Over the last few weeks, we’ve continued to develop THE NOBODIES WHO WERE EVERYBODY (Working Title), our upcoming original play about the legacy of the Federal Theatre Project. We’ve held several readings, met with collaborators, and revised the script to get it ready for our full production this summer. We’re really enjoying this process and can’t wait to share this story with you. Watch this space for more updates!

Much like the squirrels and groundhogs in Prospect Park, we’re emerging from hibernation and ready for spring. And of course, we want to see all your lovely faces! Celebrate the new season with us at our Spring Happy Hour at 6pm on Thursday, March 16th at Tile Bar in the East Village. Enjoy a cocktail or two and talk theater (or whatever’s on your mind!) with the TIA Community at our favorite quarterly gathering. Can’t wait to see you all there!

Our friends at Step1 Theatre Project are raising funds for their upcoming 8th season! Co-Founding Artistic Directors Jazmyn & Janelle started Step1 Theatre Project in 2016 with the goal of feeling free to create whatever theatre was in our hearts. Since then, their team has grown, their vision has gotten clearer, and their goals are more specific. Today, Step1's mission is to help local playwrights from communities experiencing marginalization through readings and workshop productions. They aspire to give folks a casual and joyful space to develop their work.

In 2023, they have already co-hosted another free Co-working & Networking session, they're planning to host 4 more R&D cold reading sessions, produce our 2023 staged reading and (...the big one...) co-produce our first Workshop Production since 2020! ... All of this on top of their goal of transitioning from a fiscally sponsored organization to 501(c)(3) non-profit!
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They hope you will consider becoming a supporter of their 2023 season—check out their website step1theatre.org to learn more about what they believe in, why they do what they do, and their past events/productions.

We made it! As 2022 comes to a close, we want to reiterate our gratitude to the community who made this year possible. For the past few weeks we've been looking back at all we achieved this year. If you missed it, here are a few links:

• Budget Transparency Report 2022
• All the Organizations we supported in 2022
• Our favorite things from 2022
• Our 2023 plans and fundraiser

Below, find a review of all Theater in Asylum produced and accomplished this year. If you're in a position to do so, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to our dreams for 2023. Once again, thank you.

2022 was a busy and fruitful year for Theater in Asylum. We continued developing our show about the Federal Theatre Project, currently known as The FTP Show. We plan to premiere this piece next summer, and this year’s work brought invaluable growth to the project. We presented a 20-minute excerpt at The FTP Cabaret, alongside new work from 6 invited guest groups. A few months later, we convened for a week of dedicated development and generated both a solid script draft and ample photos and video which were useful in our grant applications this year. The piece will continue development with a public reading in January and finally a full production in August 2023. We are still deeply committed and beyond excited to share this story. Hallie Flanagan’s unsung legacy continues to reverberate in the American Theatre, but her mission remains unfinished. Why? Artists lack the support they deserve and audiences frequently cannot afford to experience the art they deserve. Public funding of the arts in the United States (the wealthiest country on Earth) is urgently needed, and we hope our show can provoke a conversation to this end.

Cold Readings continued to transform this year. For the first time, a curation team led the program and brought new variety to the plays we read. We are still in transition, slowly scaling back from the frequency of Cold Readings during the pandemic (every week at its height) to normal times (7-10 readings per year). While we initially thought we would fully transition back to in-person readings, our online gatherings have continued to excel with a community beyond New York. Looking ahead, we plan to continue a mix of in-person and online readings. Having fallen a little short this year, we also plan to redouble our efforts in curating at least 50% of plays by women and 50% of plays by BIPOC artists.

2022 also brought extensive internal reorganization to the company. This was our first year with an annual staff whose responsibilities carried throughout the year. This staff was paid bi-monthly for their work and did not receive project stipends. We found this model very helpful to the overall health of the company and we plan to continue it next year.

After reconsidering non-profit status for the millionth time, TIA leadership decided to follow our tax advisor’s recommendation and forgo it, instead beginning a reincorporation process to make Theater in Asylum a multi-member LLC. This will not only better-protect Paul from tax liability (we were previously a sole proprietorship) but this also opens doors to pay our artists more with the ability to issue 1099’s as a company.

Overall, 2022 was fast and bright, busy and productive. The FTP Show is beginning to spread its wings, Cold Readings continued to delight, the company’s internal workings and finances are solidifying into a more sustainable place, and Theater in Asylum continues to be a home for many. The community grew this year and we eagerly reach for 2023 and all the good work it will bring.

We are so grateful to the artists, audience, volunteers, donors, friends, and family who made Theater in Asylum's 2022 season possible. We are so lucky to have such a vibrant and supportive community.

As we turn the page on 2022, we look with hope to 2023. If you are in a position to do so, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to our 2023 season.

Happy New Year!

Theater in Asylum believes that transparency enables the sharing of power and responsibility. We commit to being open with how company decisions are made and money is spent. Below please find an overview of our finances in 2022. This is also on our website’s transparency page, a page we launched last year as a way to showcase our finances and decision-making.

Budgeted Expenses

• Personnel: $14,393
• Production Costs: $1,750
• Space: $2,085
• Administrative: $2,061
• Development: $600
• Contingencies: $871
• Total Budgeted Expenses: $21,760

Actual Expenses (as of 12/29/22)

• Personnel: $12,944
• Production Costs: $1,295
• Space: $1,274
• Administrative: $1,147
• Development: $210
• Contingencies: $1,085
• Total Actual Expenses: $18,849
  

Projected Net

• Projected Expenses: $21,760
• Projected Revenue: $15,050
• Projected Net: -$6,710 
• Note: We had surplus from previous years if needed. Our large discrepancy here was in anticipation of not winning as many grants as we did.
  

Actual Net

• Actual Expenses: $18,849
• Projected Revenues: $21,222
• Actual Net: $2,373
• Note: We were very successful with grants this year and able to add to our surplus fund, which we plan to spend on The FTP Show in 2023.
  

We are so appreciative of our community, who has helped us organize our company, our budgets, and our work. More of our transparency commitments, as well as previous years’ reports, maybe be found on our Transparency page. We also always invite feedback and contact info may be found on our Community page. Thank you all for making Theater in Asylum a vibrant community and fruitful for all involved.

Thank you,
Paul, Katie, and Kathryn
Theater in Asylum

Ps. We are currently fundraising for 2023! Please consider supporting us with a donation here.