Out of the Box Theatre Company Inc

OotB’s artistic goals are dual; a) giving opportunities to experienced theater professionals, primarily over the age of 50, to perform well-known roles that they may not have had the opportunity to be previously cast in or would be considered too old to play elsewhere and b) to stage artistically compelling productions within a limited budget. Our primary outreach goal is to give our audiences the opportunity to enjoy professional performances by these veteran actors at an affordable price.

OotB’s specific operational goals are to:
(i) increase our annual programming from one to two full theatrical performances or one full production and one reading, and to organize one fundraiser;
(ii) increase the number of diversity actors’ participation in the audition process and consequently increase the number of diversity actors performing in the productions;
(iii) develop our audience following and increase the size of the audiences attending our productions;
(iv) increase the number of senior citizens utilizing free vouchers to attend our productions;
(v) increase the number of volunteers we can call upon for offstage and backstage help.
(vi) effectively address reality of virtual theater by training and developing new skill sets.

Fundraising efforts:
In order to increase the number of productions, OotB needs to gain more financial support. OotB needs to find additional sources of funds and apply for additional grants.
In 2020 OotB has received the NY Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) grant.
For 2021 we have reapplied for NY DCLA grant, applied for New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA) grant and we applied for the Manhattan Community Award Program (MCAP) Department of Correction grant.
In December of 2021 we began very succefull virtual programing with our December benefit.
For 2022 we plan to reapply for NY DCLA and MCAP grants (Department of the Aging if funds become available) and apply for the New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA) grant. Additionally we are in the process of researching other private and public grant-giving sources.

Diversity expansion:
In 2020, OotB finalized its diverse casting for Five by Tenn; Five Short Plays by Tennessee Williams. However due to Covid the production had to be postponed. In the fall of 2020 OotB completed casting for "The Exonerated" however at the last minute agency representing authors limited our right to live performance only denying us right to videotaping. Consequently the production had to be postponed. However our 2020 December on-line benefit included diverse actors.

Audience development:
In 2019 OotB dramatically redesigned its website, thus increasing its general appeal and ease of navigation. The website is now actively managed and dynamically updated.
OotB communicates with its patrons via Facebook, emails, and regular mail in accordance with each patron’s communication preference. In order to increase audience following, OotB will create a compelling advertising, provide frequent updates on its upcoming programs, explore new advertising sites such as the Goddard Riverside Community Center website and create alliances with local businesses. Due to Covid above live contact strategies could not be implemented but our virtual advertising resulted in a record attendance at our benefit.

Senior Free Voucher Program augmentation:
In the past OotB formed strong bonds with several senior citizen centers. OotB needs to increase number of centers that are willing to effectively distribute free senior citizen vouchers. In order to accomplish this goal, OotB board members will make personal appearances in the new centers, getting to know the managing personnel and to find customized and most effective ways of communicating and voucher distribution for each center.

Volunteer number growth:
In order to increase volunteer interest among actors, OotB includes an “I want to Volunteer” option on its audition form and subsequently contacts the interested individuals and assigns volunteer responsibilities. In addition, board members, performers, and technical designers seek and recommend volunteers from their groups of friends and communities.

OotB board members work tirelessly to meet our objectives. The Out of the Box board members are all over age 50, reflecting the population we serve. They are theater professionals, educators, and/or corporate executives with experience in theater arts and in strategic project and organizational management. They are all involved in selecting the plays and directors, selecting and contracting designers and technical crew, and in all other aspects of production. Six of the board members have performed in some of the shows; one board member has directed shows. They are all active in fundraising, grant writing, and soliciting donors. In 2020 we added a new member to the board to help us with his expertise and offer a new perspective. At the 4th quarter of 2020 OotB reinvented itself as a virtual theater and successfully presented on-line benefit attended by the record numbers of patrons. OotB will continue its on-line performances until Covid restriction for live theater are lifted.

OotB’s website has been redesigned to its new dynamic form and is presently professionally managed. During the last production we engaged a professional photographer to generate compelling images for the play advertising. Consequently, the images were used by on-line advertisers and ticket agencies.

During our Spring 2019 production we increased the number of shows to 10 from 6 in the previous year.
Our last production was financially the most successful to date with an increased box office intake of 26% over the previous year, and donation and concession sales increases of 116% and 150%, respectively. However, the audience numbers and senior citizen numbers remain the same, and audience building remains our critical goal to be achieved by amplifying the community outreach efforts.
OotB has also experienced 25% growth in our donor base and 50% in our volunteer base
In calendar 2020 we were unable to produce plays due to Covid. However we streamed benefit production, Out of the Box Follies, in December 2020 It has been our most successful fundraiser to date both in revenue generation and in audience satisfaction.