Summer Theater Camp at Home Made Theater

This August (July 29 – August 16), Home Made Theater is holding a Summer Theater Camp program giving kids, aged 8-18, an exciting, creative, and supportive environment to experience the thrill and exhilaration of performing and creating characters. The camp experience is perfect for whether you are just being introduced to the world of theatre or expanding your experiences.

A Urgent and Heartfelt Message from the Home Made Theater Board of Directors

Dear Home Made Theater Family and Friends,

Home Made Theater has just completed its 39th season as the resident community theater company in the City of Saratoga Springs. Over these nearly four decades, Home Made Theater has mounted dozens of dramatic and musical productions which, everyone who has attended a performance will agree, have profoundly contributed to the quality of life we all enjoy in our beloved City.

In this post-pandemic era, many theater companies, both for profit and not for profit, have found themselves financially stressed and in a period of declining revenues. And we are not immune from this reality. While we look forward to providing an entertaining and exciting 2024-25 production season, our current financial obligations must, in the meantime, be met.

To address our fiscal concerns, in May of this year, the Board of Home Made Theater unanimously agreed to become an all-volunteer company, releasing our entire paid staff as of the end of our fiscal year on June 30th. While this decision by the Board will dramatically reduce our overhead, it will not eliminate it. We will continue to need funds for such necessary expenses as the rental of our rehearsal and wardrobe storage space at the Wilton Mall, performance venue rental and show royalties. Moreover, as our residence at the Spa Little Theater has ended, we are actively searching for a permanent home for Home Made Theater. We are fully cognizant of the funds that will be needed for the acquisition or rental and renovation of a new home.

While these financial obligations are formidable, they are not insurmountable. But we need the help of all of you, our extended family, now. For almost four decades we have enriched your lives through the incomparable magic of live theater performances, not only as a participating audience member, but by providing you with opportunities to directly participate in the creation of those live performances as actors or working behind the scenes as part of the stage management team, or getting involved in set construction, lighting, or sound. Moreover, Home Made Theater has enriched your lives by offering acting classes for both adults and children.

Our desire at Home Made Theater is, and always has been, to enrich your lives with the very best of community theater. We need your help now to help us continue to fulfill that goal. There are five things you can do:

First, make as generous a donation as you can to help us meet our current need. Your donation is fully tax deductible, we are a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. You can donate online at our website www.homemadetheater.org. If you prefer, can donate by mail. Our address is PO Box 1182, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. When you donate, please consider becoming a Sustaining Donor and stand with us as we face the financial challenges of the future.

Second, attend the upcoming performance events we have scheduled for the fall: the Mystery Theater at The Mansion, 801 Route 29, Rock City Falls, on October 19th, and our Holiday Cabaret on December 13, 14 and 15, at the Saratoga Music Hall, 474 Broadway, Saratoga Springs. Tickets will be available in the coming weeks online at our website www.homemadetheater.org or by calling our box office at 518-587-4427.

Third, join the Donor Circle of your choice.

Fourth, if you own or operate a business, purchase an ad in our production Play Bill.

Fifth, if you can volunteer your time to serve on our Board, or one of our Board committees without being a Board member, please let us know. We are your community theater serving you and your community. Join us! You will be most welcome. Reach out to us at info@homemadetheater.org for more information!

Thank you for taking the time to consider our appeal. We sincerely hope you’ll join us in ensuring Home Made Theater’s future.

Sincerely yours,

The Board of Home Made Theater