Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Leach.
Hi Melissa , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Amber Irish and I started The Three Leaches Theatre Company 15 years ago with the mission to create fun, edgy, high-quality theater that is affordable to everyone. Theater has become an elitist past time when story telling is a natural, theatrical, performing art that every culture has to some extent. It shouldn’t be only for people with money. The best stories are varied, relational to some, completely unknown to others. In order to share these stories properly, we need a diverse audience. So when we first started, all Three Leaches tickets were $10 a pop. We created the slogan “Theater under $1000 that doesn’t suck!” and did every production with a maximum budget of $1000. That lasted for a long time but as you know, Denver has become more and more unaffordable, and that wasn’t realistic any longer. Amber and I decided to move to a “Pay-What-You-Can” ticket model and haven’t looked back. How did we progress to having our own space? That was a little bit of timing, a little bit of luck, and the collaboration of two like-minded souls. 40 West Arts of Lakewood was looking for a small theater company to take over their 65 seat black box theater with attached art gallery and bar. They put out an open call and I FRANTICALLY applied even though I was on holiday and in a completely different time zone! Bill Marino and I met and I think there was an instant bond. We both want the arts to be affordable to everyone, and we both are passionate about bringing the arts, in all different forms, to the public. We met, I did my pitch, and now The Three Leaches has had a home for the last 2 years.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As anyone with their own business will tell you, the road is never smooth. It’s one thing to be an artistic person who loves putting together productions with other amazing creatives. It is quite another to be that person AND to run the business side of things. I’ve learned so much in 15 years and still feel like an impostor. One of the biggest struggles Amber and I have faced is the fact that we are two women (and at the time, relatively young women) running a company in a world that is weirdly dominated by men. I can’t tell you how many times we had to stand firm and force people to abide by the contract we all signed. Nowadays, the struggle is mostly money. It’s all well and good to have a “pay what you can” ticket model, but finding other ways to then make up that revenue is hard. I’m lucky to be living in a city that has numerous wonderful small theater companies, dance collectives, comedians and more that I can rent our space to. That certainly helps. But I am always searching for new, different, and creative ways to market and use our space (and we are always looking for sponsors!)
We’ve been impressed with The Three Leaches Theatre, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Like I mentioned, we are known for being affordable to all with a “pay what you can” ticket model for our audiences. When we aren’t in performance mode (We do 5 per year), we host really fun evenings like: karaoke, drag queen bingo (shout out to our fabulous host Gigi G’amour!!!), and comedy nights. We also offer classes for adults and kids such as playwriting and acting 101. Most recently, we’ve developed our own after school program (I’m a former special educator, so this is near and dear to my heart), and well as an older adult acting class that we provide at care centers. Again, everyone loves the arts and should have access to them! I also want to take this time to shout out my amazing art gallery team! Our space came with a beautiful gallery space and I cannot believe how lucky I was to meet Alyssa Williams, a talented Denver artist, who wanted to help me curate the space. Without her and her support team (Seneca and Sila), we wouldn’t have a rotation of phenomenal visual arts each month. We also offer private parties, space for fundraisers, and meetings.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I highly suggest taking time to witness/take in/ explore the arts in your area. Especially arts that are similar to what you do as an artist. I feel like every year I get better at taking time to actually see productions by other companies and am almost always in awe. It helps spark my own creative spirit, but also puts me in touch with other creators in the community. We are far stronger together than we are apart, and it is so great to have a real community when you are running a small business.
Pricing:
- Pay-what-you- can!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thethreeleaches.com
- Instagram: @thethreeleaches
