Welcome to The Rotunda Theatre Group's crowdfunding page.

ABOUT US

You may have seen the recent media coverage of our campaign to turn the Rotunda building in The Burys, Godalming into a 200 seat theatre. It is our intention to provide Godalming with a comfortable and flexible small scale auditorium. We want it to reach out to the furthest corners of the globe for its stories but to do so through the power of local investment, local volunteering and local corporate partnerships. From drama to comedy, talks to children's theatre and music to workshops, this will truly be a powerful multi arts voice for Surrey and beyond. The theatre will function both as a producing house and as a receiving house meaning that touring companies will come to the Rotunda as part of a national tour. We will also produce shows, sometimes in partnership with other venues, which we will then send out on tour. This way we maximise revenue opportunities and build links with other similar theatres around the country. The Rotunda Theatre Group is an affiliation of local people who want to provide Godalming with a much needed cultural space.

LATEST

Our campaign was hit recently when the owners of the building accepted an offer to turn it into flats. However, the deal has failed to exchange contracts and we now have a short window in which to make a change in Godalming for the better. This eleventh hour reprieve means that we are now pedalling hard with our fundraising. Crowdfunding is our chosen way of quickly raising the money we need to buy the building.

You can read more about the campaign here: http://www.rotundatheatre.co.uk.

WHAT NOW?

We don't want to look at a new residential development swallowing up an outstanding plot on the corner of another English high street and think that we could have done more to make this dream a reality.

This is a golden opportunity to establish a dedicated professional theatre space for this community but it could be lost for a generation. So far, the reaction to the project has been overwhelming, with everyone from local theatre companies, to Surrey and Waverley councils, and potential neighbours Godalming Library, Waitrose and Bel & the Dragon all supporting us.

Sadly, this support, although hugely encouraging, just hasn’t been enough. We now need to crowdfund to secure the building’s future for us. These potential ‘angels’ would not only be heroes or heroines to the town community but also people who could have a significant impact on the theatre’s direction.

We are now accepting charitable donations at every level to help fund the purchase of The Rotunda. The asking price of the building currently stands at £325,000.

Please share this with anyone you think might be interested. We are still short of our target.

The talking is over and the money now needs to arrive. Please help in any way you can.

So, let's rally the troops, rattle the tin, fly the flag and when we've reached our target meet one autumn eve in Godalming for a night to remember that will finally bring a professional theatre to The Valley of The Nightingales!

So who's with me?

Forward this link. Share the news. Keep the faith.

Thank you.

Bob Cryer

ETHICAL FUNDRAISING

A quick note on our fundraising:

The Rotunda Theatre Group will regularly review the ethics of our fundraising methods.

We will:

Be truthful.
For this current round of fundraising, we will donate all the funds we receive to enable a charitable trust to purchase The Rotunda and nothing else. Any administration costs incurred by this purchase will be drawn from the total raised.
Keep spending on this fundraising and administration as low as is cost-effective.
Make sure accounting and accountability will comply with the highest legal, accounting and ethical standards and be fully transparent.
Will regularly report on our financial activities.
Will make clear the percentage of income spent on raising funds.
Will make clear the percentage of income spent on administration.
Respect the dignity and privacy of those who may benefit from the donation and the dignity and privacy of potential donors.
Not be over-persistent.
Disclose any conflicts of interest that may arise
Not sell our donors list.

Project Files