Artist Compensation https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2018/managing-director https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

Artist Compensation

Additional Information
Used for	As in recent years past, Ruskin Group Theatre will use any funds awarded by the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation to aid in artist compensation. We are a small, fifty-five seat equity theatre on the west side of Los Angeles, in Santa Monica. The cost of living that artists experience in this region is quite high, and thus our pay standards have striven to not only keep pace with the times, but to attract and reward the best talent that is available to us.
Benefits	The Ruskin Group Theatre benefits Santa Monica residents, its wider regional community, and the world of live theatre at large through its continuous presentation of high quality, original productions that feature some of the area’s top talents. We employ over sixty full and part time artists, most of whom are not stars, nor are they well positioned within the tenuous world of the professional actor, therefore; work on our stage sustains them and enriches their artistic development. Original plays that have been developed on our stage have moved to major regional theatres in the United States, as well as to London's West End.
Proposal Description	In the coming year of 2019, The Ruskin Group Theatre company seeks to mount several important productions, including a new play (Tilt a Whirl), by acclaimed playwright of The Alamo, Ian McRae, which will be directed by Jason Alexander. We eagerly anticipate the upcoming premiere of Mr. McRae’s new play, yet it will represent one of the most expensive productions we have attempted to date. Mr. Alexander’s participation has come at an added expense, and according to new Equity rules, we will need to pay all the artists his minimum for the run of the production. Additionally, we will produce Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman, a large production that includes a large cast. The grant funding we seek will sustain increased artist compensation; therefore, we propose that funding from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation would greatly increase the chances of our success in mounting these productions. As you can see from the success of Mr. McRae’s earlier work, and due to on-going popularity of Miller’s plays, we will be experiencing long runs and extensive artist payrolls. This is as we have always hoped: to be able to provide a vibrant, active space with gifted, adequately compensated artists at work. It is because of grants such as that provided by the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation that we are able to continue to offer our patrons quality new and classic theatrical experiences in these challenging times for the Arts. When we are at our best, we offer original plays and ambitious productions to our patrons, such as Ian McRae’s The Alamo, and the widely popular Paradise: A Bluegrass Musical. Both were large-scale productions with large casts. The Alamo played for sold out houses and wide critical acclaim for over three months, and is now in production in Chicago. Paradise just wrapped up a nearly four-month run of sold-out houses, and is now headed to San Antonio, TX; and our original production of Sideways: The Play has been successfully mounted internationally, including on London's West End. It is ever our hope that the theatrical experiences created at Ruskin Group Theatre will live on to play to a wider audience throughout the United States and the world. We have seen recent success in this endeavor and are encouraged by the projects in which we are currently engaged.