Ever wondered what goes on backstage while the actors deliver their seamless performance on-stage? Well, AboutFace Productions intends to create to two shows in one with "Backstage With The Thurmans", a comic farce with full-face masks, puppetry, illusion and a performing bear to be premiered at the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2015.

The Thurman Family Ensemble are a troupe of variety performers who look as though they have stepped out of a graphic novel. They do every role from backstage to front-of-house, as well as perform acts of music, magic, acrobatics, escapology, and bear-taming!  As the Thurman Family Ensemble prepare for their on-stage performance they are completely unaware that the audience is witnessing all their backstage intrigues, mistakes, technical breakdowns, tantrums and high drama. When they realise that their antics are being observed, the Thurmans must perform an about face and turn chaos into triumph! Can they do it? Well, maybe.

If you are the kind of person with a taste for quirky, fringe performance and who likes to spend your Arts $ on encouraging independent theatre, we hope that you feel intrigued by our production and will support us to create it. Of course we also hope that many of you will support us further by coming to see "Backstage with The Thurmans" at the Melbourne Fringe. If you're wondering whether you really need to pledge when you are also intending to buy a ticket, please consider that the money raised from this Pozible campaign actually makes the show a reality. If we average 50% houses for our six Fringe performances, we might earn approximately $3,000 after box-office and ticketing fees. Split between 5 artists that equates to only $600 each for four months work.

So why do we want to do it? Because Aboutface Productions is passionate about this kind of theatre. The Fringe gives us the opportunity to present experimental theatre in an environment that encourages the development of the work and initiates touring possibilities by exposing the show to producers and presenters. Pozible gives us the opportunity to source funding that would otherwise be unavailable for this kind of work. So please pledge what you can AND come and see the show too! Your support really will make a meaningful impact on the success of the show.

"Backstage with The Thurmans" confirmed 7 show season at the Fringe Hub as follows:    
Dates: 26 - 27 Sept and 29 Sept - 3 Oct 2015.
Times: 6:30pm, Sun 5:30pm (50 mins).
Venue: Fringe Hub - Rehearsal Room - North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensbury St.
Tickets: $18 - $25 (concessions and group price available).

Making a theatre show is not cheap even when the creatives involved so generously invest their time, skills and passion over four months to create the work. $4625 pays for the minimum basics as shown below. However every dollar over and above our target means we can afford better production values (lighting, sound, dramaturgy etc), a bigger spend on promotion and perhaps, as importantly, provide a small payment to the wonderful artists involved to cover their out-of-pocket expenses such as travel costs to and from rehearsals, and maybe some sandwiches for lunch.

BARE BONES BUDGET
Fringe registration               GET
Fringe registration               GET
Fringe registration               GET
Fringe registration               $   390
Public Liability Insurance   $    235        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Public Liability Insurance   GET
Fringe registration               $   390
Public Liability Insurance   $    235        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Public Liability Insurance   GET
Fringe registration               GET
Fringe registration               $   390
Public Liability Insurance   $    235        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Public Liability Insurance   GET
Fringe registration               $   390
Public Liability Insurance   $    235        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Public Liability Insurance   GET
Fringe registration               GET
Fringe registration               GET
Fringe registration               $   390
Public Liability Insurance   $    235        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Public Liability Insurance   GET
Fringe registration               $   390
Public Liability Insurance   $    235        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Public Liability Insurance   GET
Fringe registration               GET
Fringe registration               $   390
Public Liability Insurance   $    235        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Public Liability Insurance   GET
Fringe registration               $   390
Public Liability Insurance   $    235        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
Fringe venue hire                $ 1,050
Rehearsal space hire          $   350
Sets, costumes, masks        $2,000
Marketing & Publicity          $   250
Pozible and bank fees        $   350
TOTAL                                   $4,625
        
       
The Thurmans fall on hard times.               The Thurmans make a come back.

We hope that we can figure out how to escape from this giant paperbag before the Fringe season. All the Thurmans are working day and night on it.!