Behind every business plan, book idea, documentary or artistic endeavor conceptualized on Capitol Hill is a passionate person who could probably could use a boost.

In our “Capitol Hill Crowdfund” series we try to provide exposure to those entrepreneurs using online crowdsourcing platforms, but while the internet is a great base for exposure, sometimes we’ll slip in an offline gem like My Last Year with the Nuns.

CONCEPT: My Last Year with the Nuns (Film)
Performance Fundraiser: Richard Hugo House, 7 PM, April 13
Raised: $100 ticket price goes toward $50,000 film production shooting budget

Matt Smith, an actor (he was the mailman in “Sleepless in Seattle”) and monologist, is turning his autobiographical play about his 8th grade year as a 1960’s schoolboy on Capitol Hill into a coming-of-age film.

To fund “My Last Year with the Nuns,” which will be filmed in the neighborhood, Smith is hosting a performance of his monologue April 13 at the Richard Hugo House.

In Smith’s autobiographical monologue “My Last Year with the Nuns,” the universe of his younger self is about ten blocks long. He and his friends roamed the heavily Catholic Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, wandering from St. Joseph’s Church to the Seattle Times newspaper shack, from school playgrounds to a murky and tangled ravine that cuts through 
the city. The paper shack lies right on the edge of the racial “red line” drawn to enforce the era’s prejudice, providing a rare forum where white and black kids come together for a few minutes each day before returning to their segregated streets.

Smith’s stories—about the young hooligans he admired but couldn’t bring himself to emulate; about the nun who tried, sometimes cruelly, to steer him and his friends on the path to righteousness; about a fleeting friendship with a black kid that gives him an unexpected view of escalating trouble—find jolting humor in serious events.

The $100 ticket price includes admission to an after-party. All proceeds will go toward producing a feature-film based on the play. Tickets can be purchased online.

Here are some other local projects currently seeking funding:

CONCEPT: House of Glass  (webseries)
Raised: $2,562/$12,000 goal
Kickstarter campaign ends: April 2

A group of local actors, writers and directors are hoping to create an original action drama webseries influenced by Greek mythology. “The project itself is an action girl show where a mysterious man called The Host heads a house of kick ass ladies who fight an unknown nemesis,” according to the production company, Pulled Prok. Funds will go toward paying the cast and crew – many of whom work on Capitol Hill. Supporters will get access to all six, 10-minute episodes, plus clothes, jewelry, a role in the film or a BBQ lunch, depending on the funding level.

CONCEPT: A book on American Handmade Bicycles
Raised: $3,740/ $12,000 goal
Kickstarter campaign ends: April 5

A Capitol Hill-based handcraft bicycle builder is seeking to produce a book exploring the reasons for the rebirth of American bike making and the people who have dedicated their lives to crafting the functional art. Aspiring author Michael Coon, who also runs Coon Cycles LLC on Capitol Hill, is seeking funding for travel expenses to conduct interviews, photography equipment and production fees. Backers will receive a copy of the book.

CONCEPT: Fat & Lye Handmade Soap Co.
Raised: $1,740/$2,600 goal
Kickstarter campaign ends: April 9

Forget the rose water and lavender soaps, Seattle-based Fat & Lye are using micro-brewed beer, Seattle brewed coffee and Washington wines to create their soap. The local, vegan-friendly ingredients take the place of water and offer great skin softening qualities, according to the Kickstarter campaign. Funds go toward buying more oils, lye, scents, packaging materials, upgrading soap molds, creating marketing materials and a potential farmers market booth in Capitol Hill.