[ This Just In! ]

For Immediate Release
Date: November 18, 2001

Salvage Vanguard Theater Canned Food Project Donates More Than 4,000 Pounds

AUSTIN, TX--With its production of Tilt Angel, Salvage Vanguard Theater received 228 pounds of canned food through its Starving Artist Nites, bringing the grand total of donated food since the project's inception to 4,132 pounds. All donated food items are given to the Capital Area Food Bank.

"When we started the project, we wanted to create an opportunity for our audience to give a little something to the community while going to see theater. We're happy to say that over the past seven years, that 'little something' has turned into a big something and may make for a happier Thanksgiving for a whole lot of people," says Jason Neulander, the company's co-Artistic Director who conceived the project in 1994.

Originally called "Pay As You CAN", the project enabled audience members to see a Salvage Vanguard Theater production for free with a canned food donation. Over the years, as company expenses increased, the program evolved to allow audiences to see shows for half-price with a can of food. And the name of the project changed to "Starving Artist Nite".

"I don't think we thought about food in terms of pounds when we started the program. We don't get anything back for this other than a feeling of good will. But it sure is exciting to think about how many hungry people have been fed and how many more people have come to see our plays as a result of this project," says Neulander. "It's really a win-win situation for the whole community."

In addition to launching Salvage Vanguard Theater past two tons of food donated through Starving Artist Nite, Tilt Angel saw record attendance and a first-time special performance for students from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

One-thousand one-hundred and eight people saw Tilt Angel, a record for Salvage Vanguard Theater.

"We have been working for years to break the 1,000-people-attending mark. We finally did it with this show. It's wonderful to have reached that many people with your work," says Dan Dietz, co-Artistic Director of the company.

On Tuesday, October 30, Salvage Vanguard presented a special matinee performance of Tilt Angel for 85 high school students as part of its outreach program ArtReach. Thirty of those students were from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The company coordinated audio descriptive services with Access Arts Austin, a nonprofit dedicated to accessibility to the arts for people with disabilities

"It was the first time we've tried something like this and it was extraordinary to see these kids responding this way to the work," says Neulander. "They were an incredible audience.

Salvage Vanguard's next shows, MotherBone and The Next Best Salvage Vanguard Holiday Ever, perform the two weekends after Thanksgiving. For details call (512) 474-SVT-6 or email svt@salvagevanguard.org.

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