Fall Retreat--who's ready?

Hi all! Some of you were asking where you could get a "Mulan" shirt like Melinda's...here are some pictures of a few.

You can find them at our online CafePress shop here: http://www.cafepress.com/madcap_sr_ens and remember that we can always add things to the shop. For example, if you'd like some sort of clothing that is not listed on the website, e-mail me and I'll see what I can do about getting it up there for you to order.

In a whole 'nother realm, Paul and I have been hard at work planning the fall retreat, and I think we've got some great activities planned for everyone. You'll be getting the registration form in e-mail this week, so keep your eyes open for that.

ALSO! Things are getting underway for our Spring Mini-Tours. We'll be heading out to Franklin Elementary School to perform on Monday, January 14. They are so excited to host us, and I think they'll love the show. Paul is still working on scheduling a special event at the Wilderness Resort in the Dells. They've never done anything like this before, so we're kind of struggling through some of the details. Hopefully we'll have some solid plans made by the end of the week and can work on the budget, etc.

Working ahead, Emma and I are working on some preliminary plans for our trip to Magic Music Days at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL in the 2008-2009 season. This year while planning for next year's trip, we're really making an effort to travel over a long weekend when school is out. I know families often travel during these times, but I'm hoping that with advanced planning, everyone will be able to attend our tour.

Last time we went (March 2007) we had such a wonderful time, I CANNOT WAIT to take the next group on tour. It's a wonderful opportunity to see shows together, spend time getting to know one another on a new level, and learning to cope as a cohesive group. It's a wonderful opportunity, and Paul and I are working on some more detailed curriculum about production values and the astounding budgets used by Disney World on a daily basis to provide the quality entertainment we enjoy participating in (Magic Music Days) and viewing (everything else). It will blow your mind.

Remember, all of our ticket sales from the MadCAP After Dark series goes into our Senior Performance Ensemble trip fund. I'm hoping that with enough planning and some active recruiting of audiences (this is where you'll be helping out immensely) we do well. For example, if each of you invites four people to see the show, and all four purchase tickets, we will have one hundred people in each audience. If we fill three shows this way at $10 a ticket, we will have raised three thousand dollars for our trip fund.

Our estimated costs for the tour are around fourteen thousand dollars to bring 25 people on the tour. {Trip estimates include flights, lodging, transportation to and from the airport, two special events, and Park Hopper tickets for four days.} This brings the individual cost to around $600/person, which is where we were last time. (However, there were lots of uncovered costs last time around.)

However, if we raise $3000 through After Dark performances, the cost will drop to $440/person. If you decide as a group to host and promote two more After Dark performances over the summer and bring in anther 100 people at $10/ticket, we will bring our trip cost down to a little under $400 a person. Just something to keep in mind. :)

Kjerstie