UNWIPED: The Mansion Artistic Takeover

Aim

Emergency Fundraiser for a multi-generational performance project which empowers young people, cultivates creativity & saves Totnes heritage

Help save our summer performance project! This is an emergency community campaign with only 7 weeks until the Fringe Festival. Everyone is emotionally invested—please support us if you can!

The Project: What is UNWIPED?
At its heart, UNWIPED is a high-quality community performance project that brings people together to celebrate the unique spirit of Totnes. Produced by local non-profit Playground Arts CIC, this creative takeover brings together a massive multi-generational cast aged 6 to 86—including 50 local young people and professional mentors—inside the iconic Totnes Mansion for the upcoming Fringe Festival.

By engaging directly with local elders, our young performers are capturing at-risk oral histories—including legendary 1940s schoolboy pranks and 1960s historical breakthroughs—to rescue and celebrate these precious memories before they are lost. This site-specific production is a beautiful opportunity to honour a cherished local landmark, provide creative training to local young people, and ensure that high-quality performing arts remain completely accessible to families in our community.

The Hurdle: Why We Need an Emergency Rescue Mission
We have just hit a sudden hurdle. Despite a robust proposal and deep community backing, our recent Arts Council funding bid was unsuccessful. This is a major blow, but stopping is simply not an option. Rehearsals started two weeks ago, and our 50 young people, professional mentors, and heritage partners are already completely invested.

With our performance locked in for 12th July at the Totnes Fringe Festival, we are moving fast to plug this sudden budget gap. We have gone through the numbers with a fine-tooth comb and reduced our expenses by almost 50% to make the project as lean as possible. This emergency Crowdfunder is our community rescue mission to ensure we can pay our local freelancers fairly, secure vital safeguarding for the young people, and deliver the show our town deserves.

Why Your Donation Matters
By donating to this campaign, you are investing directly in the culture, heritage, and future of Totnes. Playground Arts CIC is fully inclusive, and this project is a true community effort where everyone benefits. Your support allows us to keep participation free and accessible for local families, ensuring all children can take part regardless of financial background.

But the impact doesn't stop with our 50 young performers. As an audience member or local sponsor, you are also receiving a gift: the preservation of real-life town stories that would otherwise be lost forever. Your pledge—whether large or small—protects our local freelance artists, lifts up our young people, and ensures that the vibrant history of The Mansion stays alive.

Our Starting Point: Secured Local Support

We pride ourselves on being efficient, collaborative, and deeply rooted in Totnes solidarity. Thanks to local support, we have already unlocked massive "in-kind" contributions (including a gifted venue and rehearsal space from The Mansion, research time from a professional archivist, and an 1877 school ledger from KEVICC!).

• Performance Space: £0 (Generously gifted by The Mansion Totnes)
• Rehearsal Space: £0 (Gifted for free by The Mansion for our professional R&D and rehearsal phases for our young people)
• Historical Research: £0 (A professional archivist from KEVICC generously gifted half a day of expert time to help us dig into the records)
• Production Props & Set Dressing: £0 (Special old archives generously loaned from KEVICC—including an authentic school ledger dating back to 1877!)
• Marketing, Promo & Ticketing: £0 (Driven by The Totnes Fringe Festival and supported by The Mansion)

What We Expect to Raise: Ticket Sales

We also have money coming in from ticket sales across our three live shows and two dress runs. We receive 80% of ticket sales for our main shows on 12th July (on a sliding scale of £6–£10), and we have decided to sell tickets for our dress runs on 5th and 12th July at half price. As soon as these ticket sales are calculated and banked, we will instantly lower our Crowdfunder target.

Our expected ticket income is:
• £960 Ticket sales from 3 x live shows (calculated at 80% of an average £8 per ticket across 3 sold-out shows)
• £400 Ticket sales from 2 x dress runs (sold at £5 per ticket across 2 sold-out dress runs)

Total Expected Ticket Income: £1,360

Other Potential Funding on the Horizon

We currently have a funding bid submitted to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Whilst this bid is purely for the heritage outcomes of the project, if successful we may be allowed to reallocate some funds towards the filmmaking and set design. If this is approved, we will immediately reduce our Crowdfunder total to reflect this extra support. A decision is expected in early June.

Budget Transparency: Where Your Investment Goes

Because of our sudden funding shortfall, we need to secure £8,785.50 to cover our essential delivery costs and ensure professional, fair rates of £133 per day for our creative freelancers. We are also applying for match-funding on this platform, which would be a massive boost — so fingers crossed! This has been reduced from our original £10k ask, and we are working hard to keep it as lean as possible.

We are also projecting an income of £1,360 from ticket sales across our three live shows and two dress runs on 5th and 12th July. As soon as these tickets go on sale and are purchased, we will instantly lower our Crowdfunder target to reflect this community income. We will only ever ask for the bare minimum needed to keep this project alive.

🍰 Cast Rehearsal & Show Fuel (£150): Funding three massive trays of fresh bakes from The Mansion's local café to keep our 50 young performers energised across both intense dress runs and the big performance day (£1 per young person).

🎨 Artist Set Commission (£300): Commissioning a talented local artist to design and build an art installation within the space, physically recreating John's 1940s schoolboy memories.

🎒 Costumes & Props (£300): Sourcing authentic historical wardrobe pieces, special archive displays, and vibrant props for the artistic takeover.

🎥 Filming & Performance Documentation (£800): Sourcing a professional filmmaker to capture the final performance. This film will be permanently deposited in the Totnes Image Bank as a lasting legacy for the town.

✍️ Writer & Co-Rehearsal Director Fees (£931): 4 days of script curation and 3 days of co-rehearsal direction at £133/day to lock down local memories into a cohesive narrative and support our rehearsals.

📋 Producer Fees (£960): 6 days of intensive logistics management at £160/day to coordinate the moving parts of a promenade community production.

🛡️ Safeguarding Support Workers (£1,200): Crucial team members to support, manage, and safeguard 50 children across a complex, multi-room, site-specific environment.

🎭 Professional Actor Fees (£2,194.50): Fair pay at £133/day for our two lead professional mentors across 16.5 combined days of research, rehearsals, and shows.

📣 Director & Choreographer Fees (£1,950): 10 days of expert direction to safely manage, block, and lead our massive 50-strong young cast.

💰 TOTAL TARGET INVESTMENT: £8,785.50

How You Can Back the Mission

🥉 BRONZE SUPPORT PLEDGE: £15

• Impact: Sources raw wardrobe materials or helps buy healthy rehearsal snacks to fuel our young cast.
• Rewards: A warm public thank you on our social media + a permanent name credit in our printed event programme handed out to audiences on the day.

🥈 SILVER SUPPORT PLEDGE: £45

• Impact: Directly covers essential safeguarding and production support costs, helping us keep participation completely free for local families.
• Rewards: All Bronze rewards + 2 x exclusive invitations to one of our private family dress rehearsals at The Mansion before the festival crowds arrive.

🥇 GOLD HERITAGE PLEDGE: £125

• Impact: Directly protects our creative freelancers (guaranteeing them their fair £133/day rate) and anchors our vital safeguarding crew.
• Rewards: All Silver rewards + an official name credit in the final film production, permanently weaving your support into the archive film heading to the Totnes Image Bank.

💎 PLATINUM ANCHOR PLEDGE: Choose Your Amount (£125+)

• Impact: The ultimate backing for our Community Interest Company (CIC). This top-tier support ensures our sessions remain free and open to everyone, fully funds our local artist installation, and guarantees the entire production can launch safely on 12th July.
• Rewards: All Gold rewards + an exclusive invitation to our private archive screening and Q&A session with the creative team. Type in your chosen support amount above £125 to back the project at the highest level.

UNWIPED
Hundreds of years. 3 generations. Nothing to gain. Everything to lose.

Wipe your feet and enter the much-loved Mansion for an immersive, site-specific performance like no other. Moving through the building’s hidden corridors, grand rooms, and open courtyard, you will witness a funny, vibrant, and heartwarming piece. The show explores the idea of a future of empty spaces if our local memories and stories are no longer told... lost... wiped.

The performance takes place at The Mansion on 12th July, staged as part of the Totnes Fringe Festival.

Shows will be at 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm. Tickets will be on sale via the Totnes Fringe Festival website very soon.


🤝 Can You Offer Any Other Support?

Managing 50 young performers across a complex historic building takes an immense amount of local energy. If you can help us with your time or skills, you are officially part of our rescue mission!

We would love some community help with:
• Volunteers — to help guide our audiences safely through the secret stairwells during the festival.
• Lighting Equipment — extra gear to help illuminate the Mansion's hidden spaces.
• Film & Editing Support — helping our crew document and preserve these vital memories.
• Marketing & Social Media Support — helping us beat the clock and get the word out online.
• Local Journalism Support — helping us share this emergency story in print and press.

If you can lend a hand, a skill, or a piece of kit, please get in touch with Sarah directly:
📞 Phone: 07387553237
✉️ Email: [email protected]

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 23rd July 2026 at 12:35pm