Dear Friends,

As you know, back in April, Congress slashed the National Capital Arts program by 70%. This tiny program provides vital operating support to DC-based arts organizations. Last year, Woolly received $318,000 in funding from this program; but this year our award came in at just $93,000. A $225,000 cut would have been difficult to absorb in any year but receiving this news with just four months left in our fiscal year (July 31st) has been particularly tough.

I am pleased to report that since making this announcement six weeks ago, we've made tremendous strides   but we still need your help . So far, we've raised more than $42,000 from our generous supporters, with hundreds responding to our call by increasing their annual or monthly giving and/or renewing their support for our upcoming 2011 – 12 season early.  

Meanwhile, Bank of America saw our announcement and has invited a grant proposal; and the Shubert Foundation in New York increased their annual support for Woolly from $50,000 to $55,000. In addition, in May, we were recognized as one of four finalists for the 2011 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, an honor that came with a $2,500 check. All the while, department heads have been cutting expenses and we've booked over 17 new building rentals in May and June. Finally, we are trying to fill every seat for the run of   Bootycandy   (which opened to rave reviews and which we have extended until July 3rd) and our summer remount of 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner,   Clybourne Park .  


Thanks to all of this, we've managed to get our projected loss down to just $120,000;   but we are setting our sights on $0 . To help us get there, we have been soliciting sponsors for our remount of   Clybourne Park   at the $500 level (for a single performance) and the $2,500 level (for the entire production). If you are interested in joining us at either level, please contact Rachel Dutcher ASAP at   racheld@woollymammoth.net  or call   (202) 312-5264 .  

In addition, thanks to our friends at American Airlines and Kimpton Hotels, we are raffling off a trip to Los Angeles. This fantastic package includes two round-trip, coach class tickets on American Airlines and a two-night stay in a deluxe room at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar in Westwood. Nestled between downtown Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, this luxury boutique hotel is just a two-block walk to the restaurants, theatres, and boutiques of Westwood Village! We're only selling 100 raffle tickets at $50 each (drawing on July 29th).   By buying a ticket now , you'll not only have a chance to win, you'll be helping Woolly when we need it most.  

And there are other ways you can help, too: rally a group to attend Bootycandy   and   Clybourne Park ; become a subscriber; rent our space for an event; forward this message on to a friend – this can all be a part of the solution.

Friends, if you've ever given to Woolly, thank you for your support and for considering an additional gift at this critical time. And if you've never given a gift to Woolly before, please, now is the time . Every dollar gets us closer to zero and to maintaining Woolly's long history of fiscal health and responsibility.  

Thank you for your consideration and thank you for being a part of the Woolly family. We couldn't do it without you.

Most Sincerely,


Howard Shalwitz
Artistic Director

&

Jeffrey Herrmann
Managing Director