SUPPORT OAT

At OAT, we believe the arts should be accessible to all, which is why all of our shows are free and open to the public! In order to pay our actors, and present theatre at the high-level of professionalism that we hold our company to, we need support from businesses like yours, and we have exciting news: 

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Summer of 2026 OAT will be performing the world debut of The Simple Truth, written by local multi-disciplinary artist, Ken Yoshikawa. The Simple Truth is an epic five-act tragicomedy written in verse and set in the shadow of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Ken was inspired to write this after performing in Twelfth Night with OAT in 2017 so this is many years in the making.

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AND WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT!

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Here are the items we are gathering funds for:

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• $1750 for Masks: We would like to purchase more Commedia Dell’Arte masks by a world renowned mask maker, Newman (https://commediamask.com/) who also happens to be an Oregonian. To complete our collection we would like to purchase ten more masks at $175 each. 

• $2500 for ASL Interpreters: Our mission is deeply rooted in making theatre accessible for everyone. We always offer two shows with two interpreters per show, and each interpreter costs $500 per show. In order to incorporate this service into more of our performances, we are hoping to raise additional funds so that we can offer even more ASL friendly performances.

• $3500 - $7000 for accounting support: We are artists, not accountants and we recognize that a bigger budget means we need more help tracking our finances. We plan to hire an accountant for this specialized support. 

• $5000 for Park Performances: It is our goal to reach a broader range of Portland communities by performing in more Portland Parks. Unfortunately, the cost of performing in a park, even for a show that is free and open to the public, is $935 per day, plus $700 for a special use permit fee. (Because of this high cost we have to limit our public park performances to only two parks per summer. These performances always have over 200 audience members in attendance, and we hope to build that number every year by continuing to return to these parks annually.)

• $5000 Playwright Stipend: Because all artists should be paid for their work

• $6000 for a trailer: We travel between almost every performance and lugging a full production across town is not easy. This year we are hoping to purchase a trailer to make this process so much easier. 

• $15,000 performers fee: This number represents the cost increase to our typical summer budget in order to double the actor and production team stipend for their hard work.

 

All of the goals above total about $43,000. We have another arts funder who will donate $10,000-$15,000 as long as we can raise the other funds. We have several grant applications in the works, but given the current political climate so many organizations are applying for the same grants making our chances slim.

 

Donations of any kind are tax deductible.​​