An Update from the Jungle Theater

 

We’re rapidly approaching the one-year anniversary of March 13, when we made the heartbreaking decision to indefinitely postpone our production of Brittany K. Allen’s Redwood, slated to open on March 14. We’re still hoping to share that production when we can do so safely. But in the meantime, much has happened, and it’s time to check in with an update.

 

What we lost

Due to COVID-19, we cancelled half of our 2019-20 season – Redwood, Mary Jane, and our co-production of Cambodian Rock Band with Theater Mu, a nationally respected theater that tells stories from the Asian American experience. This meant that we lost opportunities for 22 actors/stage managers, 20 designers/directors, 3 playwrights, 8 front-of-house staff and dozens of stage crew, including carpenters, electricians, wardrobe people and more. We paid two-weeks’ notice or a cancellation fee to everyone on contract, but we know that was a fraction of the loss these people faced, especially those who are hourly workers.

And then came the murder of George Floyd. It was not a new occurrence – sadly, it was a replay of an all-too-common outrage. But this time the response from the community was deafening. Cries for justice were literally heard around the world, and they resonated especially deeply in the American theater industry. We lost the blinders that we’ve been privileged to have as a historically white theater. Black Lives Matter, everywhere and at the Jungle.

What we did

We continued to live by our values. We started with A Great Theater Cares for Its People. We’ve done our best to communicate what we know with all our constituents – and when we don’t know, we’ve tried to say that as well.

We're working to be more transparent about our operations. Check out jungletheater.org/aboutjungle for more about our overall financials and policies.

We leveraged a grant from ONEMpls to provide $1,000 emergency support grants to 10 of our longtime craftspeople.

Our staff has done two rounds of diversity training, and we’ll continue making efforts to better understand the world we live in, while moving toward more equitable conditions for all.

Our board is revising its approach to recruiting new members, to build a roster that better represents the community we serve.

We’ve instituted a $15/hour minimum wage, and when we return to regular productions, we’ll do so with more humane schedules, including an end to 10-out-of-12 rehearsal days.

And, most excitingly, we’re close to announcing a convening of Jungle artists, past and present. Serving like a truth and reconciliation panel, our work, led by a healing justice consultant, will allow us to listen to our colleagues, evaluate our past performance and identify areas of improvement.

There's more in the works, but we wanted to share our progress to date."

 

What we created

Shine A Light

August - designer-focused event that utilized the Jungle’s building, including outdoor projection and window displays, to spotlight the work of our designers and technicians.

September - Theater Mu took over, giving designers that represented aspects of the Asian-American diaspora a platform to address issues that were top of mind.

  • We employed 28 people, spending a total of $30,475 on them (76.3% of our total expenses)

  • Total revenue was $33,949 (all contributed, no earned)

  • Audiences were difficult to estimate, due to the free, walk-up window access.

  • 190 people registered for COVID tracing during the Hold Please video presentations.

Serial – short audio plays by Eric Micha Holmes, Vie Boheme and JuCoby Johnson

Three short audio pieces, all written by Black artists

  • We employed 11 people, paying them a total of $7,917 (99% of total expenses).

  • Total revenue was $9,922 (all earned)

  • We reached an estimated 1326 people, based on page views of each piece’s web page.

 

Is Edward Snowden Single? by Kate Cortesi

World premiere of a virtual play with animation, rehearsed entirely over Zoom and shared via Vimeo

  • ·       We employed 11 people, paying them a total of $35,247 (89.2% of total expenses).

  • ·       Total revenue was $29,186

  • ·       We reached an estimated 807 people, based on unique Vimeo views.

 

Who we supported

42 total people employed on Shine a Light, Serial, and Is Edward Snowden Single? - actors, stage managers, directors, designers, and stagehands.

White             45.2%                                                  Male               50.0%

Black              31.0%                                                  Female           50.0%

Asian             21.4%

Native             2.4%

And, most excitingly, we’re close to announcing a convening of Jungle artists, past and present. Serving like a truth and reconciliation panel, our work, led by a healing justice consultant, will allow us to listen to our colleagues, evaluate our past performance and identify areas of improvement.

 
 
Robin Gillette Headshot

ROBIN GILLETTE
Managing Director

 
Jungle Marketing