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A power station built in 1890 is now home to an intimate, state-of-the-art theatre. We need to restore the exterior on a deadline.

From the power to provide light and heat to the power to transform hearts and minds, we're halfway through turning an abandoned utility building into a vital performing arts theatre, and we need your help.

In the heart of Walla Walla, Washington, a farm town once primarily known for its sweet onions—and now the cradle of a fast-growing wine industry noted for its top-rated vintages—stands a former power station.  Built in 1890 to serve the needs of the Pacific Northwest's busiest settlement, it fell into disuse and the intervening years saw a rapid decline in its appearance.  Its stately brick-and-wood façade is now rotten and peeling, the towering brick walls need re-pointing and other repairs, and the old corrugated tin roof, while watertight, needs soundproofing and insulating.

What was to most passersby merely a derelict home for pigeons and rats was, in the eyes of Seattle Shakespeare Company's then Artistic Director Stephanie Shine and Engineer Harry Hosey, a venue of great excitement.  They found that the size of the interior, with its unencumbered and cavernous open space, was nearly a physical duplicate of the shape of the Blackfriars Theatre in London that was co-designed by William Shakespeare himself, and was where many of his plays were originally performed in the early 1600's.  The vision of the old power house as a performing arts venue turned out to be contagious, and, with an outpouring of support from local businesses and residents, the interior was beautifully remodeled and the first play was performed on May 12, 2011.

The Power House Theatre has been added to the National Register of Historic Buildings, but the construction is incomplete.  There are funds available to continue the ongoing renovation of the interior, but they are available to us only if we restore the exterior of the theatre within the construction window available during the good weather of summer.  Your contributions will go to restoring the outside of the power house to its original beauty by refurbishing the original brickwork, restoring the wood frames and stops of the 248 window panes and massive entry doors, and re-glazing the windows that have no glass at all.

We thank you in advance for taking a moment to find out about our project, and hope you'll be enticed by our rewards to help out!

http://www.phtww.com/ 

http://shakespearewallawalla.org/

BONUS: For those of you interested in attending a show, you can enter the code 'Renovate' for 15% off wednesday, thursday, or matinee ticket prices for our current show.

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49
Backers
$6,985
pledged of $50,000 goal
0
seconds to go

Funding Unsuccessful This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on July 15, 2012.

Funding period
May 31, 2012 - Jul 15, 2012 (45 days)

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  • Pledge $10 or more

    3 backers

    At this level you earn our sincere gratitude and the satisfaction of being a part of the history and culture of Walla Walla, Washington. You will also have your name listed on the Power House Theatre website for all to see. All higher levels also include this reward.

    Estimated delivery: Jul 2012
  • Pledge $20 or more

    7 backers

    At this level you'll get your name listed in all playbills for the rest of the season, plus we'll mail you a playbill tearsheet showing your name right there on our donor list.

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $50 or more

    6 backers Limited (494 of 500 left)

    At this level you get a handsome, limited-edition poster showing the journey of the Power House Theatre from old utility building to world-class theater -- perfect for making your impeccable judgment plainly visible to your friends. Plus you get a stainless steel water-bottle with the Power House logo.

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $100 or more

    7 backers

    This level gets you a limited-edition Power House Theatre Crew t-shirt, in the size of your choice, in flattering Stage Black, of course. Plus you'll get the poster and stainless-steel water bottle from Reward #3. The only thing is, if you wear your crew shirt when you come to one of our shows we reserve the right to put you to work!

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $200 or more

    14 backers Limited (586 of 600 left)

    The “fourth wall” is the term used for the invisible front wall of a play’s set, the wall that the audience "sees through" to witness the action onstage. That’s why we’ve named the south wall of our theatre the Fourth Wall: it will be a beautifully-designed display with its own kinetic LED lighting scheme, showing off bricks engraved with the names of the people who have made the Power House Theatre’s magic visible to all. At this level you get a brick inscribed with a name of your choice; and, for every $175 over the base pledge for this level, we will give you an additional brick. Buy one for each member of your family and build a family tree! This level includes four flex tickets for each of three contiguous seasons, starting with the current one. Your flex tickets alone are worth $204, so you're already ahead! Flex tickets are at the $17 ticket level (but can be upgraded) and are subject to availability, so you need to confirm with the box office ahead of time which shows you'd like to see.

    Estimated delivery: Jul 2012
  • Pledge $500 or more

    2 backers Limited (498 of 500 left)

    At this level you can get your name (or a name of your choice*) etched into a paver that will be set in the ground at the front of the theatre -- future theatre goers will marvel at your cleverness! We will also include four flex tickets to be used for any play in our upcoming season, so you can enjoy a play while visiting our beautiful city. *Wording subject to approval, obviously

    Estimated delivery: Jul 2012
  • Pledge $1,000 or more

    0 backers Limited (15 of 15 left)

    If you can get yourself to Walla Walla, donating at this level rewards you with an etched brick, poster, and t-shirt, plus a very special opportunity to sit in on a later rehearsal to watch the refining process that our topnotch cast and crew bring to the staging of a play. Your very own question-and-answer session will complete this unusual glimpse of life in the theatre.

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $1,500 or more

    1 backer Limited (9 of 10 left)

    At this prestigious level you not only get the t-shirt, poster, and etched paver, but we'll actually incorporate you into a performance, giving you your very own non-speaking role in one of our Shakespearean plays in 2013. As a cast member, of course, you'll join the rest of your newfound peers at the cast party, and receive a framed photo of yourself strutting your stuff on stage. (Note: this reward does not include travel or housing.)

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $2,500 or more

    0 backers Limited (10 of 10 left)

    Our VIP treatment; this level gets you everything in the previous level, but we will also fly you to Walla Walla from anywhere in the continental US, put you up in a bed & breakfast for the weekend of the play and you'll also get to attend a special reception with the cast.

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $10,000 or more

    0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)

    Patron of the Grand Foyer; at this level you get to name the lobby of the Power House Theatre for the next two years. During this period, your name will appear prominently displayed on the center wall of the lobby where every single attendee will marvel at your generosity. All of our promotional materials relating to the lobby will refer to it as the _____ Grand Foyer. Also during this time you will have six tickets available for any and every one of our amazing shows (even for opening nights and gala events). *Again, name subject to approval. **Also with the right to renew once for the same amount after the period ends.

    Estimated delivery: Jul 2012
  • Pledge $10,000 or more

    0 backers Limited (3 of 3 left)

    Summer Shakespeare Festival Sponsor; at this level you will be an official sponsor for the Shakespeare Festival. We'll display your name/logo on every single advertisement, playbill cover, light-pole banners on main street, and every other piece of material for the festival. We'll also fly a huge flag (like those in the video) over the theatre during the festival showing your name/logo to the whole city. We'll name you as a sponsor at the beginning of every show plus 40 tickets for premium seats for of the festival's shows.

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $10,000 or more

    0 backers Limited (5 of 5 left)

    Pop Show Series Sponsor; at this level you will be the SOLE sponsor of one of our Popular Series of national level performances. During each show's 14-18 day run you get all the perks as listed on reward #11 with 12 tickets available for premium seating. This includes: Big Daddy's Barbecue (June-July 2012), Jewel Box Revue (September 2012), All-American Country (October 2012), Nutcracker Burlesque (November-December 2012), A Blue Mountain Christmas (December 2012) These rewards are on a first-come, first-served basis, so get in early. Check out our website for details on the shows.

    Estimated delivery: Jul 2012