The Chocolate Church Arts Center of Bath embraces crowdfunding for the first time, as it launches a campaign to support its latest upcoming theatrical production. Expanding from traditional sponsorship, the Chocolate Church reaches out through to the community for financial support to stage Gilbert and Sullivan’s “HMS Pinafore” in September. 

Crowdfunding is the fundraising practice of financing a project or venture by raising many donations from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. For this first time venture, the Chocolate Church has chosen GoFundMe as the platform. The link to the project is www.gofundme.com/vrgg2j8.

“This is an innovative fundraising model to engage the community in community theater,” said Jennifer DeChant, executive director of the Chocolate Church. “It has been many years since we have staged a Gilbert & Sullivan show so it is a nice juxtaposition to utilize modern-day technology to raise money for a beloved, timeless show like this.

“For years, Gilbert and Sullivan operettas were produced annually on our main stage by the Brunswick Choral Society lead by Priscilla Montgomery, who also taught theater arts at Morse High School and directed their annual talent show, MOHIBA.” 

DeChant emphasized, “We have had a great response thus far. Every contribution — no matter how small — counts toward the goal. It builds momentum and community around the project. Our first donation was from an 11 year old cast member.”

Written in 1878, HMS Pinafore immediately became a smash hit in London and has continued its tremendous popularity for the last 137 years. The story of a high-bred captain’s daughter, Josephine, who falls in love with a handsome sailor, Ralph Rackstraw, but can’t marry him because of his lowly station in life. She is betrothed to the lord of the admiralty, but when she sees the old geezer, decides the beautiful young man is preferable. They plan to elope, when it is discovered that the Captain and Ralph were switched at birth, meaning Ralph is high-born after all! The whole goofy story makes little sense, but is full of laughs and terrific music. 

Director Wayne Otto, who cast 35 participants aged 12-65 to play the sailors manning the famous British ship, their wives, sisters and cousins, has grand plans for this show, including a breathtaking set, elaborate costumes, and an orchestra of terrific musicians.

Otto produced a humorous video to accompany the fundraising GoFundMe page declaring “all this glitz and glam is costing a lot of money.”

The video features HMS Pinafore cast members parodying "Carefully on Tiptoe Stealing," a song from the show, creatively revised to emphasize the need for more money to make this wonderful event happen. The cast sings, “We need the cash!” 

“To make this happen we need a really cool set — a big ship with stairs, a mast, rope ladders and lots of ornamentation,” Otto said. “We need marvelous costumes from flowing 19th century dresses and sailors suits to admiral's uniform and a ship's captain.”

Otto researched several funding platforms and decided to use GoFundMe, “in order to get people excited about the idea of contributing to help the spectacular show hit the stage.”

Chocolate Church Art Center’s “HMS Pinafore” will be staged 7 p.m. on Sept. 11, 12 and 18, 19; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13 and 20.

For more information call 207-442-8455 or visit www.chocolatechurcharts.org.