Kickstarter Appeal from Uprise! Productions: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf

Received directly and followed up on-line:

We are producing a theatrical production of Ntosake Shange's For colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf. There are seven women cast in the production. We would like to be able to pay these women as much as possible for the time, effort, and talents they are contributing to this production. At the present time, we do not have the funding to pay these women anywhere near what they are worth. This Kickstarter will help us to provide a base salary of $300 or more for each actress. These women will have rehearsed over 90 hours a piece in preparation for this production. If you do the math, that comes out to $3.33/hr. Your support will not only help to pay these women a decent wage, but to let them know their efforts and talents are deeply appreciated by you. The production itself is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Click on the image below to go to the Kickstarter page and video:

From Director/Producer Zell Miller III, August 9:

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Zell Miller, III, and I am the artistic director of Uprise! Productions and the director of Ntozake Shange’s “for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf”. We are a small non-profit, but we try not to allow the all mighty dollar to dictate the work that we bring to our amazing community. For those of you know me or my work, you know that I give, give and then give more to this community. You know that I have done tons of things in this community over the years and a lot of it has been for reduced rates, or free. I have never asked before, but now I’m asking.

I’m asking that you please help us find a way to pay these 7 amazing women a base rate for this production. As of today, we have 19 days left on our Kickstarter. We will easily meet our goal if 350 people donate $5 or 174 people donate $10. Please support and help us pay these amazing women. If you are in the Austin area, please come see the show at the Vortex, August 25 through Sept 10^th. I don’t ask, but I’m asking now. Please help us.

Thank you, Zell Miller, III