With indoor gatherings getting the cue to exit stage left thanks to COVID-19, local theaters have been particularly hard hit.

But now, with an end to the pandemic coming into view, the owner of an intimate black box theater in Port Townsend is turning to crowdsourcing to keep his space from being forced to make a premature curtain call.

Joey Pipia, owner of the Chameleon Theater and School for Young Actors, said establishing a GoFundMe was never an idea he had planned on entertaining.

Pipia said he has put off fundraising in order to ride out the storm until a clear end was in sight.

But as closures have dragged on though, things have become increasingly dire and he has been left with few other options.

“It seemed to me [last spring] that the idea of there being a vaccine this year — even though people were talking about it — it really seemed like it was not going to be something that was going to happen right away,” Pipia said.

“But then, back in December, it was amazing that there were these two companies that were approaching the FDA. And now it’s like there’s actually going to be something that I can fundraise for,” he said.

Pipia added that after he was passed up for state-funded relief for small businesses, keeping his doors open through grassroots fundraising just “seemed like the next logical step.”

“Truth be told, this is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this,” Pipia said.

“I hate doing this, it’s the last thing I want to do. To say, ‘Oh, by the way, can you help me make this happen?’”

Pipia said during his more than 30 years in Port Townsend he has worked closely with the Key City Public Theater but added that his theater is unique in that it allows for more flexibility in who can use the space for their performances. 

“The Chameleon is available to anybody, anybody who has an idea or has a show can just rent the theater and use it,” Pipia said.

“That’s all you have to do. If you want to do something through Key City, there’s a process. It has to be approved, it has to be part of their season. The Chameleon is basically available to everybody and anybody in a much easier way.”

When a global pandemic isn’t putting the damper on ticket sales, Pipia said his theater offers a dynamic array of entertainment to its patrons, including his own productions plus originals from other local artists.

A crowd-favorite in recent years, he added, were the sold-out performances by flamenco dancer Savannah Fuentes.

Other productions included “The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn Monroe” by Rosaletta Curry, “Buried Child” by Sam Sheppard, and “The Descent of Imanna” by Richard Overman.

The Chameleon Theater also orchestrates the Wooden Boat Festival’s annual pirate play.

Pipia teaches acting classes through summer programs and workshops.

In shaping the young actors of tomorrow, he said he had attempted to make a go of it and continue his classes by leveraging videoconferencing software.

But with kids these days spending hours upon hours stuck in front of a screen for schoolwork, the prospect of more screen time to attend his improv classes, seemed just too much.

“My assessment … was that the kids were basically burned out,” Pipia said. “They’ve reached their Zoom max.”

Pipia said the funds raised through his GoFundMe will be used to pay for his theater space’s rent, utilities and other expenses. Pipia noted that he has not taken pay for his work since the pandemic started and attributed the theater’s survival thus far to reduced rent and a “forward thinking landlord.”

Pipia’s GoFundMe has set the goal of raising $10,000. Since it was launched on Jan. 25, the fundraiser has so far gathered $325.

To donate to the Chameleon Theater visit gofund.me/34b1e947.