Renegade's Edge

Hello Renegades!

It is that time again when we come to you to ask for your financial support to help keep the Experiment going. Your tremendous past support helped us get through a difficult time last season and come into this season with a solid foundation to produce three excellent Renegade shows.

As you probably know, ticket sales only account for 40% of the revenues we need to make the Experiment a reality. The rest of the funding comes through the generous donations from individuals, like yourself, corporations, and government agencies. Renegade Theatre Experiment is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company, so any donation we receive is tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

This year, we thought we would do something a little different for our annual fundraiser. We wanted to do something that was active, fun, and brought the Renegade community together. We were incredibly excited to learn about and join Arts Walk Santa Clara 2008 on October 11th. The purpose of Arts Walk Santa Clara is to provide an opportunity for the many, diverse, non-profit Fine Arts Organizations of the Santa Clara Valley to raise funds in a cooperative effort.

Our organizational goal is to raise at least $5000 from the walk and there are two ways you can help us make this a reality:

The first method of supporting us is to make a donation to RTE.

But, wait! You want to be a more active member of the Renegade community? Well, my friend, the second and far more enjoyable way to help raise funds for RTE is to join us for the walk. By joining the Renegade walking team, you will have people within your social network sponsor you and then come out on October 11th to join us on our 5k walk (that is 3.11 miles for those who loathe the metric system). To join our team, you need to register as member of the RTE Walking Team by clicking here.


Here are the easy steps to get registered:

1. Click the Arts Walk Registration link on the left hand navigation.
2. Agree to their Waiver/Agreement.
3. Select Join an Arts Organization and select Renegade Theatre Experiment from the drop down menu.
4. Complete the registration form by filling in your info.
5. Set their fundraising goal at something you think you can raise for RTE. Mine is set at $500.
6. You will then get a chance to email your family and friends with information on how to sponsor you.
7. Finally, please email me at smurphy-at-renegadetheatre-dot-com to let me know you will be joining us on the 11th so that I can keep an eye out for you.

That's it! Once registered you can go ask your friends, family, and coworkers to give to the cause. We will be making this a fun event by having a blast walking and then getting together afterwards to to share a meal.

We will also be awarding the 2008 Derek Batoyon Award to the Ensemble member that has best exemplified the Renegade Spirit through Outstanding Commitment, Passion, and Innovation! So, we hope that you stick around to join us for that!

This is going to be a fun way to get outside, hang with each other, and raise funds for RTE!

Whichever way you choose to support us, we deeply appreciate it! Together, we will continue to make our little theatre company go!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Thanks,
Sean

Well, we closed out THE BOOK OF LIZ last night with another great audience. This was a very successful show for RTE in so many ways. We hit our audience projection numbers, which is always a good thing. We also introduced a ton of new people to the Experiment. The preshow party was such a great idea as it allowed us to mingle and get to know folks while they enjoyed free beverages, some of which required them to be over 21. I don't know why we didn't think of this sooner!

I really enjoyed meeting folks and finding out how they heard about us. The overall winner on visibility was Artsopolis. This year we stopped using Ticketmaster for our ticketing services and went with Artsopolis which allowed us to once again participate in their weekly Half Price emails. What a difference that makes! We also had a lot of folks see us in the Mercury News. A big thanks to Karen D'Souza for blogging about us! Finally, our Facebook ad worked! I spoke with four different groups of people who had clicked on our online ad and came to see the show because of it.

I am very pleased with how this show turned out and am incredibly proud of the excellent work everyone contributed to make this show come alive. This was one of the best experiences with both cast and crew as there were no ego clashes or disagreements. Everyone came together and gave their very best to make this experience truly special. Given the difficult time my family is going through, these folks really carried this show and it's success is directly due to their hard work. I look forward to working with each and every one of them again in the near future. They all exemplified the very best of what Renegade is.

As we say goodbye to Liz, we get ready to say hello to Marmalade. We struck the LIZ set last night, in one of our fastest strikes ever. Went to Mini Gourmet for our traditional late night breakfast and was home by 2:30am. Tonight we will get together for a show party and then tomorrow night is the first read-through for MARMALADE. I am looking forward to meeting that cast and hearing the words come to life. As I was wrapped up in personal stuff and LIZ, I have not had chance to be as involved with casting as I usually am, so this is going to be a fun surprise. Will let you know how it goes.

Thank you to all of you who came to see LIZ and who continue to support us. Your Renegade spirit makes this all worth doing!

For those of you who have not experienced the magic of cheeseballs, you only have 3 more chances to see THE BOOK OF LIZ.

Come laugh and have a thoroughly enjoyable time at this "must see" comic romp.

The final three performances for THE BOOK OF LIZ are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00pm.

Tickets for THE BOOK OF LIZ are $18.00 General Admission (Thursday) and $20.00 General Admission (Friday and Saturday). Students and teachers, seniors, and Theatre Bay Area members qualify for discount tickets ($13.00 Thu/Sun & $15.00 Fri/Sat) with valid ID.

See you at the theatre!

Renegade Theatre Experiment is extremely honored to have been selected as an Honors Award Winner in the Best Theatre Category of The Wave Magazine's Readers Choice Awards.

San Jose Repertory Theatre was selected as The Best Theatre Company and, along with American Musical Theatre, we were recognized with Honors. We are humbled to be included with such prestigious companies.

Thank you to The Wave Magazine and all of you Renegades that voted for us!

Hello Renegades,

We have completed the first week of THE BOOK OF LIZ and two more weeks until we close on the 20th.

What did you think of the show? We would love to hear your thoughts on what worked for you and what didn't. Share your thoughts and comments with the community.

The only thing we ask is that you don't reveal anything that may spoil the show for folks. Like the fact that Liz ends up killing the llama and using the coat to hide from the police. Information like that would completely ruin the surprise for everyone. I am glad that nobody would do something like. By the way, she doesn't kill the llama, she only stuns it.

Also, please share your thoughts on Yelp and Artsopolis. You can also see the reviews of others.

See you at the theatre!
Sean

Hello Everyone,

I am sorry that communication has been sporadic on the blog, but, as you may have read about my mother-in-law, this past month has been extremely challenging from a personal perspective and from an RTE perspective in getting THE BOOK OF LIZ ready for opening.

I am about to head over to the theatre to help out with our first Sunday matinee, but wanted to give everyone an update on how things are going. Friday and Saturday nights went great. We had about 50 people in the house each night and, with our special seating configuration in the pit, it really created a nice, intimate atmosphere. The theatre was filled with laughter and everyone seemed to have a great time. There were a lot of newbies to the Experiment, which is always great to see. We are theatre for the non-theatre goer. I really enjoyed speaking with the new folks and finding out how they heard about us. Afterward, I tried to connect with as many of them as possible and everyone of them said they looked forward to our next show. Looks like we are doing something right.

I hope you get a chance to come out and join us. LIZ runs today and then the next two weekends. We look forward to seeing you at the theatre!

Sean

Tomorrow night we launch our 7th season with the opening of THE BOOK OF LIZ.

From the warped genius of the Sedaris siblings, Amy and David give us the gift of THE BOOK OF LIZ. This sweetly, humorous tale introduces us to Sister Elizabeth Donderstock, a devout member of Clusterhaven, the Squeamish religious community known for their world famous Clusterhaven Cheeseballs. Liz's mission in life was to make those famous cheeseballs, but with the arrival of the Squeamish star, Brother Nathaniel Brightbee, Liz is relegated to chive pastures. Fed up, she decides to leave the security of the community and venture out into the unknown world. Join Liz and her llama on her journey to enlightenment. Amy describes the play, an off-Broadway hit from 2001, thusly: "It explores the Buddhist principle of idiot compassion. Like when someone's drowning and you try to save them, knowing that you could drown, too."

The show opens on September 5th and runs through September 20th. Ticket sales have been brisk, so we encourage you to purchase yours in advance. Better yet, get a season subscription and save up to 40% off of our normal ticket prices.

Also, here are some key points to remember:

• Come early and join us for our pre-show soirée, held before every performance in the Hoover Theatre courtyard. Partake in a variety of beverages and snacky foods as you get ready for the latest experiment.



• Speaking of courtyard, this is how you will be entering the theatre from now on. No longer will you have to endure the long, echoey hallway, instead you will enter the theatre through the courtyard and immediately join our party.



• For donors and season subscribers there is a pre-show pizza party with the cast, crew, and members of the company. Don't be left out! Purchase your season subscription or make a tax deductible donation to ensure your place at the Renegade table.



• Short on dough, but big on passion? Come see the show for free by volunteering as an usher. You become a vital member of the Experiment by helping others in our community have fun and you get to see a great RTE show. Email us to get involved!

THE BOOK OF LIZ runs September 5th-20th at the Historic Hoover Theater in San Jose. Performances begin at 8:00 p.m., except Sunday matinees which are at 2 p.m.

Tickets for THE BOOK OF LIZ are $18.00 General Admission (Thursdays and Sundays) and $20.00 General Admission (Fridays and Saturdays). Students and teachers, seniors, and Theatre Bay Area members qualify for discount tickets ($13.00 Thu/Sun & $15.00 Fri/Sat) with valid ID.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this email and supporting RTE!

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact me at smurphy-at-renegadetheatre-dot-com.

We look forward to having you join us for mirth and merriment that is RTE! We'll see you at the theatre!

Regards,
Sean C. Murphy
Artistic Director

Three weeks ago, we lost a vibrant member of our Renegade community.

Nancy Bosley was a true Renegade. In the spirit of full disclosure, Nancy was my mother-in-law, but she was much more than that. She was an active member of the Experiment. She was in the audience at our very first show and was at almost every RTE function. Her and her husband Jay helped us not just financially, but through passionate evangelization of our Renegade mission. She loved bringing new people to the theatre and exposing them to the wonder of RTE.

On August 6th, Nancy was murdered helping a friend try to get out of an abusive relationship. This was obviously a shocking blow for my family, but it also heavily impacted RTE. I had requested to the RTE Board the honor of dedicating this show to her, but they went farther. Every single one of them agreed to dedicate our entire season to Nancy.

Given the theme of this season, it is very apropos. She was an individual that helped others overcome adversity through enilghtenment and education. Whether it was through AA, helping women, her love of animals, the Church of Religious Science, or even RTE, she made everyone better than they were before we had the benefit of her presence. She loved life and that rubbed off on everyone around her. Her laugh was terribly infectious.



Please join us in honoring the legacy of Nancy by making a donation to Next Door, or to a women's shelter of your choice, to ensure that nobody lives in fear and, those that do, are protected.

Also, please come to the theatre and honor Nancy's jubilant spirit with your laughter, empathy, and appreciation for life.

Hello Renegades!

We are incredibly happy to be back and kicking off our season with David and Amy Sedaris' hilarious comedy, THE BOOK OF LIZ.

This season, there is a very deliberate theme running through each of the shows. The overarching theme or thread that pulls the shows together is that of innocents who are sold a bill of good - the lies of pop culture, authority and society - and we see the consequences of those lies and misrepresentations with the individuals. The shows go from light to dark; from humorous to serious.

With THE BOOK OF LIZ, we start with light and funny. This is a quirky comedy with an off-beat subject matter about an innocent who is thrust into the world and about what she encounters there and how she responds to it. At the end of this show, we hope that you have had a good time and have been challenged in some way, especially concerning the role we each play in the various communities in which we live.

This season we are changing our preshow rituals. No longer will we be using the long lobby hallway of the Historic Hoover Theatre. Instead, you will enter through the courtyard on the backside of the theatre and immediately join our preshow party. Food and beverages will be provided with our show themed soirée. At show time, the side doors to the theatre will be opened and you will be ushered in to experience our latest Experiment.

We are excited to be able to have fun with all of you and are looking forward to seeing you at the theatre!

If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me at smurphy-at-renegadetheatre-dot-com.

Regards,
Sean Murphy
Artistic Director

Here we go again!

Hello Renegades!

To paraphrase a famous misquote, the rumors of our death have been greatly exaggerated!

As you know, after the challenges we faced last season, we restructured our season format to run from September through February. We have also downsized from four shows to three. We believe this will allow us better focus on ensuring the best quality RTE productions. Also, through the generosity of you, our Renegade community, we have been able to develop a modest financial reserve to help us begin our season. Added to that is the great news that we were able to secure a $16k grant from the City of San José that will greatly assist us in producing another great season of edgy theatre.

So, what is the season? Well, we are glad you asked!

In September, we will open our season with David and Amy Sedaris' THE BOOK OF LIZ. This is a very funny comedy about an innocent that leaves a religious sect and is exposed to the outside world for the first time. As she begins to adapt to the real work, her sect's primary business of making cheese balls is threatened. Will they get Liz back to save the balls? Hmmmmm.

Next, we bring to the stage the dark comedy MR. MARMALADE about a little girl and her cocaine and porn addicted 40-year-old imaginary friend, Mr. Marmalade. Sounds like another great RTE family show. Just kidding! While about a kiddie, definitely not for the kiddies.

We will close out the season in January with Anthony Burgess' A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. This exciting piece examines the lies of government and pop culture whose spells we all fall under. This is a play with music and is the first time we will have singing in an RTE production.

We are incredibly excited about our season! Thank you all for your support during our challenging period and we are all looking forward to seeing you at the theatre!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Regards,
Sean C. Murphy
Artistic Director

Hello RTE Friends,

Happy New Year! On behalf of everyone at RTE, we wish you and your family the very best for 2008!

I would like to provide an update on where RTE will be going in 2008. As you know from my last email, Renegade has been dealing with a serious financial crisis, but thanks to your generosity, we have been able to cover our expenses and have established a modest financial reserve to help us move into 2008.

The board and staff of RTE met at the end of 2007 to review our current state and chart a course for keeping the Experiment alive in 2008. Unfortunately, it became necessary to make some crucial decisions. The good news is that the Experiment will continue, but changes are required.

One of our decisions was the cancellation of our production of THIS IS HOW IT GOES, which was slated to open on the 25th of this month. We realized that we did not have the resources necessary to successfully stage this production and do justice to Neil LaBute's brilliant script. While this was a difficult decision, we know that it was the right one to ensure a future for our company. We still plan to stage this show, but at a later date. For our 2007 Season Pass holders, we will happily honor your passes at any of our productions next season.

In order to focus on bringing the very best Renegade experience to the stage, we have restructured our season format. In the past, we have produced four shows in a season, but starting in September of 2008, we will slim our schedule down to three productions. We shall return to our Renegade roots and concentrate on bringing three exceptional, edgy productions to the stage.

Over the next nine months, we will devote our energies on exposing more like-minded Renegades to the Experiment and deepening our audience base. Please continue to spread the word about our theatre company and proudly let folks know that you are a Renegade. In addition, we are always looking for help in achieving our mission and welcome any ideas you have for helping RTE flourish.

We are thrilled that all of us will continue our exploration with the Experiment in 2008 and truly appreciate all of the support we have received from you. Should you not have had the chance to make a donation, it is never too late. You can make a 2008 tax deductible donation now by going to www.renegadetheatre.com/support.

Thank you again Renegades and we look forward to seeing you in September!

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Regards,
Sean C. Murphy
Artistic Director
Renegade Theatre Experiment

Hello RTE Friends,

By now, those of you on our snail mail list have most likely received the letter from our Board asking for your assistance. Should you have not received this letter, you can read it on our blog at www.renegadetheatre.com/blog. To follow up on the letter, and bring those on our email list who made not have received it into the loop, I wanted to update you on the status of RTE and the financial crisis we are facing.

Since 2001, Renegade Theatre Experiment has been producing theatre of a different sort in the South Bay. Rather than pursue the path of more traditional theatrical material, we chose to follow the one less traveled. We committed ourselves to forward-thinking performance. To building creative partnerships with aspiring and established artists to bring edgy, unique, outstanding theatre to the Bay Area. Rather than focus on works that would bring us financial reward, we focused more on works that would stimulate and challenge our Renegade community of patrons and artists. All along the way, you have been there as an active member in this Experiment.

Going into this season, we made a conscious decision to invest a portion our financial security reserve into improving our production quality through increasing our production budgets and compensation for our talented artists. We believe now, as we did then, that this was the right decision to make for RTE.

Unfortunately, a number of unexpected factors affected us. We failed to secure a grant from the city of San Jose that we have received the past several years and our first two shows experienced lower than anticipated attendance. While we always strive to create a theatrical experience that everyone will appreciate, as can be case with newer, edgier works, not every experience is for every patron. And, try as we might to consistently produce high quality theatre, we will sometime miss the mark artistically, as was the case with NOAH JOHNSON.

Because of these factors, we have depleted our reserve and our bank account is nearing zero. To attempt to overcome our financial situation, we now turn to you, the Renegade community. In order to cover the expenses of our last two shows of this season and begin pre-production work for next season, we need to secure $25,000. This is an incredibly daunting deficit, but were every member of this email list to donate $150, we would be able to cover these expenses. Obviously, the greater the donations, the better stability we establish for Renegade, but donations of any amount are welcome and appreciated!

Please make your tax deductible donation now by going to www.renegadetheatre.com/support.

While things appear grim, the death knell has yet to sound for RTE and we remain both incredibly hopeful and diligently focused on getting us through this tough time. Thank you, Renegades, for your past and continued support. Together, we will overcome these obstacles and keep the Experiment going.

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Sean C. Murphy
Artistic Director
Renegade Theatre Experiment