You can raise funds AND awareness about your organization while having fun at the same time! VILLAIN: (Evil laugh.) Mwu-ha-ha-ha! I’m going to cut your budget to ribbons! Say good-bye to your precious coffers! HEROINE: Oh, no! If you cut our budget, (insert your cause—drama club, youth group, non-profit organization) will never survive! HERO: I have an idea to save the day… put on a melodrama! You can raise funds AND awareness about your organization while having fun at the same time! It’s a win-win-win situation! HEROINE: You’ve won-won-won my heart! VILLAIN: Curses, foiled again! Whether it’s your school, church or local charity organization putting on the show, melodrama is a great way to garner support and get the community involved. Pair up a night of melodrama with a spaghetti dinner to raise additional funds, and your audience gets to eat, drink and be merry participants in a theatrical extravaganza. Waving hankies at the heroine, cheering at the hero and booing, hissing and throwing popcorn or marshmallows at the villain are just a few interactive aspects of melodrama. Sing-alongs are great ice-breakers to warm up the audience for their role in the show, and olios (small skits, songs and jokes presented with brief blackouts between each) are a great way to involve a ton of people for a large cast. Remember, the more people in your production, the more people in your audience—and that’s just what you need for a successful fundraiser! Attract a crowd and keep them coming back—put the “fun” in fundraising with a melodrama! | 
