"Quick Change" - The Little Play with Big Dreams!

WELCOME! GLAD YOU STOPPED BY!

We are the Bijeux Collective --a newly formed independent company of female performance artists from across the USA!

WE ARE SEEKING SUPPORT TO CONTINUE WITH OUR FIRST PRODUCTION

In August, we learned that our short play, "Quick Change," was chosen as an Official Selection of the Short and Sweet Hollywood Festival in Los Angeles this October!

We all gathered in LA from across the USA to rehearse and perform in the Festival's regular programming. Early contributions went to covering our airfare, housing & rehearsal space, transportation, wardrobe, props, and food needs--we couldn't have done it without our angel sponsors!

Then, on Sunday October 16th, we were voted one of the top People's Choice plays of the Festival! This means we are advancing to the SEMIFINALS, which will be held on October 26th, with a chance to make it to FINALS at the end of the month!!!

We are stoked that our very first project has had such a great response from audiences. But because most of our team is visiting LA from out-of-state, the longer stay means we have additional food and transportation costs that we need help covering. (Ahem, gas prices, we're looking at you...)

Watch our video to learn more!

OUR GOAL IS TO RAISE AN ADDITIONAL $1,000 by October 26, 2022!

Yep! $1,000. That's what it will take for the five of us to thrive in Los Angeles for the next two weeks while we complete our run in the Festival.

We are calling in favors and investing ourselves, but we still need funding for food and gas.

It's not that much, and your support will help complete our journey toward artistic freedom and creative ownership!

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

When you partner with us, we have some super fun giveaways to show appreciation for your support! --> (Make sure to Like and Follow our Facebook and Instagram accounts so you can receive your gifts) <--

Here's what you can expect when you partner at the following levels:

$10+ Applause!

We will give you a big and heartfelt shoutout on an Instagram Story that will live on the Bijeux Collective IG account!

$20+ Let's Party!

The cast of "Quick Change" will create and share a mannequin dance in an IG post, personalized just for you! Who will shimmy in your honor? Will it be "Sheila," "Jeff," or "Raquel?" Find out!

$50+ Ahhh, Memories...

One of our Bijeux-jeux will reach out to you to create a digital keepsake card tailored just for you! All you have to do is answer this question: If you could take one of our mannequins out on a date, who would it be, and where would you go? (hmmm, tough one...)

$100+ Super Supporter!

Thank you for being a Super Supporter! We would love to send you a thank you card signed by the Bijeux Collective team and a poster of our show! You can choose to receive a physical copy, or you can choose to SAVE THE EARTH and opt for a digital version.

*Physical mailings for thank you cards and posters will go out in early November and apply to only 48 continental U.S. states. For this, we would need to gather your address which you can send privately once you receive a welcome e-mail from us!

$200+ Backstage Pass!

Thank you for your generosity! You will receive everything from the $100 level (a signed thank you card and poster of the show) PLUS digital behind-the-scenes photos from the production!

*Physical mailings for thank you cards and posters will go out in early November and apply to only 48 continental U.S. states. For this, we would need to gather your address which you can send privately once you receive a welcome e-mail from us!

$500+ Showtime Sponsor!

The lights are down, and the curtain is up! As a "Showtime Sponsor," you get everything from the $200 level (a signed thank you card, a poster of the show, & digital behind-the-scenes production photos) PLUS THE DRESS-REHEARSAL VIDEO OF THE SHOW! (sent to you once the festival is over).

*Physical mailings for thank you cards and posters will go out in early November and apply to only 48 continental U.S. states. For this, we would need to gather your address which you can send privately once you receive a welcome e-mail from us!

$1,000+ Associate Producer!

Welcome aboard! We will announce you as an official Associate Producer on the Bijeux Collective IG! In addition, you receive everything at the $500 level (a signed thank you card and poster of the show, digital behind-the-scenes production photos) PLUS THE DRESS-REHEARSAL VIDEO OF THE SHOW! (sent to you once the festival is over). And for a little extra, you'll also receive an exclusive bloopers and outtakes video! It feels good to be at the front of the line.

*Physical mailings for thank you cards and posters will go out in early November and apply to only 48 continental U.S. states. For this, we would need to gather your address which you can send privately once you receive a welcome e-mail from us!

Can't make monetary contributions? Spread the love a little further and opt to share our campaign with as many people as you can!

NEED MORE REASONS TO JOIN US?

We get it! We like to do our research, too. We've put together this handy list of frequently asked questions.

BIJEUX COLLECTIVE FAQS:

"Who are you, and what are you about?"

Glad you asked! The Bijeux Collective is Deanna Nicole Shinksy, Erin Elizabeth Reed, Joanna De Leon, Kseniya Babayeva, and Tessie Herrasti. We met in 2021 while attending the Tom Todoroff Conservatory of Acting (based in New York). After graduating this past May, we were inspired to continue working together and to take creative ownership of telling the stories that matter most to us rather than waiting on someone else to "give us permission." Thus, the Bijeux Collective was born with a mission to center the actor as the creative axis of performative production. Experimenting with original, classic and contemporary works, the company is in itself a journey through creativity and storytelling.

"Ummm... how do you pronounce bijeux?"

Great question! This short video should help.

"Ohhh, bijeux! Got it! But, uh, what's it means?"

Look at you, you etymologist, you! (That's a lot of "you's"... and we couldn't do this without all of you's!) But we digress...

"Bijeux" is a combination of the French words bijoux (meaning "jewels") and jeux (meaning "game"). And since we're a bunch of gems who love to play...(get it? Theater? Play?)...we figured it fit us perfectly. Plus, it's French! ooh-la-laa!

"So what's the play about? I heard something about mannequins?"

You heard right! "Quick Change" is a comedy about three mannequins who must battle social expectations and their fears to save their department store from closing. With their jobs and lives at stake, the "Quick Change" Mannies must choose to risk a new kind of "public exposure" to live an authentic life without regrets.

We have some great mannequins in this show!

Take my word for it... you really don't want to miss this!

"Sounds really fun!"

Oh, it is!

"I haven't been inside an actual store in 3 years; I have everything delivered. So... why should I care about mannequins?"

Well... not to get too philosophical and deep on you here, but since you asked...

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[from the Playwright's Statement]:

I believe that we are all born into this world with a unique calling, a special purpose that is bigger than just ourselves. The challenge of our entire lifetime is whether we will choose to undertake the journey to serve that purpose--to live into our highest selves--or to succumb to complacency and the comfort of the familiar.

In striving to reach my own goals, I must do battle with a covert enemy on the daily: my own fears and failings. They are slippery assasins, and I must work diligently to uncover them. A foe I am blind to is likely a foe I will lose to. But when I can illuminate them, name them, personify them--even learn to love them--I stand a far greater chance at personal victory.

"Quick Change," to me, is that spotlight on Fear. I recognize that Sheila, Jeff, and Raquel are each poised and ready, flawed and yearning, fighting and faltering within the “store of Me.” And I, too, will eventually be forced to go out of business, as we all inevitably must. Our only real choice, then, is whether we shut our doors with satisfaction or with regret.

What if regret was not an option?

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SO, WHADDAYA THINK?

WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU JOIN US!

AND WE'RE CERTAIN YOU WON'T REGRET IT.