Fundraising & Sponsors
AboutWhile we apply for grants to towards our coming projects, and being able to increase our payments to actors & crew, from equal shares of ticket sales, to full NMW+ wages, we also are seeking business sponsors who may either like to support our work, in return for a generous package of advertising opportunities, sponsors can assist us either financially, or "in kind" with desparately needed equipment like lights, microphones, etc; or with props, costumes or other logistics.
To this end, we have decided, for clarity, to create this page, for the information of potential grant funders, and sponsors. Obviously, we encourage you to also explore our website fully, to find out much more about what we do. Online, we reach over 22,000 direct social media followers across our main platforms, all over the world, as well as attracting growing audiences to our shows; before Covid, we had increased our physical audiences over 400% in one year. Since our first founding in the winter of 2005-6, our theatre company has gone from strength to strength with high quality performances, based on historial reseach and classical literature, touring around the Southwest of England; winning local, national and international arts awards. Our company was specifically founded to create opportunities for those seeking professional careers in theatre, whether on stage or behind the scenes. For the most part, we have traditionally, as a regional/ female led company, found it almost impossible to secure any kind of funding, so as well as working hard on creating our shows, we also work equally hard at fundraising; while we do apply for grants wherever possible, it has taken 15 years to recieve any! We also have an ebay shop to sell donated items like DVDs and collectable postage stamps, a Redbubble shop to sell clothes and homewares designed by our team and a market stall selling second hand books, at Brixham Pannier Market, led by our Supporters Trust. Any other funds come directly from show ticket sales. This has critically, and in some cases almost terminally, limited us in what we have been able to achieve. As well as high-quality performances, we are also expanding to create learning materials for school and college students based on our productions, and maintaining a free learning zone where people new to working in theatre with us, can study and learn about all aspects of theatre production.. With the growth in our projects, and having during the Covid crisis, actually been able to recieve some grant funding for additional projects, we are pushing to come back stronger than ever to the live stage, and are therefore pushing our fundraising further. |
We welcome conversations with potential funders and sponsors. Please contact us directly on southdevonplayers@gmail.com, or telephone Laura (during UK office hours) on 07855 090589.
Key fundraising documentsAdditional organisation policies can be found on our policies page.
Our additional fundraising linksThe South Devon Players Supporters Trust
(A team of regular supporters of our shows, separate from the theatre company administrative team) Our Ebay shop (donated second hand DVDs, and collectable postage stamps) Our Redbubble shop (Theatre and local culture themed clothing and homewares). Project reports/ evidence to previous fundersPlease note that it is only in our 15th year, 2020, that we have obtained any funding for projects, therefore the evidence available starts from this year! Please also follow the tag in our news page for all our latest funding news.
2021 ONE-OFF PRIVATE SPONSOR: A sum of £1,000 donated to the theatre company for use in our Covid recovery. Ringfenced to cover new portable equipment for theatre tours to venues which may not have any in-house lighting or sound, etc; increasing our ability to bring high-quality theatre to new venues, and new audiences. Purchase and usage report to be placed in this page. 2020 PROJECT FUNDING: True Tales of Spooky Brixham - A local folklore project over Zoom, funded by Arts Council England, via Torbay Culture (view video link) (Visit Torbay Culture's report page) PROJECT FUNDING: The Legend of Triniman's Basin - a local history drama performed online due to Covid. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, via Ivybridge Community Arts. (view video link) PROJECT FUNDING: British Sign Language Christmas Stories (funded by Western Power Distribution) - Download report file below. ![]()
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