[CaliaMoko]

I just applied for a $10,000 grant yesterday to produce and present a full-length musical revue supporting the theme "It's never too late to try something new." About 20%-25% of proposals are funded. I'm good at writing grants, so I have decided I have at least a 30% chance of being funded. So, it's a sure thing, right??? It took me two months to write it.

I won't hear if I got the grant until November. I have a script writer and a director all lined up. I think I have a flute player. I could use a keyboard player and maybe a guitar player or drummer or bass player or something. I can't afford many musicians when I can only spend $10,000. Although, there's another grant I can apply for (and would most likely get) for another $2,000 that I can combine with it, if I get this one. But it's hard to find people, anyway, in a population base as low as where I live.

For now, I need to relax until November and see what happens.

That's my news for the day.

Oh, except my dad went back into the hospital with another probable heart attack today (makes #5, I think, since January . All minor, but serious in that his heart is affected and damaged a little each time. His health escapades could provide me with enough material to write a book, I'm sure....

[pompeyjazz]

Good for you Vicki. I love the way you really go for it. Love to you and hope your dad is OK. Scary stuff but hang on in there

[Skub]

$10k? you could hire half a million guitar players for that,we are all cheap! 

Exciting stuff ahead for you Vicki. It's a cert you'll get the grant,I believe it. 

I'm sorry to hear your Dad isn't well,best wishes to him and all your family.

Davy.

[CaliaMoko]

@pompeyjazz : Thanks for the boost. My dad's a tough old bird. He wanted to stay home and take whatever happened but his doctor said he's too healthy, other than his heart, to just roll over and die. So he (my dad) decided he would take one more ride in that #$*&! helicopter.

@Skub : You are under selling yourself. Plus, they (the grant people) would frown on my proposal to pay less than minimum wage to anyone. I hope you're right about getting the grant. My director is more excited about the project than I am, I think. To the point that we might try to pull off the project with only the $2,000 grant (which I am almost certain to get, as long as the proposal is reasonable for the drastically reduced budget).

[cowparsleyman]

Hi Vicki

Good luck with you grant, I cross my fingers for you.

I'm sure when you've got your script and then from that the score  musicians will be easier to find, and if the MD is involved then it's much easier to bring it all together. I'm sure you've done  loads of things like this before.

For my part I have some experience of these as an Artist, it's quite a commitment, have you got an idea of whether it'll be a touring musical or a residency, how many nights are you looking at, that might determine the musicians you get.?

If the show is chargeable, you might find it's easier to budget  if you state a flat fee for each musician/artist, then it's a bit easier to know how much to charge for the tickets to recoup your production expenses.

I don't know whether you are obliged to use musicians that are members of the Musicians Union, I know I wasn't allowed to do certain things unless I was.

We would start rehearsals in July for a week long touring production in September (practising once a week), For musicians who are good readers it won't take anywhere near that long if you have the score.

Good luck  I'm not sure this helps at all..Hope all goes well with your Father, Vicki.

cpm

[CaliaMoko]

@cowparsleyman : Thanks for all the good advice. It won't all work for this particular production, but I hope to go on with other projects, and some of your comments will come in handy.

I hope you're right about finding musicians once I have the script; although that will be pushing it, as we plan to begin practicing the music before the script is completed. We may have to begin music rehearsals with whoever we have to start and add others as (if) we can find them. My biggest problem is the tiny population base we have here. I realistically only have about 4000 people to choose from (not that I get to "choose"), and that includes 100% of the entire population, all the way from the youngest baby up to the oldest grandparent. I live in a largely unpopulated geographic area. Makes it easier to get grants, because we are considered "under served", but harder to carry them out because we have so few people.

As far as where I'll be going with this project--my original plan was to tour several small towns, but that became too unwieldy and expensive, so it'll mainly be local. Two paid-admission performances locally and one about 35-50 miles away (35 from town, 50 from my house). Also, a couple free, abbreviated "teaser" shows locally.

I have managed to balance the budget for the project as written in the grant and have the ticket prices set. I am not required to use musicians from the union. That would possibly be different if I lived in the metro area, but I'm far, far from there.

I do ultimately hope to take this, or some other, production on a tour around my region of the state. First, we'll see what happens with the grant. So I'll try not to think about it too much over the summer. 

Thanks!
Vicki

[cowparsleyman]

Hi Vicki

The other consideration I forgot to mention is Plan B for musicians, if you have not many to choose from, one might consider what happens if one or more can't do a show, or is ill, I say this from experience...On the first night of the tour I was the bassist and lead guitarist in a band of a bout 10 plus full choir, and I got food poisoning just before the first night, I felt AWFUL and that I just wanted the toilet, I did the first half in a cold sweat and the feeling that I would explode, the interval couldn't come soon enough, so the 2nd half was an ordeal I'll never forget. To cap it all one of the sax players dropped her sax, and I dropped by bass...

So In your mind you might want to go though scenarios of how it might sound without the guitar, or keys or drums.

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious.

cpm