Door Shakespeare Announces Dressing Room Renovation Fundraising Campaign!

If you talk with any actor from the beginnings of Door Shakespeare, they will likely tell you about the garage facility which was the designated dressing room, workshop, prop and scenery storage for the company. It was plagued with hungry raccoons and deceptive bats. It flooded when it rained. It was musty, dark, and very drafty. The hanging costumes offered the only privacy curtain between the women’s and men’s dressing areas. It was definitely not the place you would leave anything of value or your favorite snack!

When Door Shakespeare was offered the interns’ housing quarters in the building behind the garage, it seemed like a dream come true. An enclosed building with its own bathroom and washer & dryer. There was a partition wall to separate the men from the women. Windows and walls, electrical and plumbing seemed like Nirvana compared to the garage! So, the interns’ bunk beds were removed and Door Shakespeare made this very rustic space work. Though this space was an improvement years ago, it is now time to upgrade and renovate this facility.

Our actors and designers are accustomed to facilities that are private, updated, union-approved and functional. The building needs a new shower stall to replace the rusty slow draining bathtub. The vinyl flooring in the bathroom is peeling away from the floor and needs to be replaced. The one bathroom sink is too small and the old washer & dryer need to be replaced. We could go on and on, but we would like to ask you to help us replace the old, and upgrade to the new. We have met with a local plumber and electrician who have helped us come up with the price estimates to replace the worn out fixtures, upgrade our lighting and create a space that is worthy of our artistic company. The items are listed by priority starting with the most critical need. Prices include the labor to install:

• New sink , mirror, and vanity-$250
• New washer- $800
• New dryer- $700
• New utility sink- $150
• New bathroom flooring- $300
• New lights above the men’s dressing tables- $350
• New lights above the women’s dressing tables- $500
• New shower stall- $900
• Window coverings- $300
• New toilet- $200

Become part of this much needed renovation by contributing to the purchase of these items. Donate $25 toward the purchase of new window coverings which will allow our actors the privacy they deserve. Or, get your friends together to purchase the lighting for the women’s dressing table. Or, even better, consider purchasing the new shower stall on your own. Below is the “before the renovation” photo of the bathroom. Donate and become part of the transformation!

The success of this campaign will allow our company to focus and prepare in privacy in an upgraded facility that we can be proud of. And, after all, as Shakespeare wrote and Hamlet said, “The readiness is all!”

To donate, please click HERE or send a check, made payable to Door Shakespeare to: PO Box 351 Baileys Harbor, WI 54202.

Thank you for your contribution!!