Donor Spotlight
Jason Dutton
Jason was introduced to Shadowbox on his 19th birthday by his best friends Don and Victor, but did not become a Shadowbox regular until he came to the Holiday Lunchbox on a company outing in December of 2009. Since then, he has attended shows with his five brothers and sisters, his parents and friends. Jason fondly recalls another birthday he celebrated at Shadowbox Live that was commemorated by a visit from Amy Lay’s Marilyn Monroe, “she made sure to leave lipstick all over my face; I was grinning like an idiot for the rest of the night!”
Jason is a supporter of a number of organizations, but when asked why he donates to Shadowbox Live, he said “Being a Shadowbox metaperformer is my dream job, but since my disability keeps me from performing I decided to find other ways to be as involved with Shadowbox Live as possible. Shadowbox provides a way for me to be a part of the joy of performance, the special communication between the audience and artists that happens through comedy, drama, song and dance. I donate because I want to give others a chance to experience the joy I feel every time I get to see a show.” Here’s an excerpt from a letter Jason wrote to the cast of Shadowbox Live after receiving his Master’s Degree in Writing with an essay he wrote about Shadowbox Live and what our work means to him:
“… Thank you for being part of something that moves me, part of a place that never fails to lift my spirit. Thank you for giving me a place to find music and laughter and dance when I most need it in my life. Thank you for your commitment to a profession with long hours and not enough money that also happens to change people for the better. And thank you, most of all, for your friendships, for allowing me to get to know you, chat with you, joke with you; thank you for all the hugs and the kind words and the pictures. I wouldn’t have predicted that I would come to care so much for people I’ve gotten to talk with for five minutes at a time over the last two years, but I truly feel blessed to call you my friends, and to have such talented and amazing people in my life. So thank you, for everything.”
We’ve written this Donor Spotlight to thank YOU, Jason. You are why we do what we do. Thank YOU for your support, your friendship. We work our long hours because we know, at the end of the day; WE get to experience joy every time we see you at a show.
Inspiring Art in the Community through the Community of Art
For more information contact Stacie Boord at 614.554.1534 or sboord@shadowboxlive.org
Shadowbox Gives Back is the organization within Shadowbox Live that funds all of our community outreach efforts. We provide in-kind support and donations to 501C3 public charities and or educational institutions that fit within our philanthropic focus, meet our guidelines and serve the community. Our primary focus is education and community development within the Greater-Columbus area.
Shadowbox Gives Back strives…
To use the Shadowbox Live art-form as a means to “give back” to the community via in-kind support and donations to 501C3 public charities.
To collaborate with other community organizations to further ourselves artistically and to enrich our community by promoting accessibility to the performing arts.
To use our knowledge and experience of the performing arts to not only further the artistic abilities of our community’s students but to also teach important 21st Century Learning Skills.
In 2011 alone Shadowbox Live donated close to $200,000 to the community in ticket donations to local charities and educational services for our youth.
Local Gifting → request a donation
Shadowbox gives over $100,000 in ticket donations annually to local charities and organizations for both their fundraising efforts and volunteer appreciation needs. We accept requests for charitable in-kind donations continually throughout the year. Donation requests must be made no less than six weeks prior to the event date and are only accepted via our website. We appreciate the importance of donations to support the work of community groups and organization and while we cannot honor every request, we do carefully review each on a case-by-case basis.
Volunteer Appreciation Program
This program allows non-profit organizations to give their volunteers the night out that they deserve! Select a Thursday night for your group and Shadowbox Live may commit to donating tickets for your organization to claim for that day’s performance! If we approve your request we will also create an e-vite with all of the necessary information for you to distribute to your volunteers so that they can call and make their reservations. (You don’t even need to get RSVPs)
“You don’t know how much we appreciated you doing this for our volunteers. It helps us say “thank you” and it helps you get the word out. I know many of them have become frequent patrons of the ‘Box…You make it affordable for them to have a great dinner and show and enjoy a nice evening with family and friends. Thanks for helping us say thank you to all of our volunteers!”
Janet Rife, CAPA Volunteer Coordinator
For more information contact Edelyn Parker at 614.416.7625 or eparker@shadowboxlive.org
Shadowbox Gives Back Fundraisers
What better way to generate funds than by enjoying an evening at Shadowbox Live! If we approve your request every full price ($30) reservation made under your organization’s name for a specific Shadowbox Live performance will result in a donation of 50% ($15) back to your organization! We handle everything: the reservations, the money collection, and presenting a check for the return amount to you at the end of the show that same night.
Susan Komen Young Professionals Event
Thursday April 5th, 2012“Thanks SO much for fundraising with us yesterday. Our members really enjoyed the show.
Personally, I was blown away with the originality and quality of the performances and impressed with the efficiency with which the box office was run. Everyone was incredible…Please let everyone know how much we enjoyed the show and how much we appreciate your generosity in helping us raise funds to fight breast cancer.”
Michelle H. Wong Halabi, Komen Young Professionals Chair
Children’s Hospital Event – Women’s Pleasure Guild, “Laughing, Living, Giving”
Wednesday October 5th, 2011“Thank you so much for creating such a WOW show to end a great event last night. You have such talent in the Shadowbox company – no wonder you’re tops in the nation!! Congratulations and thank you very much for all that you did to make the evening a success.”
Niki K. Shafer
Vice President, Annual Giving – Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation
For more information contact Edelyn Parker at 614.416.7625 or eparker@shadowboxlive.org
Collaborations
For the past 4 years, Shadowbox Live has embarked on a very aggressive community outreach program focusing on education and collaboration. Garnering local and regional attention with it’s groundbreaking educational programs such as “STEM Rocks the Box” and the Shadowbox Academy’s Summer Boot Camp program, Shadowbox has also experienced great success by partnering with other Columbus arts organizations. These collaborative projects not only stretch both organizations artistically it also allows for cross-pollination between audiences.
“La Boheme” and Opera Columbus – October/November 2012
Shadowbox Live now announces a very special collaboration with Opera Columbus with their presentation of La Boheme directed by Executive Producer Stev Guyer in Shadowbox Live’s Backstage Bistro.
This 1-hour English adaptation of Puccini’s classic love story will feature simple piano accompaniment supporting the minimal Opera Columbus cast in the rustic environment of the Backstage Bistro. The innovative rendition is scheduled for six shows on Sunday’s at 5pm October 14 through November 18. On those same days, Shadowbox Live will be presenting the ever popular “Chicago” at 2:30p and 7:00p as part of it’s Musical Theatre Series. By presenting La Boheme at 5p between the two “Chicago” performances, Shadowbox Live hopes to capture the attention of those leaving the 2:30 show and those waiting to enter the 7:30p show.
By limiting the production to just an hour, presenting it in English and placing it in an accessible venue, the hope is that non-opera goers will be exposed to this classical art-form, gain an appreciation and become future patrons of the opera. Additionally, Opera Columbus supporters can stretch themselves by enjoying a unique interpretation of this classic work in the casual rustic setting of Shadowbox Live.
This is a very important project not only to the two participating arts organizations, but also for the Columbus community. Come support this exciting collaboration!
“7 Deadly Sins” and BalletMet – April/ May 2011
Shadowbox Live partnered with BalletMet in a project where world-renowned choreographers and the BalletMet company dancers danced to new compositions and arrangements of music performed live by Shadowbox Live musicians. The two seemingly opposites created the ultimate rock n roll ballet entitled 7 Deadly Sins. The collaboration enjoyed a sold out run and remains BalletMet’s most successful show to date outside of the Holiday tradition, The Nutcracker. Additionally, 7 Deadly Sins received GCAC’s 2011 Artistic Excellence award for risk, innovation and artistic excellence.
“Back to the Garden” and Actors Theatre – August 2010
Shadowbox Live presented its critically acclaimed musical “Back to the Garden: A Musical Journey through the Woodstock Festival” at Schiller Park as a benefit performance for Actors Theatre. Not only was Shadowbox Live able to draw a record setting crowd of 3,000 people but it also absorbed all the cost of the production and was able to raise close to $1,500 in donations via crowd solicitation for Actor’s Theatre. (See attached letters of support)
“Thank you! It was a remarkable evening on many levels. I have never seen so many people there in the park. The show was awesome. Thank you too for the wonderful donation to Actors Theatre! You were great to work with. A very positive experience in ALL ways. We should do this again.”
Best,
John Kuhn, Executive Director, Actors Theatre