We are the Voyeur Theater Collective, an independent group started last year around the wild idea of creating performance events designed by our generation, for our generation. Theater in its undeniable beauty has unfortunately been overshadowed by the non-stop entertainment of a millennial’s life (i.e. smartphones, Facebook, video games, Netflix etc.) Our mission is to bring the attention of the current generation back to one of the oldest art forms. We will do this by integrating what is usually shunned from theater—phones, media, and video— into a show called about:blank. We hope to reach out to all millennials and get them interested in contemporary theater.
The three biggest costs that we face in putting on this performance are renting out space for the event, design construction of our set, and obtaining a full sound system. These costs, along with costumes, props, promotional materials, and a few other small things comprise our total estimated budget of $5,000. We are starting from nothing, which means that we have less than two months to raise the capital that we need. Please help us achieve our dream of creating a life-changing performance!
Our production will hopefully contribute to campus life by bridging the gaps between different social communities. All art can be experienced and discussed by its viewers, but live theatre is unique in that it physically brings people together for this exchange. VTC takes this notion a step further by bringing together a team of people with completely different worlds and mindsets within the Northwestern community. Bringing different mindsets together, and general inclusion, is essential to our mission because we believe the best learning that can be done is in a diverse environment. We hope to create a platform that will not only give the cognitive science and flute major the chance to meet, but also one that promotes discussion and exchange of ideas between them by presenting topics they can both relate to and speak knowledgeably about from their varying perspectives.
Additionally, VTC is now in it’s second year, and many of last year’s team members are now NU alumni, or students/alumni from other universities, who currently live and work in the greater Chicagoland area. Though the production will be based at NU and primarily marketed to our community, the VTC community extends beyond our insular Evanston bubble. When members of last year’s team come back to support and engage with the work being created, they too are afforded the opportunity to share their unique views and responses, forging ties between NU students and a network of other artistically-inclined millennials in the area, making us more aware of our greater Chicago community and potentially opening NU students up to new opportunities.
As a fledgling organization in just its second year, Voyeur Theatre Collective is not eligible to receive traditional funding from Northwestern University. This means that we must resort to alternative means of raising funds such as merchandise and bake sales. However, these methods only get us so far, and we really are relying on this Indiegogo page to be our primary source of funding.
Even if you cannot donate, please pass along our link to friends and family! Every single contribution gets us one step closer to being able to create our show!