ACT II: THIS IS THE MOMENT

The Campaign for EPIC’s Next Decade

For ten years, EPIC Players has changed what’s possible. Now, this is the moment to build what comes next….

As EPIC Players celebrates its 10-year anniversary, we are launching a bold four-year campaign to expand opportunity for Neurodivergent and Disabled artists, strengthen the future of inclusive theater, and build the foundation for EPIC’s next decade. Demand for EPIC’s work has never been greater. Classes are full. Waitlists continue to grow. More artists, families, collaborators, and audiences are seeking spaces where Disabled artists are not only welcomed, but centered.

ACT II: THIS IS THE MOMENT is a $10 million investment in what comes next: more artists served, larger artistic opportunities, stronger infrastructure, long-term sustainability, and a permanent future home for Disabled arts.

The Campaign for EPIC’s Next Decade

For the past decade, EPIC has created transformative artistic opportunities for Neurodivergent and Disabled artists through professional productions, training programs, mentorship, and community-centered performance experiences.

Today, EPIC is at a pivotal moment.

Demand for EPIC’s programs is strong and visible. Classes exceeded enrollment caps. Waitlists continue to grow. EPIC In-Schools served more than 500 students, audience attendance grew 35.5% year over year, and the organization engaged 177 active Players. Act II will help EPIC meet this momentum by:

  • Expanding access for more Players

  • Strengthening staffing and infrastructure

  • Increasing artistic opportunity

  • Growing long-term sustainability

  • Laying the foundation for the EPICenter, a future permanent home for Disabled arts

Together, these investments will help ensure that Neurodivergent and Disabled artists have greater access to professional artistic opportunity, visibility, community, and belonging for decades to come.

The Vision for The Future

  • Serve More Players

    Demand for EPIC’s programming continues to rise across New York and Los Angeles. Classes routinely reach capacity, and waitlists persist across programs.

    Campaign support will help EPIC:

    • Expand class offerings

    • Increase advocacy support

    • Add teaching artists and mentors

    • Create more performance opportunities

    • Strengthen continuity across programs

    More artists deserve access to spaces where they can train, perform, collaborate, and belong.

  • EPIC Launchpad — Staffing and Systems

    Growth requires more than programming.

    Act II will strengthen the staffing, coordination, systems, and organizational infrastructure necessary to support Players with consistency, rigor, and care as EPIC expands.

    This investment ensures that EPIC’s growth remains sustainable, connected, and artist-centered.

  • Off-Broadway Productions

    EPIC’s long-term artistic vision includes producing work at an Off-Broadway level; creating larger, more visible opportunities for Neurodivergent and Disabled performers and creative teams.

    This next chapter includes:

    • Larger-scale productions

    • Greater visibility for Disabled artists

    • Increased professional opportunities

    • Expanded actor compensation

    • A stronger national profile for inclusive theater

  • The EPICenter

    EPIC’s future includes building the EPICenter: a permanent home for Disabled arts in New York City.

    The vision for the EPICenter is larger than a rehearsal or office space.

    It is a long-term investment in belonging, where community can form, creativity can flourish, and Players can return again and again to be with one another. It would also create a visible center for inclusive theatre-making in New York and a stronger foundation for employment pathways, artistic collaboration, and communal life.

  • The R.I.S.E. Fund and Operating Reserve

    Act II also supports the continued growth of the R.I.S.E. Fund, EPIC’s reserve-building initiative focused on long-term resilience and institutional stability.

    More than $1.5 million has already been committed toward this effort, helping establish a strong foundation for the future.

    This investment helps ensure that EPIC can continue serving artists with strength, stability, and confidence for years to come.

A Four-Year Path for Act II

Act II will unfold over four years, with each year building the capacity, continuity, and long-term strength needed for EPIC’s next decade.

In this first year, donor support helps convert visible demand into meaningful access. More Players and families are seeking EPIC out. Classes are full. Waitlists persist. Early campaign support will help increase capacity through more classes, teaching artists, advocacy support, and performance opportunities while strengthening the pathways that allow Players to grow within EPIC over time.

YEAR 1: Meeting Current Demand

YEAR 2: Building the Staffing and Systems That Sustain Growth

Year Two focuses on building the staffing, coordination, and infrastructure needed to support EPIC’s continued growth with consistency and care. As more Players engage across programs, campaign support will help strengthen the systems and organizational capacity that sustain high-quality artistic experiences and long-term connection. This investment lays the foundation for larger opportunities, deeper impact, and lasting growth in the years ahead.

YEAR 3: Expanding Artistic Opportunity

Year Three focuses on expanding to larger productions, increased visibility, and stronger professional pathways for Neurodivergent and Disabled artists. Campaign support will help EPIC strengthen production capacity, pursue Off-Broadway work, and create more visible and equitable opportunities for Players to perform and grow as working artists. This investment advances EPIC’s long-term vision for artistic excellence, representation, and professional recognition.

Year Four focuses on the long-term future of EPIC through stronger infrastructure, continued growth of the R.I.S.E. Fund, and the vision for the EPICenter: a permanent home for Disabled arts. Campaign support will help strengthen organizational stability while laying the groundwork for expanded space, deeper community connection, and long-term sustainability. By the end of this phase, EPIC will be positioned with greater capacity, resilience, and a stronger foundation for the decade ahead.

YEAR 4: Building the Future

Support the Future of Inclusive Theater

“EPIC has been incredibly meaningful to me by giving me access to many different resources and also by giving me such a wonderful community I am so incredibly happy to be part of. I look forward to anything EPIC related always because of how much happiness and belonging I feel from being part of this company. I am so thankful to anyone and everyone that works within and with EPIC. Thank you so much for existing.”

— Genesis Sullivan, EPIC Season 24/25

Sponsorship Opportunities

Act II offers partners and supporters the opportunity to invest in the future of inclusive theater while helping expand visibility and opportunity for Neurodivergent and Disabled artists.

Campaign supporters will receive meaningful recognition opportunities tied to EPIC’s 10th anniversary celebration, productions, events, and future growth initiativess.

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10 for 10 - $10 Million To Build the Next Decade With EPIC Players

Ten years ago, EPIC began with the belief that Neurodivergent and Disabled artists deserve rigorous artistic opportunity, visible representation, and spaces where they can fully belong.

Today, that vision is stronger than ever.
This the moment to expand access.
This is the moment to invest in artistic excellence.
This is the moment to help shape the future of inclusive theater.

Act II is a four-year, $10 million campaign to expand opportunity for Neurodivergent and Disabled artists and ensure that the community we have built can thrive for generations to come.

Act II invites donors to invest in EPIC’s long-term future.

With your support, more artists will be able to enter EPIC’s world, stay connected over time, and grow as performers, collaborators, leaders, and working artists within a stronger and more resilient institution.

Build the Next Decade

Be Part of This Moment

Interested in supporting EPIC’s next decade?

Please contact Executive Artistic Director
Aubrie Therrien
aubrie@epicplayersnyc.org

Together, we can help build the future of inclusive theater.

Invest in What Comes Next