Stayin' Alive: The Foundry Fund 2024

The Foundry is an intimate multidisciplinary performing arts venue in West Stockbridge, MA serving diverse audiences in Berkshire County and beyond. Opened in 2019, the intimate venue survived the Covid-19 pandemic by pivoting to online programming and then outdoor performance in the warmer weather. Like all businesses, the venue still struggles to recover from the financial losses incurred but continues to provide the community with unique local, touring and emerging artists while specifically focusing on giving often unheard voices a platform.

In addition to the hardships caused by the pandemic, the venue has suffered hefty legal fees while defending our right to continue bringing artists and audiences together. When we were awarded our Special Permit from the West Stockbridge Planning Board to be in operation, we purchased $5000.00 worth of sound monitoring and recording equipment to keep a record of our compliance.

Now, even though The Foundry continues to document our compliance, our abutter, Trúc Nguyen, has filed an appeal of the Special Permit in Boston Land Court. In addition, we recently appealed our Special Permit to the West Stockbridge Planning Board in order to make adjustments that would make the enforcement less time consuming for the Zoning Enforcement Officer. Though we were granted our appeal, our abutter is again suing us in Land Court for a second time to protest the appeal. This legal process is taking years and has cost our venue tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. (The Planning Board is named in the suit, so the WS taxpayers are paying for the Town's legal representation.)

As the world crawls toward finding comfort in gathering together again, the process is slow and ticket sales have suffered while we all navigate our safety and health in the public arena. The venue depends heavily on the revenue of ticket sales to break even and survive. The additional expenses above have created the need for The Foundry to again ask for help from the community it serves. So many are lacking in funds due to the economy, war, oppression, and so much more. But we strongly believe that what The Foundry offers is healing and joy through the brilliance of performance art; an offering worth its weight in gold.

We thank you in advance for any amount you might donate to help ensure the venue's future.