Fundraising Campaign
Dear Friend of Control Group,
This has been A YEAR.
There’s a whole lot we could say about that, and I’d absolutely love to hear how you’re doing with it (please reach out!), but to try to focus on the future:
I’m writing today with a humble request for your support. If you’re currently tapped out, stressed out, struggling to make the basics work in the face of current challenges, please…
Know that you’re not alone;
Stop here, take three deep breaths, and do something kind for yourself;
Know that we’ll be in touch as soon as we have some awesome art to help you be in the world more richly.
If, on the other hand, you’re situated to help us navigate the current crisis and return to serving and building our community (or you’re just bored off your gourd in your quarantine bubble), I’d love to share with you a bit of why I am humbly asking for your support right now.
Already convinced? Good! Make a tax-deductible donation now on Colorado Gives, or pick your preferred method at: http://www.controlgroupproductions.org/donate/
Prefer real human interaction? Great! So do we. Call me at 303-947-2827 to chat. Really! I’d love to hear from you.
Need extra incentive? Perfect! We’ve got two visionary donors offering a 2-for-1 match on every dollar donated up to $14,000. That’s $3 for every $1 you donate!
Want to hear more? Sure! Read on for updates on where we are and what we’re working on next…
Want a hard copy? We've got you covered! Click here for a PDF version of our 2020 Fundraising Letter.
THE DAMAGE & THE RESPONSE
We have been SO lucky so far on the fundamental levels – no one around Control Group lost to the virus, no imminent demise of our organization, and a strong plan for moving forward that offers plenty of well-grounded hope. That said, it’s been a… well:
NOT THE END. Last winter we were headed into a breakout year, with our massive new production THE END scheduled for a 16-week run in Summer 2020. Instead, on March 15 we canceled our immersive bus tour of the apocalypse through Denver, due to “defictionalization of contents” (and a clear commitment to public safety).
CAVALCAVE-IN. We recognized immediately that our experience and skill set could help lead the way back into safe and exciting live events. We were eager to keep our artists working and connecting with each other, so we pivoted to a new ad hoc pandemic-proof production. CAVALCADE! was set to be the first live production in Denver post-shutdown… until we canceled it just days before it was scheduled to open on June 5.
DIS-MEMBERED. Our efforts to help our artists weather the crisis weren’t enough. Since March four long-time collaborators, including Associate Directors Bailey Harper and Nicholas Caputo, left Denver due to losses of home and/or income. This matches the overall crisis in the performing arts industry, with long-term projected losses over 50% of people, positions, and organizations.
This has been incredibly hard. It dismantled the collaborative core we’d built over the last several years, and our plans for the near future. It brought us to a standstill.
REBUILDING. You know us, we don’t stand still for long. We’re moving through the change at Control Group and in our world, and methodically building back better.
We’re working from the inside out. We’re building back sustainably with a focus on core values, supported by a listening process with our professional community and an Intersectional Planning Process that will lead to new internal policies and community standards around inclusion, access, equity, transparency, and social responsibility.
We’re meeting the current need for artistic uplift: supporting awesome live productions by local companies HOLDTIGHT and Audacious Theatre, and nearing completion a documentary film by Daniel Sharkey Cinematography featuring exquisite footage of our recent productions Aggregate Immateriality (2019) and Solace (2018).
And we’re working hard on two incredibly potent new projects that we hope will help us all find our way back into in-person communing at the end of the dark winter. Read all about them here:
Thank you for reading this far. It’s a tough time to ask for help, when so many of us need more help than we’re getting.
But it’s also a time to work together, and to rethink how we use what we have to create the world we want and need. I’m asking for your help because I believe in the work and the people who make it, and because I believe Control Group’s approach to art-making and experience-sharing will have overwhelming value in helping us find our way out of this crisis.
Please stay safe and sane, do the work that’s possible and find the joy that’s available.
Yours in gratitude,
Patrick Mueller
Artistic Director
Control Group Productions
A beautiful, tender, cryptic tale – a truly unique Denver experience.
–Crystal Jacquez, KGNU, 4/12/19
Control Group’s Aggregate Immateriality reaches beyond entertainment into a world of deep personal reflection.
–Cori Anderson, 303 Magazine, 4/17/19
Mueller was “immersive” long before the word emerged as the next big thing in arts. For Cutting Room Floor, a Halloween-themed collaboration with the Aurora Fox Arts Center, Mueller has come up with something that is both innovative and accessible.
–Susan Froyd, Westword 10/17/19
Control Group is a 501(c)3 organization and a Colorado state registered non-profit corporation. All donations are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.