The 2026 production of 'Perfect Arrangement' was a play set in the 1950's USA and follows two lavender marriages struggling to survive in what became the beginning of the Red Scare and the lesser known but equally destructive Lavender Scare. A lavender Marriage is a marriage of convince where one of both partners are LGBTQ+. During the Red Scare, the Lavender Scare also occurred, resulting in the mass firing of up to 10,000 American government employees for suspect if being gay or lesbian and the banning of homosexuals from any government work. Believing that queer people were more susceptible to blackmail.
Because of this, we teamed up with Whangarei PROUD! and set up a donation campaign on their behalf to run for the duration of the production run. In addition, we held a special fundraiser performance where all profits went directly to Whangarei PROUD!. Not only was this the first night to sell out, it also had our most energetic audience to support our performers and crew. Not only was this special night amazing for us, word got out about the work we were doing, selling out the remaining performances in the run.
And the totals are in! Thanks to our sold out Whangārei PROUD fundraiser performance during 'Perfect Arrangement' and donations throughout the rest of the season; we managed to raise $1,330.69!
This has been donated during the national GiveOUT fundraising campaign where donations are being matched dollar for dollar resulting in that $1,330.69 becoming $2,661.38! We are so glad to have been able to support our local LGBTQ+ community while sharing queer history onstage with our audiences. The funds raised go towards keeping the lights on at Pride HQ in town, repairing windows, funding Pride Month 2027 and ensuring the rainbow community in Whangārei can continue to be a safe and welcoming place for all.
On behalf of the Whangārei Repertory Society, thank you to everyone who donated or promoted or attended our fundraiser night. And a thank you and congratulations to the cast and crew and other volunteers who worked tirelessly as always throughout the entire season.