ABOUT TREESON 

TREESON is a passion project that was born in 2020 out of the culmination of several things happening at once: Vicki being an unemployed expat in a foreign country, the Covid lockdown, being homesick for the Pacific Northwest, and the shift from climate despair to climate optimism. Because of the pandemic, Earth had a moment to breathe, a moment to heal from human activity. Pollution declined, animals reclaimed their territories, and people were exploring nature more. During the pause, we all had a moment to stop, think, and reflect. Vicki realized: THERE IS HOPE. After writing the first draft and hiring a dramaturg to analyze the script, Vicki invited Andrew to join the team as co-author. We share a mutual desire to make art that not only entertains, but also inspires audiences to make the world a better place. Through our collaboration, we found a clearer story, new characters, and a story we can’t wait to share with the world!

FAQ

What are the concert details?

It will be at the legendary 54 Below cabaret venue in NYC on Earth Day, 4/22/24. We have an exciting cast in the works. You don't want to miss it!

Tickets are on sale now at https://54below.org/events/treeson-an-eco-musical-in-concert-for-earth-day/

How do you pronounce TREESON?

TREESON is pronounced like "treason".

What is TREESON about?

In the story of TREESON, we follow Ash (they/she), loyal daughter-turned-budding-but-tentative-eco-activist. When offered the helm to her family’s logging empire, she faces a crisis of conscience and is paralyzed by the different paths before her. Is there a right and wrong path, or, can she carve a new path of her own that’s somewhere in the middle without betraying her family’s legacy? As eco-warrior Terra (she/her), the activists, and a mysterious, otherworldly chorus of Wind, Water and Fire guide her, she contemplates what her legacy will be. Tensions rise between the loggers and activists, local and global needs, and the present and future in this love story between humanity and Earth. Ash’s journey unfolds via a soaring soundtrack blending indigenous, Western, folk and pop-rock music, resulting in an Americana story which captures the revolutionary spirit of change and hope. The question is… Will you play your part to save the world before it’s too late?

Terra is partially inspired by Vicki's best friend, Laura, who was randomly assigned as Vicki's college roommate and they've been besties ever since. Laura was Earth Club President in college and now works at the Environmental Protection Agency. She inspires Vicki daily to be a better steward of the planet.

(Lucy Sky Mandlowitz (Terra/Earth) at New Musical Project, Dairy Arts Center, Boulder, CO, August 6, 2022.)

What’s happened so far with the musical? 

Since conceived in spring 2020, the Original Cast Recording was released in January 2021, Vicki hired a dramaturg, Andrew joined the writing team in May 2021, we reworked the script and story, and had a reading and feedback session which led to another draft. Since then, several songs were selected for and performed at various cabarets and showcases around the world at acclaimed venues like 54 Below, The Green Room 42 and The Union Theatre (London). It was also hand-picked for the inaugural New Musical Project in Boulder, CO (‘22)  after which more revisions were made, it was named as a Semifinalist for the 2023 Eugene O’Neill New Musical Theatre Conference (a pretty big deal!), and we’ve just obtained a fiscal sponsor (NYFA). The next big thing is this Earth Day Concert at 54 Below!

(Spotlight on New Musicals, The Union Theatre, London, April 2, 2022. )

(TREESON Cast, Director Benji Stasny, Writer G. Victoria Campbell, at New Musical Project, Dairy Arts Center, Boulder, CO, August 6, 2022.

What are folx saying about the music?

Why an Earth Day Concert?

Simple answer: Why NOT? More thoughtful answer: If you’ve watched the news lately, or honestly, just stepped outside lately, you probably noticed that weather patterns are changing. The climate is changing. Summers are hotter, winters are colder, and the weather is just all around more extreme. It’s getting worse every year. We believe climate change is real. We know many others do as well. So what can we do right now? How can we play our part? Well… we wrote this musical. And we believe in the power of art as activism. By producing this Earth Day concert, we hope to inspire our audience to play their part to create a more habitable world for all. 

Why are you fundraising?

We are fundraising because producing a concert costs money. Ah the joys of living in a Capitalist Culture that doesn’t value the Arts.  On a basic level, there are fees for the venue, rehearsal space, music director/pianist, singers (at least 10 singers, hopefully more), band, photographer, videographer, and printing the sheet music and programs. Beyond that, we would love to get paid for the first time for the past 3 years of work! Most writers/composers work for nothing and for now, we’re in that camp, but we do have to pay our cast and crew for their time in rehearsing for and performing in our concert. This concert is an opportunity to get our work in front of some people who can really help it take flight in New York City and beyond. 

Aren’t there other ways to raise money rather than getting donations?

Yes. But, these funds are hard to come by. We’ve applied for many grants, and we have gotten close to getting them! But they are competitive. We’ve networked with producers and investors, but, time is ticking and we want to share our work with you and the world. Thankfully we’ve obtained a fiscal sponsor (NYFA) to help demonstrate the legitimacy and importance of this project. We hope you believe enough in this show to be part of its journey. The added bonus of having a record of donations to our project is that this will hopefully spark producer/investor interest. If they see that others believe in our show, perhaps they, too, will believe. Imagine your name in a “Special Thanks” section in a Broadway Playbill someday! 

Why are you self-producing? Can’t you get a producer to help?

Easier said than done. The American Theater Industry is hurting. Andrew works in the business full time and knows the reality of the situation. Theaters are STRUGGLING. Due to Covid and the financial burden it had on the theater industry, many development and production opportunities are focusing their investment on bankable, “safe” works such as revivals, adaptations or jukebox musicals rather than investing in new original works. Between the tentative return of audiences and the high risk of investing in new projects, it's difficult to get a new musical in front of major producers and backers. As such, it’s been challenging to see this project come to life. So we have to help them see the opportunity, need and support for TREESON. And because of that, we are taking it upon ourselves to self-produce the Earth Day concert.

What is a fiscal sponsor?

A fiscal sponsor is a nonprofit organization that provides fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of charitable projects. This means your donations are tax-deductible and if you’ve got an employer who does company matching, this makes your donations go further. It also means all donations go to NYFA, not to Vicki or Andrew. 

What is NYFA?

NYFA stands for The New York Foundation for the Arts. It is a public foundation established by the New York State Council on the Arts in 1971. The Foundation's broad purpose is to work with the arts community throughout the country to develop and facilitate programs in all disciplines.

The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation; under Internal Revenue Service regulations it qualifies as tax-exempt. All grants, in-kind donations and other contributions should be made payable to the New York Foundation for the Arts, and accompanied by a cover letter specifying the purpose or restrictions, if any, of the grant. Any contributions of cash, securities, or materials made to the Foundation on behalf of TREESON: An Eco-Musical are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. The Foundation is prepared to provide you with financial accounting of the contributed funds.

Why so much money?

First, NYFA takes an 8% admin fee for sponsoring us. Second, Seed & Spark takes a small admin fee of about 4%. So we need to raise at least 12% more than needed. 

Producing a concert is a big undertaking with a lot of parts! Our initial goal is $10K. With that funding, we'll be able to: 

• Hire the minimum number of Singers.
• Hire an intermediate Music Director/Pianist.
• Hire a band - drummer, guitarist, bassist.
• Pay for rehearsal space.
• Pay for Sheet Music, Programs and Music Binders.
• Pay for basic videography.
• Pay for TREESON Tote Bags.
• Cover all fees for union dues, pension, insurances.
• Cover Seed & Spark Admin Fee and NYFA's Admin Fee.

Our stretch goal of $20K will help us accomplish our true vision: hire the best cast and crew possible, including A-list Broadway stars and musicians. With this additional funding we will:

• Hire TOP TIER, A-LIST Broadway stars for a role or two.
• Hire additional singers for Ensemble/Harmonies.
• Hire advanced Music Director/Pianist.
• Pay for extra rehearsal time.
• Pay for the top tier videography package and also a photographer.
• Cover marketing and PR fees.
• Maybe finally pay Andrew & Vicki!? Who knows! 4 years of work deserves a little compensation right?

Any extra donations raised will be donated to environmental activism organizations such as The Rainforest Alliance. 

WILL YOU HELP?

Scroll up, find a reward tier, and hit that "Donate" button! Please also SHARE this project with your friends and families through social media, email, and word of mouth — everything helps, and we'd like to get the word out as far and wide as possible!

FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY

Instagram: @treesonmusical, @gvictoriacampbell, @arcoopman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreesonMusical/

Website: www.treesonmusical.com 

Earth Day Concert: www.54below.org/events/treeson-an-eco-musical-in-concert-for-earth-day/ 

RISKS AND CHALLENGES

Our biggest risk is not raising enough funds to cover all the costs we have budgeted for. With your help, that won't be a problem! We MUST raise at least 80% of our goal in order to access the funds. If we fall short, you get your money back.

Another challenge - this is our first time producing a concert. And with all of these moving parts, it's a huge creative and organizational endeavor. However, if you know Vicki, you know she can pull it off! She did self-produce and remotely music direct the entire Original Cast Recording of TREESON during Covid lockdown with 16 singers from 8 different countries, after all! In addition, every time we take on another project, we learn something new and grow as artists and as a team. We think we're prepared to take on the job of balancing the artistic decision making, creative work, business decisions, and long term planning and logistics required to pull this off.

Lastly, another risk is the size of the cast and scale of the show. Since the story centers on conflict between loggers and activists in the forest, we need a large ensemble in addition to the 8 principal roles to create the ideal sound. It's important that certain songs feel larger than life. This will come at quite a cost, but we would like to see the piece reach its full potential.