The Bram Stoker International Film Festival is a horror flick freak's wet nightmare. It's four days of indie blood splat, vampires, and sci-fi thrillers in the English town Count Dracula called home, Whitby. And for choreographer Lisa Starry, it's an opportunity of a lifetime.
Starry's Scorpius Dance Theatre has been selected to perform A Vampire Tale at this year's festival in October.
"There hasn't been a company [in Phoenix] that's had that
kind of opportunity," says Starry. "It's kind of cool that we're known as the vampires
of Arizona."
Here's the catch: before the 25-member cast and crew hop the pond, they need to raise some serious cash ... in the next 32 hours.
The production, which has been a Phoenix Fall favorite for almost 8
years, has received an enormous amount of critical acclaim domestically,
and it'll be the first time international audiences will experience
this modern dance masterpiece firsthand.
Starry estimates that it will cost between $20,000 and $25,000 to get everyone to England, and she's hoping to raise part of the money on Kickstarter.
"I would write a check and pay for everybody if I had that kind of money," Starry says, "but I don't."
So far, 22 "backers" have collectively pledged $2,600 -- more than half of Starry's modest Kickstarter goal of $5,000. However, the only way she'll see that money is if the goal is fully realized.
And time is running out.
There's less than 40-hours left to raise the remaining $2,400, and Starry's hoping the good folks of Phoenix will pull through to help Scorpius get to England.
"If the goal isn't reached, we don't get anything at all," Starry says. "If we get a couple hundred people to donate five bucks, that's a lot of money."
In addition to raising money online, the Scorpius team has also tried car washes and raffles. Like Starry says, "We're just doing whatever we can because we all want to go."
You can help Starry and her Scorpius Dance Theatre get to England by donating to her project fund on Kickstarter.
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