SHOW FEES
Show Fees
Putting together a musical is surprisingly expensive. Here are some of the expenses: rights to perform, rental of scripts and music tracks or pay for professional orchestra members, vocal and dance teachers, materials to build the sets, costume rentals or materials to make them, cleaning costumes after the show, purchasing props, etc. etc. It all adds up to $10,000-$15,000 per show. Of course some of that money comes back to use in the form of ticket sales, but that all depends on how many tickets we sell.
For most of our musicals the show fee for students is $125-$150 per student.
If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact Ms Heetbrink, Drama Teacher and Director of the show.
Financial Aid
Yes, you can ask for and receive a grant.
Some years ago, after a long day with a client, I sat in an Irish pub in Boston, enjoying some excellent cottage pie for dinner. The clientele was distinctly authentic. One of the guys at the bar motioned to the barkeep, who took a sizable stoneware crock from one of the shelves and put it next to the patron. The man took a $100 bill from his wallet, opened the jar's lit, and deposited the money. And back on the shelf the jar went. My curiosity was piqued.
When I paid for my dinner and my adult Irish beverage, I asked about the jar. The bar tender (and owner) showed me that the jar contained money; a lot. Enough to keep a sizable family in food for several months. He explained that this was the rainy day fund for patrons in need. If you needed support, you'd ask, but mostly somebody in the bar already knew that you needed help. After you recovered, you'd pay it back. No pressure, no promises, no IOU's, no deadline, no paperwork, but a simple honor system: if and when you could, you would. Although the net amount had fluctuated over the years, most of the time re-payments and straight donations provided a steady increase in available funding. I was impressed, and still am. I added to the jar.
We have a jar like that for participation in theatre activities. Support can cover show fees as well as tickets to be an audience member. If you want to apply for a fee waiver or theatre-related financial assistance, the LWHS Theatre Boosters have set-up a special fund for that.
The process is simple and anonymous. Nobody in the Drama department or in the show will be informed about anybody receiving financial support. Please contact your counselor for more information .
If you know somebody who could use some help, please let them know about the program. Or let us know, so we can reach out. And if you feel you should put some money in the jar to pay it forward, contact the Theatre Boosters or simply click the donate button. Thank you!