Company One Theatre presents BETTER FUTURE SERIES

ACTS OF JOY
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

This March and April, we’re bringing together C1 Artists to create personalized gifts to make your loved one’s spring a little brighter. We’re calling them Acts of Joy, and each purchase supports our mission at the intersection of art and social change — and helps us keep employing artists through the pandemic.  

Curious, but want to know more? We’ve got the answers to all of your questions below!

What is an Act of Joy?

An Act of Joy is a recording of a brand new piece of art, specifically written with you or your loved one in mind. You can choose a monologue or mini-play by one of our playwrights, or a brand new song by a singer-songwriter in the C1 Fam. Just answer a few questions to help us customize, and we’ll get to work making it happen!

Is this like Cameo?

Kind of! While Cameo is a platform that allows you to request a specific message for a celebrity to record for a recipient, Acts of Joy are all about creating brand new works of art, rather than sending specific messages. The responses you provide during registration will serve as the inspiration for a totally original monologue, mini-play, or song, written and performed by incredible artists in the C1 fam. 

Who are the artists? Can I pick my artist?

We’ve brought together a large pool of talented artists with whom we’ve worked in the past as actors in our mainstage productions, playwrights in our PlayLab cohorts, and other artists we’ve established relationships with through the years. Because all of these artists have busy schedules, we will select which writers, actors, and musicians work on your Act of Joy, based both on availability and who we think will best bring the piece to life based on the answers you provide at sign-up and the unique needs of each script once it’s been written.  

If you would prefer to work more closely with us on the creation of your Act of Joy from start to finish, you might be interested in our Concierge option. For a donation of $1000 or more, we’ll work with you to curate a totally unique Act of Joy experience.

Can I see a sample?

Yes! You can check out our sample monologue, mini-play, and song samples on our website. The monologue and miniplay were written by our Resident Playwright Kirsten Greenidge, and the song was written and performed by Allyssa Jones.

If you would prefer to work more closely with us on the creation of your Act of Joy from start to finish, you might be interested in our Concierge option. For a donation of $1000 or more, we’ll work with you to curate a totally unique Act of Joy experience.

Who should I send my Act of Joy to?

Acts of Joy make great birthday gifts for family members and friends. They also make great thank yous for teachers and essential workers in your life, or anyone who’s had a really long year and could use a surprise to make their day better. 

 

National Teachers Day is May 5, and there are lots of other unique observance days coming up — how about sending a Superhero-themed mini-play for April 28, National Superhero Day? 

 

If you’d like to use your Act of Joy to mark a specific occasion, be sure to plan ahead, and remember that there is a two week turnaround between purchase and delivery.

Can I send an Act of Joy to a group?

Yes! Just provide us with all of their email addresses at sign-up, or add yourself as the recipient and share with the group after delivery!

Does it cost more to send an Act of Joy to a group?

Nope! Your donation allows us to pay the artists involved in creating each Act of Joy; once the video is created, you are free to share it with as many people as you like! 

Will I receive my Act of Joy as a video link, or can it be downloaded?

Yes to both! We will be delivering Acts of Joy through the video platform Vimeo, where you can download your video or share it on social media for your friends to see!

What’s the turnaround time for an Act of Joy?

There are a lot of moving parts in the creation of your Act of Joy. First, a playwright is selected to write a script based on your responses at the point of registration. Then, actors are cast, and rehearsals are scheduled with C1 directors to bring the piece to life. Because each step of this process takes time, our goal is to send each finalized video to both the sender and recipient two weeks after the purchase date.

Can I see it before it goes to my recipient?

As outlined above, there are a lot of moving parts in the creation of your Act of Joy. In order to guarantee delivery of the finalized video within our two week window, we are not able to offer senders the chance to provide feedback to us or the artists. 

Will the artists get paid?

Yes! While this project is a fundraiser to support C1, our goal is to also provide opportunities for writers, actors, and musicians to be paid for their work during a time when most live performance opportunities are unavailable. Artists will be paid for each Act of Joy they work on, so the more that are purchased, the more artists we’ll be able to support this spring!

Can I share my monologue, mini-play, or song on social media? What can the recipient do with it after it’s received?

Absolutely! We’d love to see your monologues, mini-plays, or songs out in the world — be sure to tag us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram

What about Pops of Joy? Can I share those as well?

We do our best to make sure each Pop of Joy is a unique combination of visual art and poetry, but because Pops of Joy are not fully customized for each individual recipient, we ask that you don’t share them on social media, so that others who might purchase can get a surprise in their inbox too! 

What’s the turnaround time for a Pop of Joy?

Pops of Joy will be delivered approximately two business days after purchase.

I just want to donate, is that okay?

Of course! You can donate directly to C1 online at companyone.org/donate, or Venmo us @CompanyOne-Theatre.  

Who is C1 and why are they doing this program?

Company One Theatre (C1) builds community at the intersection of art and social change. Founded in 1998, Company One has situated itself as a home for social justice and artistic excellence by connecting Boston’s diverse communities through live performance, the development of new plays and playwrights, arts education, and public engagement programming. By establishing a dedicated space for marginalized and alternative narratives to thrive and working with partners and collaborators across the city, Company One has become a local leader in the ongoing conversations that continue to define the era of social change in contemporary America.

This time of year, C1 is usually gearing up for our spring fundraiser, The Jam. We can’t party together just yet, so Acts of Joy is our way to bring a mini-party to you — and to keep employing artists through the pandemic. 

I’m an actor/playwright/songwriter — can I get involved?

We are not currently looking for additional artists, but you can reach out to actsofjoy@companyone.org to let us know you’re interested, and we’ll let you know if additional openings come up!  

 

This time of year, C1 is usually gearing up for our spring fundraiser, The Jam. We can’t party together just yet, so Acts of Joy is our way to bring a mini-party to you — and to keep employing artists through the pandemic. 

© 2021 Company One — Boston Theatre tel: 617.292.7110 — fax: 617.307.4475 — email: info@companyone.org — 539 Tremont St — Boston, MA 02116