Alexia Vassos, Alex Bulmer, and Christine Horne in Richard Three, directed by Patricia Allison, costume design by Julia Kim, set design by Amelia Blaine.
Photo by Mike McPhaden.
This is a wonderful program and I hope it continues to grow and more organizations team up to offer it to their employees.
Shakespeare in the Ruff
Shakespeare in the Ruff
Compassion Fund for Outdoor Summer Performance
Level UP! Strategy Area: Compassion Fund
Pilot Project: Fund to support a range of artist needs throughout the process of Richard Three
Project Duration: June – September 2023
Continuing to Implement: A budget line for childcare support exists ongoing. Extra funding would be required for a Compassion Fund.
Resources Shared: Project Field Notes, Compassion Fund Offer Email, Compassion Fund Agreement Template
About Shakespeare in the Ruff
Location: Ontario
Artistic Discipline: Theatre
Operating Budget: $100,000 to $1,000,000
Founded in 2012, Shakespeare in the Ruff is dedicated to decolonizing the Shakespearean canon by challenging who creates these stories, and who they are for. The three pillars of our company are Re envisioned Classics, Education, and Community. Ruff is a collectively run, professional outdoor theatre company serving Toronto’s diverse East End.
Our work strives for the integration of our five key values: creative audacity, education, accessibility, anti-racism and decolonized practice, and respect. We create original, radical adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, seeking to flip the Eurocentric, colonial gaze and give platform to marginalized voices.
Shakespeare in the Ruff’s Level UP! Project
Shakespeare in the Ruff explored how to use the Compassion Fund strategy for their summer 2023 outdoor theatre production of Richard Three, alongside the organization’s pre-existing childcare support.
Project Highlights:
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- Addressing the unique challenges of working outdoors by providing a fund to facilitate ease and increase comfort level
- Implementing childcare support separate from the fund
Resources
Shakespeare in the Ruff | Project Field Notes
About This Resource Shakespeare in the Ruff shared these Project Field Notes in 2023 as part of their Balancing Act Level UP! Pilot Project. Their project focused on creating a Compassion Fund for guest artists engaged in outdoor summer programming.
Shakespeare in the Ruff | Compassion Fund Offer Email
About This Resource Shakespeare in the Ruff created this Compassion Fund Offer Email template in 2023 as part of their Balancing Act Level UP! Pilot Project. The email was sent out to full-time members of Ruff’s Richard Three team, along with an attached agreement for...
Shakespeare in the Ruff | Compassion Fund Agreement Template
About This Resource Shakespeare in the Ruff created this Compassion Fund Agreement Template in 2023 as part of their Balancing Act Level UP! Pilot Project. The agreement template was customized for each artist involved in the summer production of Richard Three, and...
Related Resources
More Information
For more information about the Shakespeare in the Ruff visit shakespeareintheruff.com.
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