How to use the CAR WASH to earn your tuition

Each of you currently fall into one of two categories:

1. Your parents have already paid your tuition in full.

2. You still need to pay some money toward your tuition.

Whichever category you are in, the FUNDRAISER CAR WASH can help you raise your own tuition money.  Here's how:

First: you need to understand the difference between the PRE-SELL tickets and car washes purchased on site.

The ONLY way to earn money toward your own tuition is to PRE-SELL car wash tickets.  This means that you personally collect money and give people a car wash ticket.  We will certainly let people pay for ON-SITE tickets at the car wash, but any money collected at the car wash will go into the general EYT budget to be used for all the various program expenses.  Even if your own mother comes through the car wash, the money goes into the general fund.  Get it?  

So if you're hoping to use the car wash to pay for your tuition, you will need to PRINT the car wash tickets, and SELL them.  That's pretty much it.  PRINT, SELL.  Done.

The only other question, then, is what to do with the money.  And that depends on which category you are in.

1. If your parents paid your tuition in full, then you owe them, not the Empress.  Take the money, hand it straight to mom and dad, and make certain to tell them "thank you" for all they do for you.

2. If your tuition has not been paid in full, then:

• Put the money in an envelope marked with 1) YOUR FULL NAME and 2) THE AMOUNT ENCLOSED.
• Hand it straight to Andrea (at parade rehearsals, at organized socials, at the car wash, or at your scheduled audition)
• Wait for a confirmation email (within one or two days) indicating your new tuition balance

OTHER THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW:

1. Full day kids need to sell 17 tickets (at $6 each) to pay for all of the required tuition.

2. Half day kids need to sell 13 tickets (at $6 each) to pay for all of the required tuition.

3. Money should be collected in CASH only.  If someone wants to pay with a check, you will need to cash it and turn in CASH to Andrea.

4. Students can only sell the 17 tickets available on the download sheet.  

5. Tickets ARE NOT VALID unless they have the name of the student who sold them on the EYT __________________ # section.  

6. ASK QUESTIONS if there is any part of the process you don't understand.

7. Remember, you only get to apply the money from PRE-SELL tickets to your tuition!!!

Off Season

What does the EYT production staff do in the off-season?  (Or at least the pre-season...)

Preliminary Costume Sketches... (illustrations by assistant director Michelle Davis)

Preliminary Set Design... (illustration by assistant director Logan Gifford)

Now aren't you excited?!!

Important Dates Announced: Fundraising Car Wash and Full Day Opening Social

More details will be coming, but I wanted to at least get the word out about two upcoming dates:

OPENING SOCIAL
Who: Full day students
When: Friday, June 28th - 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Where: Andrea's House and Park (3266 Hunter Oak Way)
What: Hang out, meet your Youth Council, eat shmimminim shmamcakes
Now: Put it on your schedule and RSVP to the Facebook event
Later: Wait for more info from your Youth Council and Party Committee

FUNDRAISING CAR WASH
Who: Anyone who wants to earn some $$ for EYT registration -and- anyone who wants to support their friends and EYT in raising some extra funds
When: Saturday, July 6th - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Where: TBA (somewhere in Magna)
What: Wash cars in the name of EYT
Now: Make a list of people who might want to purchase pre-sale tickets; mark the date on your calendar; RSVP to the Facebook event
Later: Sell advance tickets (available soon), wait for more info from your Youth Council and Fundraising Committee

Summer Game - #ICEYT

For those of you with Instagram, here's a fun summer game for you:

#ICEYT (I See E Y T...)

How to play:

Whenever you run into a fellow EYT student, snap a picture and give it the hashtag #ICEYT.  Then check the blog to see your picture added to the slideshow.

Rules:
1. Seeing each other must have been accidental.  You ran into someone at the grocery store, park, library, Seven Peaks, etc.  PLANNED GET TOGETHERS do not count, and neither does family (that includes cousins) unless seeing each other was a TOTAL surprise.

2. THE EMPRESS THEATRE does not count.  Sorry.  I just kind of expect you guys to see each other there!

3. #ICEYT pictures can feature EYT students past and present, EYT staff or tech past and present, and EYT families past or present.  So don't ignore our awesome EYT parents!

4. Play as frequently as you can!

The slideshow is live on the blog.  Who will #ICEYT the first picture?

UPDATE on Payments

Previous policies stated that tuition needed to be paid in full by the morning of July 29th (the first date of rehearsal).  There has been a recent change in policy necessary to help make certain we can get our scripts and other materials by the first date of rehearsal.  Please note:

Tuition will be due in full at your scheduled audition.

It will be the policy of The Empress Theatre that students who do not pay in full at the time of the audition will be dropped from the program immediately.  

Many of you have already paid in full, so this policy change will not affect you.  Each family will receive a statement sometime next week letting them know how much, if any, is still owed toward tuition.

Many of you plan to take advantage of the car wash fundraiser to help raise money for tuition; I will announce dates and information early next week.

Thank you for your understanding with regard to this policy.  We are all working together to have the best EYT yet!  

4th of July Parade - FULL DAY Kids

EYT has been invited to participate in the Magna 4th of July Parade again this summer.  This is not only a great opportunity to represent our program in Utah's "Biggest Little 4th," but also an opportunity to sharpen your skills right before auditions!

Many of you participated last year in what ended up being a learning opportunity for me.  I had never seen Magna's parade before, and I wasn't quite sure how things would work.  But we're back for round two, and in typical EYT fashion, this year will be BIGGER and BETTER than before.

We're still going to sing AND dance.  (Who are we?  EYT!)  But I'll go a bit easier on the dance this year and make it something we can learn pretty quickly.  That means less rehearsals.  Which, by the way, will be June 25th, June 27th, and July 2nd from 10 am to 11:30 am.  Come to one, two, or three. It's up to you!  We will also rehearse the morning of the parade, since the parade doesn't start until noon, and (I now know...) there is plenty of down time while we wait to start.

Also falling in the BIGGER and BETTER category is this announcement: EYT will have a flatbed trailer.  That means said singing and dancing will happen on a moving platform.  (Which mostly means we won't be getting in trouble for stopping on the parade route.)  

In addition to our awesomeness, some of the cast of 9 to 5 will be marching as well.  We'll trade performances with them in an us-them-us-them-us-them rotation, which will give us time to trade out who's on the trailer and who's handing out fliers.  

So, if you stuck with me last year through tons of rehearsal and had a less-than-awesome experience, remember that I promised you I would fix it.  Here we go for round two.  Who's with me?

Please RSVP your parade participation to Zac's mom or using the Facebook event page.  Remember, your awesome director has other awesomeness to be worrying about (also known as... your show), so please don't email or text your response to Andrea.

There might still be 53 days and 18 hours until EYT, but there's only 20 days until the first parade rehearsal.  Come get some EYT on!

Preparing for Auditions

If you haven't started to think about auditions yet, now is the time!  Depending on your scheduled audition, your audition is only 5 or 6 weeks away.  Here's what you should be doing now:

1: Choose a song

• MUSICAL THEATER selection or a TRADITIONAL CHILDREN'S song
• Something you already know well or can know very well in time for auditions
• In your range - not too high or too low
• Something that shows me your personality
• Try to avoid trendy or common songs; the first song that comes to your mind may not be the best song

2. Select the best minute

• I'm serious folks: 60 seconds.  Impress me with your ability to give me what I'm asking for.  I will be taking notes!

3: Get a minus* track (no singers!)

• There are accompaniment/karaoke/minus tracks available for TONS of songs on iTunes for only $.99 - I would check there first.
• For the tech savvy, you can often find and convert tracks from YouTube.
• Most smart phones can record audio.  Get someone to play the piano and record an audio track that way!
• OR contact Andrea.  For $3 (plus a blank CD and provided sheet music), I will record your minus track for you.  (NOTE: I will only record your track; I will not help with audition preparation.)

4. Prepare your track

• If you found a pre-recorded track, you will probably have to do some work to make it one minute.  Call your brother/uncle/neighbor or whoever it is you always go to when you need some technical help.  I bet they know how to cut down your track.  If not, there are free websites that can help with this.
• Put your track on CD or iPod.  This is very important.  I will only be prepared to play back from these two formats.  I will not have the technology to support flash drives, cell phones, or other mp3 players.  
• Test your CD or iPod.  Make sure the song plays back the way you want

5. Practice

• If you think these auditions are just a formality, think again!  I use the auditions as a chance to see how much you have grown in a year AND to see how committed you are to continued improvement.  This is your chance to really impress me.
• Practice in front of friends.  Get feedback.  Find a local voice teacher and get a few pointers.  Get all your nerves out before you get to me.
• Be memorized.  Period.  :)

6. Double-check your scheduled time

• Auditions and all sorts of other important dates are available here.

Remember, EYT auditions aren't scary, but they are important.  If you haven't been preparing yet, you probably should be!

* "But, Andrea... you've always begged us to come prepared with sheet music!  Why are you asking for a minus track?"  I know, I know.  But I try to keep my finger on the pulse of area theater, and a lot more companies are asking for minus tracks.  Besides, we perform to minus tracks; your ability to stay with the track is important in the audition process.