Bee Hive

August 11th.  Rent Party. Fun Times.  Good Times.

People came.

 

We shopped.

 

We laughed

We danced

Missed this Party? No worries, check out our monthly party on September 29th. Can't come then, or want to see it all? Come see us every Friday and Saturday starting September 7th! 

BUGHOUSE ROCKS!

Busy Here

A lot has happened I last posted. Sorry for the delay, but things have really been moving. Here's the short version:

We got a business plan.

Filed articles of incorporation. (pictured with Josh)

Filed tax exemption paperwork for non-profit status.

We found a space that we are hoping to move into soon.

We need to raise money. (help)

The tax exempt status is pending. It is not really a matter of if, but when that will go through. If it goes through before December 31st, everything donated this year will be tax deductible. If it goes through after December 31st, then only donations made in 2011 and onward will be tax deductible.

We really like the space that we found. It is in a great neighborhood and is very reasonably priced. The only thing holding us back is the cash reserve. We have raised just about half of our goal, and could move in and pay the first few months rent. The tricky part is the renovation. We wouldn't necessarily be able to start putting up shows and doing the little fix-ups needed for the licensing. You must have an address before you can apply for a license.

That is why we need to raise more money. If you are reading this and want to support us you can. We have a Kickstarter Project running with a goal of $25,000 and only 60 days to meet it. If you don't know about Kickstarter go to their website, then go to our page. They are a great resources for artists. If you do know about them, go straight to our page. There you can find out all about our project.

Basically, I will be creating a portrait of all of our supporters that donate through Kickstarter. Email a digital photo and I will make it into a portrait that you get to keep. Donate a little extra and a copy of the portrait will remain on display in our gallery. Size and scope of the portrait also vary with the size of the donation. So, donate for your own portrait or in honor of someone else for their portrait. Donate as a family for a family portrait.

Chances are if you are reading this you will be performing in or enjoying a show at Bughouse in the near future. The sooner we get funded the nearer that future gets.

Benefit for Haiti

As we all know, the recent earthquake in Haiti has taken a massive toll. Shelby and I were talking about how awful the situation in Haiti is and wishing there was something we could do. So, we decided to change the theme of our Bughouse fundraiser. Our February 11th, Movie Night proceeds will go to a reputable aid organization working on the ground in Haiti. We are asking people to pay what they can and any donation of $10 or more will get you a free beer. So come out and support our efforts to help the Haitian recovery.

February 11th, 8:30pm
Mullen's Bar and Grill
3527 N. Clark St.
pay what you can.

PS: GRANTS NOT LOANS...If you want to do something immediately, my Haitian friend recommends that you write your members of Congress and let them know you want the US, IMF, and World Bank to give money in the form of grants instead of loans that will take funds away from redevelopment.

"Trust Us This is All Made Up" was great. It is the only example I have ever seen of an improv show being successfully captured on film. In the film, a TJ and Dave show is presented in its entirety front-loaded with interview and preshow footage. The interviews are interesting and the show is awesome. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in improvisation, theater, or creativity in general. We may be screening it again soon so keep an eye out for that.

Our next scheduled Movie night however is Feb 11th. The night and a majority of the film will have a Valentine Day theme. We will be screening among other short films "Dating Rubik's Cube" by Saya April Hillman. So, bring your sweetheart or your bitter despair, because both will be celebrated.

Business Hoops

We're meeting tonight with a lawyer friend to try and finalize our business structure discussions. Right now, we're still juggling non-profit vs. for-profit and LLC vs L3C vs S-Corp. Oh, Mr. Business Entities, why are you so difficult sometimes. I just want to open a theater attended, run and supported by a community of artists. What's so hard about that, Ms. Legal Structures?

Once we're done with this step all that's left is funding, finding a building, writing, producing and promoting our shows. No big deal.

Joe

Back from Holland

It's been busy sense I last wrote, but I will try to be brief.

Over Thanksgiving, Shelby and I went to The Netherlands to teach improv at the college where our friends teach. It was a lot of fun and we made a Thanksgiving dinner for our Dutch friends. We are trying to establish a consistent gig over there and maybe work out an exchange program to bring some of there students over here for an internship.

This past Thursday was Movie Night was really fun. We showed a bunch of great shorts. Next month's Movie Night will be Jan.7th and we will be screening "Trust Us This is All Made Up", the documentary about TJ and Dave. Because "Trust Us..." is a feature, we will be resuming short film screenings on Feb.4th.

And finaly, in Bughouse News, Marc Ovies and Odette Cann are now husband and wife! Hurray!

Back Home

Last week, Shelby and I experienced two deaths in our family. Both of our maternal grandmothers died on the same day, both after having suffered strokes. I know that my grandmother was in a lot of pain from the stroke and ready to go, so there was a sad feeling of relief when I got the news.
Why do I mention this? Just to thank those who took the reigns of Hogwash and Kevin (our dog) while we were away. It is wonderful to know that we have friends who are as committed to us as they are to this theater. The whole idea of Bughouse is to organize the community of artists that we all belong to. We have a vast wealth of talent both artistic and logistic. You know who you are and I can't thank you enough.
Also, I have to thank my family for their support as well. In a family with seemingly unlimited cousins, all of which are very successful, some of which carry degrees and titles and such, I never feel judged or diminished for being creative or idealistic or uninterested in wealth. Quite the opposite, I am celebrated, as are all my family members for our unique gifts. My ideas about family come straight from this lifetime of support. This is what we envision for the Bughouse family.