Shakespeare Tavern in trouble?

An email I got from the Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta...

Help keep the Tavern open!

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Hello All,


The Shakespeare Tavern is a Hungry Beast and these are lean times to be sure.


I can't express how grateful I am to all of you for helping to raise $20,000 just ten days ago. That being said, we are in danger of losing all that ground and even little bit more.

For this next week -The FINAL week for The Mystery of Irma Vep - we have almost 800 unsold seats. In all my years as your Artistic Director, I can't remember such a thing EVER happening!

And this comes after one of our all time slowest selling weeks. (OK-- obviously I know that this was the July 4th weekend, the weather was mild, everybody's broke . . . Still, the Hungry Beast has gotta eat!)

Our production of Irma Vep is wonderful, It has been described by many patrons as nothing less than "the funniest show I have seen in my entire life".

Jeff McKerley and Dolph Amick are comedic geniuses of the highest order, performing at the top of their game in a play designed for just that.

So I'm asking each and every one of you . . . especially those of you who haven't seen this comedic jewel here at your favorite theater . . . To get on the horn and buy your tickets now!

Use the magic words "Hungry Like the Wolf" in a sentence when you order and we'll even discount your tickets to $15 each!!

That's right, main floor seats to the main event for a mere $15.

I've known for months that the month of July 2009 would be the hardest five weeks in our history, in terms of squeaking through. I've planned for these weeks and I've implemented all kinds of strategies to make sure we could get through to August. The one thing I didn't plan on is that we would put on a play- a drop-dead outrageously funny, phenomenal production of a play at that- and that no one would come.

So please call now for tickets . . . and bring a friend!




Jeff Watkins
Artistic Director
The Atlanta Shakespeare Company at
The New American Shakespeare Tavern
404-874-5299 x 0 (Box Office)

PS. So you know, After this week, the Shakespeare Tavern will be closed for the rest of July. We are actually rebuilding our stage and the Tavern interior with special funding from a variety of sources (part of the "I've planned for these weeks" strategy I was telling you about). We'll be returning August 6th (my birthday!) with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). I know a lot of you may be out of town that week . . . So any ticket you buy this week to the Complete Works is also only $15 ! ! ! Help me feed the Beast . . . Call now! 404-874-5299 x 0