Become A True "Renaissance [Wo]Man"
/As I discussed last week, this past weekend was the first ever TudorCon at which myself and a small cast performed a concert of music from The King’s Legacy as the con’s Saturday night entertainment.
So silly. So fun. And wonderfully affirming!
I met a lovely group of smart, giving, caring individuals who all gathered together to share their love of this time period and its stories. And even more than that, they gathered together to support the research, knowledge, and creations of the speakers and their fellow attendees.
After the concert, a small group of people was standing around speaking with some of the performers, and they were asking where they would be able to see the show next.
Now, as you know dear readers, this depends entirely on when and where there is an interest to produce the show, as well as having the money behind it to make it happen. And this was explained to the group.
But then one of the women said: “You should start a Patreon page! I would definitely give, and I bet many other people would as well!”
And what a delightfully canny idea that was!
What is Patreon?
An excellent question!
I would describe Patreon as a mixture between a subscription to the art you enjoy and an on-going crowdfunding campaign.
But the interwebs writes:
“Patreon is a crowdfunding membership platform based in the United States that provides business tools for creators to run a subscription content service, with ways for artists to build relationships and provide exclusive experiences to their subscribers, or ‘patrons’.”
It’s a wonderful idea at its core. And I only knew about Patreon from the podcasts I listen to, almost all of which have a Patreon page on which you can become a patron for extra perks (additional episodes, early listens, bonus swag, etc.).
And in fact, it was with Heather Teysko on the Renaissance English History Podcast that I actually first learned of Patreon. Full circle!
Now, I do find that the majority of what I see on Patreon are truly subscriptive services - Podcasts, Blogs, Vlogs, YouTube Shows and Channels, Digital Artists, etc. However, there are plenty of authors, visual artists, cosplayers, and artists of a less subscription-based nature on there as well.
But the idea of a musical on the website? It never even occurred to me!
And why not??
Musicals and Patronage
Musicals take years and years (and years) to develop and, from the writer’s perspective, it often feels like there is nothing to offer people:
If you’re doing a Reading, you usually can’t invite people unless it’s an open reading, and even then there are only so many seats to offer.
If you don’t have the money or equipment for Demos, you can’t really provide polished music to people to get your show out there.
If you haven’t had a Production, there’s no Video or Photos available to show people, let alone Audience Reviews.
And I could go on. It feels like there’s so little to give to the public.
But what if there is a group of supporters for your work who are so invested in the project that they would be interested in all of the in-between things you have to offer??
And that’s where Patreon begins to look like a stellar idea for a musical in development.
Sure, you may not have fancy or particularly put-together materials during the developmental process that you can put on a website or shell out in a pitch package, but there’s plenty of other information and material that supporters would be super interested in!
Things like:
Behind-the-Scenes looks at the writing, rehearsal, and performance processes
Songs from older versions that have been cut over the years
Writer Demos that may not be fit for a website, but are interseting and intimate
New script additions or major changes
Developmental news, even on a smaller scale
Information about other artists that may be involved in things like readings
Information on the process of the writing
Daily life for the writers
Access to the writers for questions and commentary
Stories and Anecdotes
Etc.
These may not be things that are interesting to a public coming to see your show once it is fully produced (or maybe they are, who knows?), but anyone who has invested an interest and/or money into you and your show would definitely be interested in seeing and hearing these in-between steps!
The King’s Legacy on Patreon
The idea may never occurred to me, but I’m so glad it occurred to other people! And now, The King’s Legacy is on Patreon where you can become a Patron in your own right!
I’m sure the page will develop over time and eventually offer more and more. But as of now, you can become a Patron supporter of the musical at whatever monetary level you feel comfortable - even beginning as low as $1 per month, if that’s all that you can offer.
And whatever you can offer will not only be appreciated, but that appreciation will be shown through perks and bonuses available to this particular group of supporters!
Patronage is an old concept - one that helped create the idea of the “Renaissance Man” - and without patronage, the arts don’t stand much of a chance at succeeding.
And perhaps you’d like to become a double Renaissance Person by sharing you interest in art through patronage of a Renaissance musical…? Eh? Eh? See what I did there?
“Oh dear, Michael.”
I agree, dear reader. And so, with this link below to the Patreon page for The King’s Legacy, I bid you adieu for this week!
https://www.patreon.com/thekingslegacymusical
Until next time!
