Hello, Northern Sky Fans.
We sure missed seeing you here at our bright little theater in the pines and at our beautiful new Gould Theater. We missed singing songs and sharing stories with you.
You, the heart and soul of Northern Sky, stuck with us even as had to cancel our most ambitious season ever in 2020, moving instead to an all-virtual season. You tuned in weekly for The Jeff & Katie Show, eagerly awaited special events, and even came to say hello at our first-ever Lumberjack Car Wash. Fueled by your warmth and enthusiasm, we are now back on stage at both of our locations!
Thanks to your generosity, our creative spark remained as strong as ever while we were apart. We’re even bringing you three world premieres in 2021. But any fire needs fuel and we still need your help.
Because we had to cancel our 2020 season, we lost our entire year of ticket sales income, which we had projected to be $1.4 million. We also know that 2021 will also be a compromised season due to ongoing restrictions. To continue to tend the flames that will keep Northern Sky vibrant for years to come, we launched the Rekindle Campaign in August of last year. We need to raise $1.75 million. With your help we can cover our losses for 2020, safeguard against further challenges this year, and keep creating the shows you love.
With your remarkable support, we are already over 90% of our goal. To get us the rest of the way there, we hope you’ll join us by supporting the Rekindle Campaign. Together we can fuel our future, keep the glow, and tend the hearth. We can’t wait to see you again.
Have you raised any money so far?
Yes! As of March, we are about 90% of the way to our goal and have recovered our losses from 2020. That’s thanks to you and your amazing generosity.
Why $1.75 million?
Our 2020 ticket income ($1.4 million projected) was wiped out by the pandemic. We are planning conservatively for 2021—we feel it’s only responsible to assume that the ongoing pandemic will continue to have a major impact on our finances throughout 2021. In short, $1.75 million is the amount of money that will ensure our financial solvency through to opening day 2022. For more specifics, please contact Holly Feldman.
Will you be returning to in-person performances in 2021?
We’re back baby!! That said, our 2021 season will have continued restrictions on capacity and in person activities. Visit our Season Updates page for more info.
Have you had to lay anyone off?
We had to cancel contracts for 63 company members in 2020—that’s more than $500,000 in lost wages to the company members you know and love. While we can’t replace that income, our virtual season did enable us to hire back some of those performers in different ways, and to compensate them for their work. To date, we’ve been able to keep all our year-round staff on payroll thanks to your generosity.
What if things turn out better than you expect in 2021?
Wouldn’t that be wonderful?! We would employ the dozens of artists we couldn’t employ this year. We would program the shows you love and miss. Regardless of how the situation unfolds, we will be relentless in our efforts to bring you high-quality work as safely, as creatively, and as soon as possible.
Does any contribution I make toward Northern Sky count toward the Rekindle Campaign?
Can I still direct my gift toward the Fred Alley New Musical Fund or the Endowment Fund?
Yes! You can still direct your donation to specific funds, and any donation you make in 2020 and 2021 will count toward our $1.75 million Rekindle Campaign goal.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, who gets to keep the wood?
We doooon’t know.