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Proposal
“A Timeless Journey” Final Project Proposal
Katherina Stegerman
Working Title: A Timeless Journey
Description: An adaptation of a book written by a Calgary author and Christian speaker named Luc Niebergall about the series of visions that he had of heaven before he started his ministry. The focus of my adaptation is the main character’s identity in Christ. The play is written for an audience that has some understanding of the Christian sub-culture and brings into question many beliefs of that sub-culture.
My mom recommended this book to me several years before my second Rosebud journey began and it really challenged me and stuck with me. It has many parts of it that speak to identity and the importance of placing our identity in our relationships with Christ and knowing who we are to him, which is a message I still struggle with now. When I was thinking about my Final Project, this book seemed like an interesting challenge to create into a play.
What intrigues me about this project is that it would be written for Christians but looks different than other “Christian Art” because it is not an evangelical message, it is a play that speaks to the disheartened who are actively following Jesus. I hope to make it meaningful without it being too much about the message it portrays. I would consider this Project successful if I am able to create art that comes out of a foundation of Christian faith without being overtly propagandistic or preachy.
I believe the genre of this play will be similar to “magical realism” but as it is a journey through heaven, I would like to rename it “mythical realism.” The living human character interacts with historical figures of Christian history, some well known and some unknown. They also interact with all 3 members of the trinity and angels in a whimsical landscape of gemstone mountains and impossibly large trees.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions I have decided to do a “readers theatre” production of the script instead of a fully staged performance. We will have 2-3 performances that will be filmed on September 4th and have the filmed version released online on the 11th of September. COVID 19 requirements will be discussed with the necessary
personnel at a production meeting on August 19th.
Personnel:
Dramaturge: Leah Hearne
Director: Mark Lewandowski
Set and Costume Designer: I will design the set and costumes for the project myself
Lighting Designer: Brad Graham
Sound Designer: Dave Snider
Stage Manager: Kalena Lewandowski
Actors: My actor are Rebbekah Ogden, Amy Pohl, Matthew Shaaf and Cassie Garbutt
Film crew: Weston Snider
Front of House: Trisha Lewandowski
Budget:
See attached
Time Line:
See attached, times of filming/performances are still TBD based on actor availability.
Venue:
I will request use of the Studio Stage for rehearsals and performance. I will make this request in writing once my rehearsal schedule is done to the performance department.
RSA Requirements:
I would like RSA to supply the Studio Stage for my production as well as rentals for lights and sound equipment. I am in conversation with Amy Pohl about having a viewing of the film as an RSA student event.
Marketing Report
A Timeless Journey
Final Project Marketing Report
Katherina Joy Stegerman
September 2020
MARKETING REPORT:
In order to make this section as clear as possible I have copy/pasted the Marketing plan I submitted to Kendra and will create updates on what actually happened in bold.
SHOW DESCRIPTION
Long Paragraph:
This allegorical adventure is inspired by the book “A Timeless Journey” in which the author, Luc Niebergall, recounts the true story of when he went on a journey through heaven. He encountered many historical figured and learned a lot about what it really means to be a follower and friend of Jesus. But of everything he learned, the most important lesson is one that every Christian needs to hear, who we are to our Heavenly Father.
I didn’t end up using this long paragraph or a derivative of it in my marketing.
Short Paragraph:
Join Nameless on a whimsical adventure to the very heart of God. This allegorical tale is inspired by the real life story of author Luc Niebergall’s remarkable journey through heaven.
I got to know the story more and the short paragraph evolved:
A Nameless character searches for their identity and ends up finding so much more. A story for the church presented as a Reader's Theatre production by students and graduates of Rosebud School of the Arts. Inspired by the book by Luc Niebergall
Sentence:
A whimsical journey through heaven.
I got to know the story more and the short paragraph evolved:
A nameless character searches for their identity and ends up finding so much more.
EVENTS AND DATES
February 24: Poster completed, social media strategy begins
March 1: Fundraiser campaign begins
April 1: Fundraiser campaign ends
March 20: Design completed
May 4: Costumes and Props build complete
May 11, 9:00am: First read, possible set-load in
May 25, 9:00am: Tech week begins
May 29, 6:00pm: Opening night pizza party
May 29, 7:00pm: Opening night
May 30, 1:00pm: Family pizza party
May 30, 2:00pm: Family matinee
May 30, 6:00pm: Closing night pizza party
May 30, 7:00pm: Show closes
ACTUAL DATES:
June 19: Fundraiser campaign release day
August 8: Guest on “The Advance Podcast”
September 4: Film Day
September 8: Trailer Released
September 11: Stream released to VIMEO on Demand
September 30: Planned last day to stream.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN
It is hard to claim that you “know the truth” in this moment in culture. Beliefs and morals that people have built their lives on for centuries are now being questioned for their validity and societal good. Even among Christians there is a lot of hatred and a rampant “cancel culture” that can rear its ugly head on anyone for anything. Beth Moore, a prominent leader in women’s ministry circles was recently attacked for being a woman pastor, and at a smaller scale even young mothers that I know face constant social media judgement for their parenting decisions.
What we see on social media is not the coming together of different people to listen to one another’s stories, but a constant stream of mud slinging and accusations against groups or individuals we don’t agree with. 2020 marks another election year in the United States, and even in Canada I know a lot of people waiting with baited breath for the church to have another divisive and defensive moment. We are expecting people to become farther separated from one another, farther entrenched in their own tribe, and I believe many people feel as helpless as I do against this machine of lies, hatred and divisiveness.
I hope that this play is able to offer a safe space for people to come together and engage in disarming conversation. It does not have a moral or political agenda and I intentionally tried to craft it in a non-judgemental way that I hope will not alienate anyone in the target audience - those who believe that Jesus Christ is real and really did rise from the dead. It is a story that cuts through the political, theological agendas that are often put centre stage on Social Media and offers a look at what really is the most important thing for a believer: The love of God.
I believe this story has an important message wrapped up in a sort of Christian escapism, I hope that it will be a comfort for people exhausted by the anger and assault of Social Media and news that is being offered at this time.
I think the opinions that I had in my Marketing Plan still hold true. COVID changed quite a lot in the world and I think my show also has the power to offer hope in a time where people are struggling.
OBJECTIVES
Sales Goal:
# of seats available: 210
Seats sold goal: 150
Cost per seat: $20 ($30 for tickets including pizza)
Total sales goal: $3000 (not including pizza)
New Sales objectives:
# of seats available: 17
Seats sold: 17
Cost per seat: $25 for non-Rosebuddies, $10.00 for Rosebuddies
Stream sales goal: 100
Cost per view: $5.00
Current number of purchases (as of September 18th): 29
How many tickets must you sell to achieve your budget goals?
Personnel: $1000 - profit share model based on hours spent.
Build: $1000
Budget goal $2000.
Tickets sold to cover budget: 100
Personnel: - $700
Build: - $1400
Budget goal: $2100
Money earned in Fundraiser: + $1230.85
Tickets sold at live event: 17 (total of + $395)
Stream views to cover cost: 115
S.M.A.R.T. Goals:
Fundraise $2000 for the budget through online campaigns by April 15th
Fundraise actual was $1230.85
Personally reach out to 200 people to tell them about the show by May 15th through e-mail, postcard, or by phone.
Sold all tickets to the live event through personal communication. Sales were considered “private”
Sent the link to my show to the majority of my Facebook friends via messenger. This tactic was very well received and has so far resulted in my biggest day of views.
Post to Social Media (Facebook and Instagram) 3 times a week and engage with comments and conversations at least once a week for the months of April and May.
Posted to social media with relative consistency for updates on costumes props and other build information, but did not have a 3 day a week plan in place. Now that I am marketing for the Stream my goal has been to post every day to Facebook, and increase use of Instagram Stories.
Definition of Success:
Invoking meaningful conversations and helping the people who see my play better understand what a life of following Jesus really has to offer them, no matter how many people see it.
I received really positive feedback from my live event and it sounds like those who are seeing the show are understanding the message I tried to convey.
A team that feels cared for and has good camaraderie, this mostly means I hope to have clear communication and well balanced use of time.
When I was present at rehearsals and the day of the event it was a very fun and positive work environment. Communication could have been better as far as scheduling and production meetings, but I am very proud of my team and the work that we accomplished together.
A challenging but inspiring build for costume, set and props.
Achieved.
AUDIENCE
Karen:
Karen is a woman between 45-65, she has adult children who have moved out of the house, is semi or fully retired and loves to spend time volunteering at her local church. Karen’s faith and relationships are the most important things to her. She loves to read and is happy to support faith based art and storytelling, though she does not engage in other types of theatre regularly. She likes to be on Facebook and to receive physical mail or e-mails.
Alisha:
Alisha is between 25-35, she is either still in school or has just started her career in the gig economy. She is deeply passionate about her faith and will go out of her way to learn more from the teachers and churches she has learned to respect. Alisha loves experiences and has travelled to other parts of the world for humanitarian work, she will invest more of her money in learning and doing things than she will on possessions. She likes to be on Insagram.
Now that the show has been presented I think I was close on my target audience, but I feel like my show appeals to families more than I expected. Though I don’t think the messages are directly for children I am hearing that children are having a positive response to the show.
I am pivoting my advertising to appeal to families.
KEY MESSAGES
Adapted from the book by Luc Niebergall
Luc has a faithful following in Calgary and is always expanding his platform, not only that but the book itself is continuing to gain momentum and popularity, he recently did a TV spot about it, and it was translated into German.
A message for all of God’s children
The book and the script adaptation have both spoken deeply to me about what it means to be a child of God and I believe that it is an important message for other Christians as well.
Whimsical and beautiful
I hope that the design features will be a draw for people who want to experience something interesting but approachable. Innovative design is a draw for me and I hope it will be a draw for others in my audience.
Great to see with a small group or family
I hope the play will spark conversations and I believe it will be a fun event for people to do with their church groups as a bonding time and a good time to experience emerging Christian art. This is one of the reasons I am offering a “family play” and pizza before the show.
Seeing the show is a way to experience what I have been up to at Rosebud and support me.
If I’m being totally honest, I expect a large portion of the audience to be my friends and family, and they will want to see the play as a way of showing their support, I don’t want to write them off as an unimportant category, or that message as unimportant.
These remain my emphasis.
SPECIAL PROMOTIONS
Group Promotion: Offer a promotion if a church small group is interested in seeing the show.
Rosebud Student promotion: Discount for current RSA students, especially since the show will be on while there are no classes.
Rosebuddy promotion: Promotion for the community members as a way of saying thanks for their support of this crazy arts college.
Early bird promotion: As a way to drive early ticket sales
Pizza: Add-on option to tickets will be a pizza party before the show. A way for people to feel a little more taken care of and for the play to have more of an event feel.
Actual promotions offered were a Rosebuddy price of $10.00 for my live show and that my donors received the link to the online stream for free.
TIMELINE
February 24: Poster completed, social media strategy begins
3 posts a week to Facebook and Instagram, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
February March: Focus on the story and the fundraising.
April: Focus on the design elements
May: Focus on the team and rehearsal process.
March 1: Fundraiser campaign begins
Indegogo campaign
Notebooks
Ticket sales live at seedandthesoil.com
March 20: Design completed
April 1: Fundraiser campaign ends
Send out postcard mailers
Speak to Small Groups about the event/advertise at Kingdom City
May 1: Posters go up
Rosebud
Kingdom City Church
Drumheller Churches
Other Airdrie Churches
May 4: Costumes and Props build complete
May 11: 9:00am: First read, possible set-load in
May 25, 9:00am: Tech week begins
May 29, 6:00pm: Opening night pizza party
7:00pm: Opening night
May 30 1:00pm: Family pizza party
2:00pm: Family matinee
6:00pm: Closing night pizza party
7:00pm: Show closes
Actual Marketing Timeline:
June 15: Launch fundraising campaign
Release fundraising letter
June/July: Create hype by posting progress on Instagram and Facebook
August: Reach out personally to donors and family about the live event.
September 4: Live event
September 8: Trailer for the stream released - Social Media marketing implemented.
September 11: Stream available to view
September 12: RSA event to view the stream.
September 30 Stream will be taken off of VIMEO on Demand.
CROSS PROMOTIONS
Shayleigh’s Final Project
Possible ad in the Spring program
Kingdom City church in Airdrie
Possibly Mckernan Baptist church in Edmonton
Luc Niebergall’s facebook groups and fans
Actual Cross promotion: The Advance Podcast
Shared with multiple Facebook groups for Christian artists.
MEDIA RELATIONS/LISTINGS
Press Release to:
City Light News
Shine FM
Airdrie Echo Christianity section
Calgary Herald Christianity section
Strathmore Times
I did not end up sharing my Final Project with any major media outlets.
MARKETING BUDGET
Marketing Team
Rebbekah Ogden Braun - social media marketer (Profit share)
Videographer? Option left open
Marketing Costs
Posters/postcards: $50.00
Rosebud theatre program ad: $40.0
Social Media Marketing: Free
Total costs: $90.00
Current budget is $10.00 for Facebook boosted ads.
Cross Promotion:
Budget
Updated after the Marketing Report had been submitted for evaluation
Final Project Reflections
Final Project Final Report
Katherina Stegerman
September 2020
BASIC FACTS OF THE EVENT:
WHO:
Producer/Writer/Costume and Scenic Designer: Katherina Joy
Dramaturge: Leah T. Hearne
Director: Mark Lewandowski
Stage Manager: Kalena Lewandowski
Sound Designer: David Snider
Donovan Snider
Lighting Designer: Brad G. Graham
Projections Technician: Jamie Burns
Actors: Cassandra Garbutt
Amy Pohl
Matthew Schaaf
Sarah Joy Robinson
Head of Filming: Weston Snider
Film Assistance: Haddon Eliuk
Stephanie Lanting
WHAT:
PLOT SUMMARY: “A Timeless Journey” was an adaptation from a book by a local Calgary author named Luc Niebergall. The book is his semi-biographical retelling of a collection of visions that he had of heaven, the play adaptation made this a single unified dream. The protagonist wakes up on the shores of heaven without a recollection of who they are - they are then given “orders” from God to take a mysterious child to the Tree of Life and begin their adventure through heaven. While on their mission, Nameless encounters historical figures and meets God in all forms, learning more about themselves and their loving father.
EVENT SUMMARY: Because of COVID-19 and other unforeseen events this Final Project was ever evolving. Initially we were planning a traditionally staged production on an alley stage in May with Glenda Graham at the helm. But in the end we presented a readers theatre production on an end stage with Mark directing in September and decided we would need to film to make it available to a larger audience.
GOALS SUMMARY: Even with all of the changes that needed to be made, I felt that I personally achieved most of what I had set out to do:
1. Create art for those who exist inside the evangelical subculture.
As much “art” exists for this group of people, it always has a feeling of propaganda, it is a struggle of the modern church to spend money or time on things that don’t have an obvious monetary or “evangelistic” value on them right from the beginning. This may be pragmatic, but it means that the large number of people who are born and raised in this culture don’t have a lot of art that represents them. I had a rather small audience at the live event, but the majority of my feedback was that the play was speaking to their experiences in the church and they were deeply moved by it, which I consider a major success.
2. Listen and take seriously my intuitive inner voice and learn about myself and my faith through the writing process.
It was brought up right from the beginning of this process that I was taking a major risk choosing to write this project as I would be evaluated on the design elements of the production, and I was aware of the extra work that this would entail, but quite simply there was a voice inside of me that told me I had to write this play, and I wanted to listen to that voice. I learned a lot through the adaptation process about my faith and myself and even though it will not factor into my final grades I do not regret that decision.
3. Learn to delegate, ask for help and trust the people that I am working with.
One of my struggles is the belief that other people do not want to help me and a propensity to simply charge ahead with what needs to be done on my own, there were several moments in this process that I felt that urge: Glenda was unable to direct the play if it happened in September, Rebbekah had to back out of her role in the play due to family loss - both of these moments my first response was to do it myself, but I knew that I wanted to be better at asking for help so I chose to ask and face rejection instead of charging ahead on my own. I am very glad I took these risks as it allowed me to focus on what I was doing for the show.
4. Take risks with costume and props building.
I was incredibly excited to try foam carving and problem solving for some of the more complicated costume and props opportunities that this play presented. I am really pleased with how these elements turned out.
WHERE:
The BMO Studio Stage in Rosebud, rehearsals also took place virtually, the show is also being Streamed at VIMEO on Demand.
WHEN: Rehearsals started in June, the show opened and closed on September 4 and the Stream will be available online until September 30, 2020.
HOW MANY PEOPLE:
The live show had an audience of 31 people.
The stream has currently been seen by 41 people (as of September 22nd).
TICKET PRICES:
Non-Rosebud residents: $25.00
Rosebud residents: $10.00
Online Stream: $5.00
SUMMARY AND ASSESSMENT:
PROBLEMS:
The biggest unforeseen problem that I encountered during my final project was COVID-19 shutting the world down. The constantly changing regulations meant I had to be open to evolving my project as we went along. My first decision was to delay the project to September. When we realized that there would not be any real solutions to COVID by then I had to decide if I wanted to do my project in the world of COVID or if I wanted to wait until there was a vaccine available which is a future date we still don’t really know yet. When I decided it would be best to go ahead and get my project done before ROSA’s we had to figure out the best way to go about it, we discussed a virtual play but that would conflict with my being evaluated on design elements, so we decided that Reader’s Theatre would be the best way forward: it would allow the possibility of the cast to be socially distanced and would be easer to rehearse online. We did have to modify the genre by adding costumes, set and props. The transition to readers theatre meant a redesign of the set and some rewrites to the script but in the end it was very well received and those who watched the production said the method did not interfere with the story in any way.
The delay to the show meant my first director, Glenda, was unable to commit to the project as there was a possibility at the time that she would have to perform in “Silent Sky.” I had to find a new director - thankfully, Mark was available (because of COVID) and I cannot imagine someone else having had the ability to adapt and pivot the changing needs of the show so well as he did.
Knowing the severely limited audience sizes we would have created a disparity in the budget, it would not have been possible to cover costs by just presenting a live show - we also did not know in June if it would be possible to have any audience at all or if just the cast and crew would max out COVID limits. We made the decision to film the show and offer it online as the safest way to move forward. In hindsight I think I would have preferred doing several days of performances and not worrying about filming, in the end the budgetary needs of the film were significantly higher than first anticipated and will likely end up creating more of a problem then having the filmed version had solved (as of September 22nd - there is still the possibility that the film will cover costs). It’s hard to say whether or not we did come up with the right solution. We knew there was the possibility of having no audience allowed to see the show live, which would have made the film the only way anyone could see it, so the choice to film was probably the right choice for the time that we made it.
I encountered struggles with communication between the production team, not being used to being the person in charge of scheduling decisions I often overlooked Production Meetings and especially letting people know they were happening. We used Facebook to communicate with the team but it was often not effective as people would not regularly check the group for updates. I also did not personally contact members of the production team to make sure there were no conflicts, as such there did end up being conflicts. I was very grateful that everything seemed to come together during tech week, but was quite worried leading up to it due to the of the lack of communication. In the future I will try to communicate better.
Two weeks before opening one of my actors had to resign from the production due to family tragedy, while I do not blame her for this decision it left quite a large gap in the production that needed to be filled ASAP. We discussed several ideas for moving forward and I was prepared to fill the role myself if no one else was available. Thankfully we were able to find someone who was open to filling the role and she did a really amazing job.
At this point I am unsure if I’ll be able to make budget on this production. I did not meet my fundraising goals and I am unsure if enough people will purchase the stream for me to be profitable. There were several reasons for this, but I have to admit my own weakness in marketing as a major factor. I struggled to find the confidence to ask for sponsorships and donors, especially with so many people struggling financially due to COVID-19. My marketing efforts for the stream are an improvement to my fundraising attempts but as of yet (September 18th) I need a lot more people to see the show before it can be considered profitable. In the future I hope to be more confident and creative in the fundraising campaign and will take marketing strategies more seriously - alternatively I may find someone who is passionate about marketing to fill that role so I can focus on other things.
I forgot to keep track of my receipts for this project and that made sorting out the budget a bit like untangling a very twisted knot (10/10 do not recommend). I could have easily kept track by just having an envelope in my purse for my final project receipts, which would have saved a lot of headache. This issue was caused by the difficulty of being the producer and builder at the same time. I did have a set budget but I also had the ability to change or adjust it in my head on the fly, this amount of freedom was very useful for making quick decisions, but made sorting the budget out much more complicated. In the future I hope to remember to keep different roles more separate from each other, if I am producing and filling other positions I hope to treat those other positions with the same attention to the budget as if I were not the producer.
WHAT I LEARNED:
My biggest learning curve on this project was being willing to admit when something was out of my depth and ask for help. There were so many pieces of this project that were out of my field of expertise, such as the projection mapping and the filming. Having the right people fill those roles was essential to the success of the project. There were several times I was tempted not to ask for help but at those moments I asked people with a more objective outlook and they helped me overcome my insecurities and encouraged me to keep asking people for help even in the face of rejection.
This project helped me understand the importance of being super thankful to the people who support me. I had a donor who was very offended when they found out I had not put formal thank you’s in the program and at first I did not understand their frustration. After a conversation with them and some other mentors in my life I created that donor thank you list - even though it is not something I would value it was important for me to see that it matters to those who supported me that they see how thankful I am for their help.
Being in charge of both the design and the building processes I learned a lot about building props and set pieces. The problem solving was a lot of fun and I was grateful for the challenge, even though it was overwhelming at times.
I was surprised by how much fun I had producing, yes it takes a lot of confidence and hard work, but honestly I really enjoyed the process. I had an incredible team who all seemed to be excited about the project and it was an amazing feeling that my show was the reason we all came together. Before this project I was curious about producing as a field I would like to explore, now I am even more interested in learning more about this position.
WHAT I WISH I HAD KNOWN BEFORE:
I wish I had had a better plan for communicating with my production team.
I wish I had kept track of my receipts
I wish I had decided to do multiple days of live runs instead of trying to film and release the project online.