by Jennifer Gilg, President
May 20 is the date for Omaha Gives, Omaha’s annual 24-hour charitable challenge to benefit metro-area nonprofits. Soon, every nonprofit with which you’ve come into contact will email, facebook, or tweet at you asking for your contribution. For the first time, TAG will be among those organizations. Since it’s only natural to ask what organizations truly deserve your dollars, we wanted to make our case here.
TAG is the only organization in the metro area that celebrates live theatre and live theatre artists for the value they bring to our lives and our community. Many people join TAG for the comaraderie that comes with sharing that common passion. But TAG offers tangible benefits, as well. Our website is the only website that provides up-to-date information on all the theatre happenings in Omaha, from ongoing productions to auditions to job opportunities in the theatre arts. A visitor who types “Omaha theatre” into a search engine will quickly find the TAG website and, hopefully, find their way into one of our area theatres. Our website is constantly evolving as we strive to make it more user-friendly. A contribution during Omaha Gives will keep the metro area’s one-stop source for theatre information running smoothly. A donation will also kick start the theatre publicity campaign we hope to launch in the near future.
Need other reasons to contribute? TAG has a growing grant program for theatre artists interested in pursuing professional development opportunities and theatres interested in upgrading equipment or undertaking special projects. Three grants of $300 have been awarded this year to two TAG members (Noah Diaz and Liz Kendall Weiser) and one TAG member theatre (Bellevue Little Theatre). TAG would like to offer more of these grants. A contribution to Omaha Gives will make that possible.
Through our annual scholarship program, TAG has provided financial assistance to dozens of high school seniors wishing to pursue a career in the theatre arts. TAG would love to expand the program to offer scholarships to students already in college or students pursuing an advanced degree. Your donation will move us closer to that goal.
Last month, TAG co-sponsored an audition techniques masterclass featuring Tony Award-winner Michele Pawk. Participants walked away with glowing reviews for Pawk’s energy and insight and an array of new techniques for nailing their next audition. Contributions to TAG will help us offer more of these valuable educational workshops.
In addition to all of these programs, TAG hosts an annual Awards Gala to honor the year’s accomplishments in live theatre. It’s great to win a TAG Award, but it’s even better to dress up and celebrate our unique theatre community with good friends. A gift to TAG during Omaha Gives helps keep the Gala classy and affordable.
Omaha Gives is an inspired event that celebrates our community’s unique spirit of generosity. We hope you’ll put TAG on your list of organizations to support this year. Happy giving!