PART THREE Let’s get back to the money issue. Sheets make doable flats. Local motels and hotels toss them when they get beyond using on beds and tiny flaws or thin spots won’t bother you. Ask for donations. Local thrift stores will donate props and costumes or components for making costumes. You don’t sew? You shouldn’t have to. Use your resources. Delegate! The local senior center is full of women (and men) who sew and would love to help the kids. Lumberyards toss a whole lot of imperfect lumber. Paint and hardware stores are always mis-mixing paint. I’ll bet you could get some free IF YOU ASK! It might be funny colors but you could work with it. Build an advertising curtain to hang somewhere. You can hang it in the hall, in the auditorium, or cafeteria, somewhere near where you’re going to be having plays or even just a prominent spot that gets noticed. Make it a big one. Each advertisement could be 2 feet square and painted with love by your art department AND those wonderful volunteers. Don’t forget your drama students. They can and will help too. Sell the big ones for $50 (a year) and half that for $25. A forever reminder of just who it is that supports your infant program. When they don’t choose to continue their support, paint them out and add someone new. Don’t be afraid to talk it up with parents as well. They’re proud of their kids they just might support your curtain. Many of them own businesses or at least wouldn’t mind proposing the advertising donation to their boss. Offer receipts always. Merchants like receipts. You could use sheets, but they’re a little thin, I suggest a painter’s tarp or two. I’d bet a local homebuilder might help you with tarps and lumber and nails and whatever you need. With coaxing, they might even offer a little labor after their business hours. It’s amazing what you can come up with if you just ask. There are always car washes, bake sales, yard sales, and carnivals to raise money as well. PTA? That’s what they’re for too. To help where and when needed. What ever you try, don’t give up. Get parents on the list of volunteer adult supervisors. Don’t try to do it alone. If it’s not a roaring success, do it again another time. Your determination and belief in your students and their fledgling drama department is what’s going to make it work. Always, always get your Principal’s permission to undertake any task on behalf of the school. Your programs for your plays and musicals should always have that extra page or two for supporters. Proud parents, merchants, interested people who just want to say congratulations and well done to a hard working drama department. Charge a minimal fee to have their advertising or message included in that program. It raises money. Again, if your school will allow it and you don’t charge admission, there needs to be a large container, preferably glass or clear plastic just inside the door labeled donations. You’ll be amazed how much you’ll collect if you just take that simple step. And everyone there will see how money can grow. If your school will allow you to charge admission, that’s all the better. Keep it very reasonable so the parent or grandparent that really can’t afford it can also attend. Many schools don’t charge. Your Principal can and will be a great help. Let him/her be your guide. Are you excited yet? Be ready to be creative. Of course you can be creative! You’ve got to compete with sports programs in every direction. Their competitions and practices and other events are going to be a constant challenge to work around. It’s not an easy road to the building of Pastors and Presidents. I’d guess that nearly every successful business executive, politician, and church leader has a bit of a background in theatre. Standing in front of a gathering or a TV camera to pray for peace or declare war or expound on the success of a business venture to stockholders requires stage presence. Where does that come from? It comes from theatre and public speaking and of course your wonderful drama class. It enhances every aspect of education and day-to-day life. You might even end up with a student who makes it big in theatre. What a thrill that would be. It’s worth being worthy when competing with sports. Don’t be intimidated. You have a little money, you have a space dedicated to a production, and you have great volunteers to work with the nuts and bolts of putting a play on stage. Now it’s up to you to pick your very first script. Just read, read, read. Children’s plays? Children’s Musicals? Christmas scripts? High school drama? Plays for young audiences? Whatever your committee chooses. Absolutely never place a production order without first reading the script. It could cost you precious dollars to make that mistake. What’s suitable for a public school or community theatre might not be suitable for a private school. Purchase several single scripts and allow your committee to help you choose. What committee? It should first be students who show interest. Or if you have class time, use the class or drama club to assist in the selection that perfect script. Never ever copy a script. Nearly all theatrical materials from publishers are copyrighted. You’ll need enough for your cast and crew without copying. Royalties will have to be paid as well. I guess it’s easy to forget that the money you pay for scripts and royalties are the salaries that the authors receive for their hard work. Who among us would like to do without our salary? I could go on, but I won’t. What I’ve given you is the recipe, its up to you to embellish it with the ideas that sprout from your brain and from the brains of those that you’re wise enough to involve. Just follow the long-standing rule of educators. Put on your thinking cap! And so, with that I say BREAK A LEG! |
