Gifts to The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival have a direct impact on our region. They help bring Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages. They give The Festival the means to produce high-quality, support area artists and allow us to bring education programs to thousands of students each year. Without the commitment of generous donors, The Festival simply would not exist.
Ticket sales cover only a small portion of our expenses. Each year, we depend on donations from generous patrons - individuals like you - to assist us in maintaining our high performance quality and funding our vital and well-known education and community outreach programs growing and prospering.
Why does ticket income cover only 30% of production costs?
The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival's productions like Othello, Macbeth,
Romeo and Juliet and Pericles require hours of actor rehearsals,
stage technicians, costume designers and set building. The scope of many of our
performances are costly due to the large casts required to mount Shakespeare's
works - we don't have the option of only using two or three actors.
Furthermore, one of the unique aspects of The Festival - and why our audiences
enjoy our performances so much - is the intimate nature of its performance
venues. The size of the theatre (only 122 seats) impacts the ability to fund
our activities on ticket sales alone. Even sell-out crowds every night would
only provide 40% of our needed budget. While raising ticket prices would
increase revenue, it belies our commitment to producing Shakespeare in an accessible,
affordable and intimate manner.
How can you make a difference?
Cash Gifts
The Festival is able to sustain and grow its programs due to the generosity of individuals like you. A gift of $100 or more entitles you to become a member of The Royal Shakespeare Society. Your donation helps support The Festival's production series and extensive education program. Membership also provides you with a unique, up-close-and-personal artistic experience with behind-the-scenes access and a variety of additional programs all season long including invitations to opening night and other cast events to special ticketing perks to dinner with Artistic Director Carmen Khan.
Matching Gifts
Double or triple the value of your gift! Please contact your human resources or corporate giving department to learn about your employer's matching gift policy.
Stock Gifts
We gladly accept gifts of appreciated stock, an option that gives you a tax write-off while saving you capital gains tax. For more information, please contact The Festival office at 215.496-9722.
Planned Giving
Considering remembering The Festival in your will. To learn how you can make a planned gift to The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, contact The Festival office at 215.496-9722.
Help sustain The Festival's programs for years to come!
The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
