completely minimalist.  We are cutting props left and right, retaining only what is absolutely essential to the production.  The absolutely imperative element in The Aegis Project has always been the message.  That is something that can be done without a set, without expensive makeup, without a truck to lug the set around, without so many of those things that I had planned on assembling.

So where will the budget money go?  The money will be used to pay playwright Bill Mastrosimone for the rights to produce his play, purchase the very few props that I am unable to find on my own, rent a space for the preview performance before the show goes on tour, and pay the four actors in the production for their time, talents, and work.  That's it.  The fact that we did not meet our goal changes nothing; The Aegis Project is still absolutely vital to the well-being of our communities here in WNY.

Please, absolutely, feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions you may have regarding the Project!

Checks may be sent to: Christopher LaBanca, 140 Heath Street, Buffalo, NY 14214

My phone number is 716.359.3156.

We can still change the world, starting here in WNY!  Thank you all for your continuing support!

We now have video, courtesy of NDstudios!!  Please check it out, give it a listen, and pass it along to friends so they can see and hear how important The Aegis Project is!

Also, more videos will be posted, elaborating on the Project, the play itself, why I want to start it right here in WNY, as well as actor profiles with the two actors playing Marjorie and Raul!  Stay tuned!

I have received a letter of support from my mentor, Dr. Randy Kaplan of SUNY Geneseo, urging people to donate.  She is far more eloquent than I am, and so I encourage you to read this letter and pass it along to other people.  We all stand to win from the success of The Aegis Project!

Dear Aegis Supporters,

I have known Chris LaBanca since 2004 and am proud to attest positively and unconditionally to his creative abilities and ethical character.  He is among an elite group of my former students, those whom I am privileged to acknowledge as artistic partners.  Throughout all of our interactions, Chris has never failed to prove himself to be an imaginative and effective leader.  

As his artistic and educational mentor, I am writing to add my voice to his and urge you to support his important work on The Aegis Project.  Theatre is wonderful when it entertains; it is, however, most powerful when it empowers change.  Chris's production of William Mastrosimone's Extremities is poised to raise awareness about rape, and support and enable students to break the silence that all too often accompanies this vicious and emotionally damaging crime.  

If you consider the total number of women who attend or attended your college and divide by four, the statistics tell you that is how many women at your college have been the victim of rape.  But that's not counting the ones who didn't tell.  And statistics don't have faces.

Consider now the faces of your sister, your girlfriend, your spouse, your cousin, your next door neighbor, your co-worker, your teacher, your aunt, your mother.  All women are at risk for this crime of violence.  But YOU can make a difference for them.

Chris's production of Extremities has been conceived as a means of empowering change and enabling healing.  It would be wonderful if theatre could be produced and toured for free, but in order to raise awareness, it's often necessary to raise funding.  Please help Chris meet his goal of $17,500.  Remember, if his goal is not met, his fundraising partner Kickstarter returns all pledges to all donors.  That means a win-win for patrons of The Aegis Project.  Pledge whatever you can, no amount is too small, and only one of two outcomes are possible:  we will be successful and you will be part of a life-affirming project, or you will get your pledge back.  There is no way you can lose, and with your generosity of spirit, many, many people, both women and men, stand to win.

Yours truly,

Randy Barbara Kaplan, Ph.D.

Professor of Theatre and Dance