La Mama is literally the mother of independent theatre. Founded in 1967 as a theatre for new and experimental plays, it acts as a production company, of sorts - providing the theatre space and paying the plays' writer and director; others (actors, designers, etc) receive a split of the door sales.

Audiences are invited to stick around after the performance and chat with the cast and crew, and have the chance to win the raffle (a book). The raffle tradition began when artistic director Liz Jones edited La Mama - the Story of a Theatre (written by Helen Garner and La Mama’s founder Betty Burstall). Sales were...slow, so the books were raffled. (Other worthy reads were raffled once they ran out.)

Seeing a La Mama production is itself something of a raffle. You may not get it, but it was great to be involved. On the other hand you may hit the jackpot.

Support La Mama by seeing its productions, but at the moment it needs support to simply survive. It recently committed to purchase the tiny 40-seater theatre on Faraday St, and just managed to scrape up the deposit – thanks to a large number of people who opened their wallets and gave what they could. Now it has to come up with the purchase amount…