SUBJECT: Theatre Guild eNews - September 9, 2024 Guild Newsletter
September 9, 2024
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PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Thank you for showing up!
Please stop what you're doing right now and give yourself a big ol' pat on the back. It's Monday -- you earned it. And if the overwhelming attendance at our Welcome Dinner and enthusiastic support of the Theatre Guild is any indication, we are in for an outstanding year! Thank you for showing up for our meeting and our kids and the important work still to come.
Keep a lookout for all things Mr. Burns, the Theatre Conservatory's first Main Stage show of the year, including Playbill Ads, volunteering, and admissions information. If you haven't already, please mark your calendar for North Texas Giving Day on September 19. Our gift link is already open, and the details are below so read on.
Big thanks to ALL of parents & guardians of Theatre Conservatory students who came to El Fenix. Guinea Bennett Price, the head of the Theatre Conservatory described what is currently going on both in the classroom and during rehearsals for Mr. Burns. And thanks to everyone in the Theatre Guild that made the Back to School dinner possible including Theatre Guild President Alicia Schortgen, Membership Chair Tamara Woodchek, Sponsorship Chair Shelby Bobosky and Hospitality Chair Leah Mora.
Give with purpose on September 19! If you donate to Booker T Washington HSPVA Theatre Guild on NorthTexasGivingDay.org between 6 a.m. and midnight you will supporting the following Theatre Guild initiatives:
Feed the Kids which provides hundreds of dinners for Theatre students in the cast and crew of each production during tech week rehearsals and performance nights
Senior Showcase where the Guild supports the Conservatory by maintaining and updating a mailing list of over 900 individuals from college and conservatory theatre programs from across the country as well as providing meals and onsite hospitality to attendees
Financial support for the Learning Lab (an intense acting and internship program), Physical Acting, Improv, Comedy, and Shakespeare performances
Publication of professional quality Playbills
We hope that YOU join the movement and help us reach our goal of $25,000 on September 19!
Stay tuned for Volunteer Needs!
Parent Volunteers: Please make sure you create or renew your DISD VOLY profile so you're ready to volunteer. This is an easy process that ensures that all volunteers on campus are vetted.
Student volunteers: Can get service hours for helping out.
Your donations will help the Guild support the Theatre Conservatory students & teachers. Donated snacks and water bottle are sold by Guild volunteers before Theatre Conservatory Shows and during intermission. You are invited to shop on Amazon using the Theatre Guild's Wish List. Amazon will ship donations directly to Concessions Chair Alicia Rico. Or you can shop for water bottles or any of the other requested items in a brick and mortar store and deliver to Booker T. during Tech Week (before the run of the show). Donations that are dropped off must be clearly marked "Theatre Guild Concessions."
What: Student Recognition Playbill ads are an excellent way to celebrate a student who is in the CAST or CREW of the show or show your support for Booker T Theatre performances. Additionally, we can have Playbill ads to recognize our support of the BTW staff and faculty.
How: It is easy – just submit the artwork (picture or clipart) and the copy (text) you wish to have with the artwork to the Playbill Coordinator at playbill@btwtheatreguild.com. Or you can create your own ad. Please include the size ad you are purchasing.
What does it cost to place an ad in one Playbill?
Full page 5"x8" $75
Half page vertical 2.5" x 8" $50
Half page horizontal 5" x 4" $50
Quarter page 2.5" x 4" $25
Where can I buy an ad? Ads can be purchased online using this link to the BTW Theatre Guild or you can use your membership benefits for an ad. Theatre Guild membership benefits for guild members at the Copper ($75) level and above include one or more ads.
Does my membership come with an ad? All levels at Copper or above get FULL page student recognition playbill ads (which can be broken into ¼ or ½) as follows:*
Copper 1 page per school year
Silver 2 pages per school year
9th Grade Only Gold 3 pages per year
Gold 3 pages per school year
Platinum 4 pages per school year
Diamond 6 pages per school year
If you are already a member, please make sure to tell us that you intend to use one of your included ad when you email your ad materials to playbilldesign@btwtheatreguild.com
Net Price or how to estimate what it costs to go to college
As part of the application process, it is important to know how much a school will actually cost. The best way to do this is to use online tools to determine the Net Price.
The Net Price is the amount that a student pays to attend an institution in a single academic year AFTER subtracting scholarships and grants. (Scholarships and grants are forms of financial aid that a student does not have to pay back.)
Net Price Calculators (NPC) are available on a college’s or university’s website. Prospective students can enter financial information about themself and their family in order to find out what students like them paid to attend the institution in the previous year, after taking grants and scholarship aid into account.
Use that NPC to get a better estimate of what the cost will be to attend a specific college.
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On August 13th, the Theatre Conservatory held a meeting for seniors' families and shared information about the 2024-25 school year including YoungArts, Senior Showcase, as well as performance and audition opportunities. Here is a link to the slides that were shared with seniors' families.
It is important to mark your calendars because the majority of Senior Showcase for the Theatre Conservatory occurs on Friday November 22 and Saturday November 23. (That is the Saturday before Thanksgiving. If you are planning to travel you will want to take that into consideration.) Showcase requires lots of Theatre parent volunteers to run smoothly. The Theatre Guild looks to the parents of 9-11th graders because parents of seniors are not allowed to be present at or volunteer during Theatre Showcase Events.
The October Theatre Guild General Meeting will be on 10/8 following the PTSA meeting. The Theatre Guild plans to hold its meeting from 7-8pm in room 246/248.
We don't want to miss an appearance or accomplishment! We rely on our guild members to let us know where to spot a Pegasus in the wild. If your Pegasus is in a non-Booker T production, please let us know. Our talented kids are so busy we need your eyes and ears to make sure we get the word out. Please include viewing dates, ticket links and any other details that will help us spot a Pegasus in the Wild. Alumni are Pegasi as well so keep those tips coming in too!!!
Jack Honeyman was awarded Third Prize in the Ten Minute Play Contest sponsored by Princeton University's Lewis Center for the Arts. The contest seeks entries from 11th graders nationwide. In addition to a cash prize, The Beginning Meets The End by Jack Honeyman has been published online.
Booker T. Washington Stu Co
Look here for information from Booker T's Student Council.
School Supply Drive
Drop supplies off at the front desk.
Earn one community service hour for donating (Yes, it can be used for NHS)
got questions?
Follow the official Booker T. Stu Co account on Instagram @btwhspvastuco
If you are a PTSA member, there is a code for a $5 discount on your ticket order. You will need to log into the PTSA membership toolkit to get the code.
Thursday September 12 is opening night! (Wednesday is a student preview show and ONLY students should be in the audience. )The PTSA anticipates that On Your Feet! may sell out and encourages all Booker T families to buy their tickets in advance.
If you are the parent or guardian of a Theatre Conservatory student you are invited to join the individual class Facebook group for additional information & updates about everything that is going on at Booker T.
All Facebook groups are private and you will need to provide your BTW student's name and answer the questions in order for your request to join to be approved.
