Opera fundraising: 'Sponsor a character'

A couple weeks ago, we posted about a fundraising campaign at the University of Pittsburgh where donors could endow a position on the football team. When, the Scottish Opera needed a fundraising idea, they did the same thing:

In an attempt to raise extra funds towards the cost of the production, and give audiences a chance to get more involved, the company offered patrons a chance to sponsor individual characters for any sum between £25 and £5,000.

My high school drama teacher used to say there are no small roles in the theater. She may have been right, but there certainly are cheap characters. One of the most popular choices was an Italian tenor, who sings just one aria in act one, he was sponsored by 20 donors.

They ended up raising £44,000. For the entire article, go here.