I got an interesting letter in the mail the other day from a new theater group called "Stageplays".

Here's a snippet from the letter.

"How many new plays are on Broadway right now? If you guessed more than two, you are wrong! Look at the number of revivals and resurrections of plays past. And, if we look at the ghosts of the past, the present and the future [Ed: Insert a bizarre reference to A Christmas Carol that is totally confusing], without new play development the future will be very bleak [Ed: Note italics and bold on the word "very", which means it's really serious]

The good news? There is one company that is actively developing new plays. Stageplays Theatre Company (Stageplays) is a small company with a big passion and a strong belief that the theatre needs new plays and new playwrights...and an organization like ours to nurture and develop them.

Our presence in New York City is vital to the success of new play development. We hae a number of projects under development including:

Santa.com, a new musical for families. Santa's elves, pink-slipped by the Internet shopping craze, go on the offensive to save their jobs, and Christmas! [Ed: Oh goody, a dotcom musical. I hear that thems Internets are everywhere now];

Sharks, a tale of love and corruption in the casualty insurance industry [Ed: Ah, casualty insurance. That's what I was going to do if I didn't pick stews in the '60s];

La Llorona (The Crying Woman), a mystical drama with music on cross-cultural misunderstandings and the American multinational invasion of Mexico [Ed: Will this one have a big tap number?].

These new projects will have a significant impact on the fabric of our lives and raise the standard for the next generation of theatre artists to follow."

No Web site unfortunately, but you can contact them by calling "Laura at 212.354.7565"

Now, I'm all for raising money for new plays. But please, let's not do it with so much negativity. First of all, there are 430 theatres in NYC. Believe me, they're not all running revivals. There's a TON of new play and musical development out there...to which anyone who went to the New York Musical Theatre Festival can attest.

Secondly, don't ask me for donations. I'll invest. And I'll buy tickets. Donations are a low-percentage way to raise money: Offer to sell me something, and I might buy. Ask me for a handout, and hey, I'm busy funding my own musical.

I just hate it when theater people go begging. Treat it like a business for crying out loud, and the money will be a lot more excited about coming on board. Let's face it, there are some really compelling reasons to invest in theater. Firstly, the money to investors comes out first, and it comes out fast. Secondly, you retain all sorts of interesting downstream rights, especially on original works. Finally, you usually get to go to opening night, and meet all the actors, which is always a load of fun. Sell me return, sell me potential, sell me sex appeal. Please don't beg.