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What is Fright Night?
Fright Night started as a whisper among the Theatre Conservatory faculty at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. It's part Haunted House--in the subterranean world beneath Booker T. and part Boo Bash -- an above ground indoor mash up of nostalgic Halloween parties and a Fall Carnival. Most importantly it provides a chance for students to explore their creativity with a hint of the macabre.
What is the Theatre Guild?
Booker T. Washington Theatre Guild Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization run by volunteers that serves the Theatre Conservatory's students and teachers. Funds raised by the Theatre Guild are used to provide resources, enrichment opportunities and programs like Feed the Kids, Senior Showcase, and Scholarships. Use this link to learn more about what we do.
Why Donate?
As public school budgets get tighter and everything is more expensive, each show puts more of a strain on the Theatre Conservatory. The Guild steps in to fill in the gaps from the 2,300+ Feed the Kids meals provided in 2025 to the funding for props, sets, costumes, tools and more; our donors dollars are making an immediate undeniable difference in the lives of Booker T. scholar artists.
Booker T. Theatre by the Numbers
Widely considered one of the best performing arts high schools in the country, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts is home to nearly 1,000 scholar artists divided among four Artistic Conservatories: Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts. It is a public magnet school in the Dallas Independent School District. All students undergo a rigorous audition process that includes both artistic and academic criteria before being accepted.
Seven Theatre teachers make up the Theatre Conservatory faculty. They arrive early and stay late for auditions, prescreen prep sessions and rehearsals. This dedication allows the students to put on 7 shows each school year: two mainstage shows, two directing festivals, an annual mime show, a playwriting festival, Flight Fest film festival AND one HAUNTED HOUSE!!!
Theatre Guild's Feed the Kids program is scheduled to feed the cast and crew on the 52 nights when they plan to stay past 8pm for late rehearsals or performances. If you multiply that by an conservative estimated headcount of 50 students that means 2,600 individual meals and over $30K of our 2026-27 budget.
74 Seniors are preparing for College Showcase & each is required to have a professional headshot. This year 26 families were struggling to cover the cost. Some families simply asked for a bit more time. Most will never be able to repay the $80. The Theatre Guild spent $2,080 to make sure every senior will see their picture hanging outside the Brierley Experimental Theatre.
There are 267 Theatre Conservatory students in grades 9-12 this year. It is a safe bet that every single child will directly benefit as a result of the Theatre Guild. From the handheld mirrors used in diction class to the snack cart wheeled out after school. Even small expenditures by the Theatre Guild make a big impact.
The cost of lumber has been increasing dramatically, $866 is the amount that Set Construction teacher Max Overton needed to get his students started building the set for Chester & Grace, the first mainstage show of the season.
An impressive collection of costumes has been amassed over the years. In August, Costume Instructor Renee Jones spent $1,916.55 of Guild funds to maintain the incredible assortment by buying organizational systems to protect fabric stored in the basement as well as new irons and ironing boards in the costume shop.
Extensive sewing machine maintenance was required to ensure that all 22 sewing machines were in working order before the ninth graders start their machine sewing unit this fall. So far the Guild spent $2,273 and is awaiting an order of $430 worth of replacement parts that will need to be installed with additional labor expenses.
In September $2,650 was used to bring in professionals for workshops designed to supplement preparation of the cast and crew of Hamlet ESP. Additionally, Prism Movement Company performed an anthropological deep dive into Shakespeare’s most famous moments of conflict entitled They Fight! open to allstudents & their parents.
$4,000 would feed the entire cast & crew of the Paul Baker New Works Festival during all late night rehearsals & performances AND it is also the amount to sponsor a Fright Night Scene Stealer. Imagine, in the middle of the Boo Bash, a diversion is created and everyone’s attention is commanded in a split second during an immersive performance (think FLASH MOB).
What's Next? Now It's Up to You.
As the parent of one current Theatre senior and two BTW alums, I am proud to spend my last year at Booker T. serving as the Theatre Guild President. I have watched hundreds of students develop from inexperienced freshman to seniors confident in their chosen craft and ready to take on the world.
Booker T. is a magical place but that magic is neither effortless nor inexpensive. As a public school drawing from neighborhoods across the city of Dallas, every one of our Theatre students contributes to the creative community but there is often very little extra money for families to contribute financially. To participate in Theatre shows that rehearse outside of school hours, students often have to balance family responsibilities and part time jobs with the demands of being part of the shows that they love.
Theatre Guild helps by feeding ALL the kids EVERY NIGHT they stay past 8pm. There are no show fees or meal charges. Every student in the cast and crew sits down together and is treated equally. If you read the numbers above, then you already know that we expect to pay tens of thousands for meals this year. It is important that the Guild doesn't just focus on the costumes, props, sets, designer materials, tools and equipment. We also need to make sure that kids who arrive for 8 am rehearsals before going to class all day only to stay until 9 pm are not left hungry.
This is where you come in. Usually donors are told that they are helping make dreams possible, this time you will also be making sure that nightmares see the light of day. And I mean that in the best way possible! Please become part of Fright Night. October 1st will be the start of our month long social media campaign to publicize Fright Night and highlight our sponsors. I would love to add you to that list!
