| FAQ |

Get the word out! It's cheesy, but it's true. When it comes down to making the big decisions, having more demand for Rag Dolly's return might just be what tips the scales in the hearts of investors. Be loud and be public.

As a fan:

• Tell your friends!
• Make fan art, write fan fic, sing song covers, dress up in cosplay
• Support us on Kofi! And keep an eye out for any future fundraising calls
• If you're a content creator (or aspiring creator!), talk about Rag Dolly and RARE. We'd be happy to help out with research
• Tell us what makes you excited about the show and what it means to you, join in for script discussions

If you're in the theater buisness:

• We would love to hear from professionals with any advice they have going into workshops
• Make connections, see if anyone you work with is interested
• Email us at theraggedyannrevivaleffort@gmail.com to discuss licensing if you'd like to organize a workshop

There is not much we are allowed to say here, since we are still in legal discussions over our contract. But here is our (hopefull) estimate:

• Within a year: begin workshops
• Within 3-4 years: put on a proper inaugural production of our revised script
• Within 5 years: solidifying licensing for other parties

I know this feels like a long time. It's been a long time for us too. But legal discussions take time and energy, and we want to make sure we do things the right way. Along the way, we will continue to provide updates and record as much of the workshop process as possible.

No.

As theater artists, we strongly believe that there are shows that are made for Broadway, and shows that are not. Broadway tickets are expensive, and people are very selective in what they choose to see. Musicals that are successful on Broadway usually have large sets, large casts, and larger-than-life broad appeal. Shows intended for a large stage have movements and characters that can be projected all the way to the back of an 800-seat theater, while some shows require a more intimate space.

Meanwhile, many shows that did not do well on Broadway have done much better off-Broadway, or in community theaters. Our goal is to make the licensing for Rag Dolly avaliable for anyone to perform, as we see the show has thrived internationally in much smaller scale productions.

Even without a Broadway budget, part of our goal is also to preserve Rag Dolly for future generations in the form of a proper album and proshot.

Maximum 10%. We are going over the entire script, but the majority of the book will still be Gibson and Raposo's work. We intend to use many different versions of the scripts from the original production, and construct our revised script by shifting around and swapping out sections of original material. Many of the changes themselves are small, but build together to create more cohesion between the show's plot and its themes.

Completely new writing is mainly used to replace any offensive or graphic imagery that we believe crosses a line. For instance, Panda's lines needed to be re-written or scrapped.

Due to licensing constraints, the majority of the music will be re-orchestrated by our own composers. This also allows us to re-arrange some pieces of music to better flow with our interpretation of the story. This sort of re-orchestration is common among revivals.

We are sticking with the original recommendation, which is 9 years old or older.

Though there is nothing explicit or adult, it's also not children's theater. While there are fun and engaging moments, it isn't designed to keep little kids in their seats for two hours and has its slow dramatic moments as well. We strongly believe that it is a family show: the plot, characters, and humor are tailored for adults as much as children, and that adults should be prepared to discuss some of the show's more serious themes with their children.

The plot of Rag Dolly was inspired by the legend of Raggedy Ann's creation, where author Johnny Gruelle made up the stories for his daughter, Marcella, while she was sick.

Besides the basic premise, there is very little about the show's plot that is based on real life. Playwright William Gibson based the show's setting more strongly off of his own childhood, set in the 1930's, instead of the 1910's when the real Marcella lived. Her family background, the main plot of the show, was invented for the story and wasn't intended to be based on fact. Perhaps most importantly, this Marcella lives at the end, the same way the real Marcella has lived on in her father's stories.

This adaptation of the real Marcella isn't new to the franchise. In fact, even in Gruelle's own books we see Marcella portrayed not as she was in real life-- with curly blonde hair instead of brown and much younger than she was when she grew ill. The character of Marcella is an homage to the real-life girl and has been adapted many ways in different pieces of media throughout the years. Rag Dolly is just another adaptation, only one that pulls slightly more from real life.

R.A.R.E. is very close with the larger community of Raggedy Ann collectors! We enjoy participating in the Raggedy Ann Rally each year in Arcola, and have made many friends in our multiple years attending. We're all doll collectors ourselves, and love to share the warmth and joy of the characters even outside of the musical. Rag Dolly is not the only piece of Raggedy Ann media we work to preserve, and as side projects we also digitize movies, records, books, and cassettes that risk being lost to time.

Through our online presence and research, we love teaching young fans about the history of the character and the community and forming bridges between the two groups. We also hope that in future years, we can provide more resources on how more people can attend the Rally and other meetups!

We believe that Rag Dolly was written to help its young audience name their own worries and fears of death, and give them the tools to process those fears. William Gibson, the playwright, made his intentions for the themes clear:

Even if we think these emotions are too intense for young children, they deserve validation and not just a distraction. Loneliness, grief, and isolation lead in this case to a "broken heart", which is healed through the love and care of people around you. We hope the audience comes away with the willingness to acknowledge their nightmares, to tell the child within them that their fears are heard, and there are people who care.

We don't intend to water down or declaw the show, and instead preserve as much of the original material as possible. Many of the organizers have had personal experiences relating to the content of the show, and Rag Dolly has spoken to us in a way that we hope to share with others who could also find comfort in it.