An open letter from Chris Kehoe to You

Hey everyone, Technically, this note cost me $4,000, so I guess you could call it “sponsored content.” Either way, as I write a check in the dollar amount determined by the Minnesota theater community, I figure an explanation might be in order. The story actually begins before Minnesota Playlist’s Indiegogo campaign; I’d long wanted to reach out to Alan and Leah to offer administrative help wherever they needed it and to weigh in on some other think-tank items, but between graduate school and Minnesota Fringe, I never found the time. So when I caught wind of the campaign and their plans for rebranding and growth, I definitely felt a hint of serendipity. Alan and I struck up a very awkward conversation about money (imagine high-stakes public trading crossed with seventh-graders asking one another to the school dance and you’re in the right neighborhood), and it became clear that the target amount on the Indiegogo campaign was only going to fund the most conservative of expansions. On top of that were the journalistic strains I had grown familiar with from fielding press releases to local media to my brief stint writing with Twin Cities Daily Planet. Even the best editor and the best writer can only get so invested when it’s a mere $20 on the line. I’ve always been a big fan of initiatives where everyone in a group stands to gain; tides that can raise everybody’s ship, if you will. I’m not sure how apparent it is to the casual observer, but Alan and Leah are building out MinnesotaPlaylist to be a full ecosystem. There’s a way that these big jigsaw pieces of industry resources, provocative journalism, and a comprehensive event schedule can work together (in a publicly-visible space, no less) to set an unmistakably-high qualitative bar–-not only for our work, but for our community. That’s an endgame I think is worth striving for. And apparently I’m not alone. Like, “$4,000” not alone. The act of me writing out a check would only have been philanthropic; it’s great and all, but it really doesn’t say anything beyond itself. But you guys? Holy hell. You took a crowdfunding campaign that had pretty clearly plateaued in its final days and shot it full of new life. The matching-fund extension took off like wildfire, and we hit the $4,000 ceiling with plenty of time to spare. The response was strangely, fantastically humbling. It’s a clear example that what we have in Minnesota is unique and vital and full of passionate players who are eager to advance both our community and our industry in radically exciting ways. I’ll gladly add some bowls of inexpensive Ramen noodles to my diet for that.