Part of the money we raise all year not only goes to pay for the shows we put on, some of it goes to pay for inductions. None of my students pay anything to become a thespian, however this is not a new program. Also, each student has to pay a $400 pay-to-participate fee to be involved in theatre at this school, so I really cannot charge any more to become a Thespian. Starting out this is an issue for you, especially if you have just barely broken even on production costs. Any money we earned from shows went into our school board account, and that is what I use (with a PO) to pay for new inductees. I feel the students worked hard to help earn the money, they should benefit from that work with free (or in your case, reduced) membership fee. I average around 30 new inductees each year, so I understand the large costs for induction. It will be something you will want to budget for in the future.
An idea: I started a booster club when I first took over, to help create other fundraising events to bring in extra cash. We were once able to have students earn money doing fundraisers, that went into their own accounts to pay for teeshirts, conferences, field trips to plays, etc. The school will no longer permit that, so we have had to change the way we work. The boosters are now a 5013C non-profit group, who provide money for a myriad of things. Any fundraising money earned is split among all the students (whether they worked or not) so boosters have paid for hotel fee for students attending State Conference, as well as scholarships for college to qualified seniors. Getting a group like this started will help you find other ways to bring in much needed money, especially for inductions.
Our annual Induction Ceremony and Awards Banquet is potluck, held in our school cafetorium, therefore it is free to attend. We always have a large crowd (200 people). The Thespian Council decorates the room so it looks lovely. When I hear that other groups' banquets cost money, I feel lucky we can offer this for free.
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Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-14-2017 18:47
From: James Washington
Subject: induction ceremonies
This is my first year running my high school thespian troupe. It appears that the last three-four directors did not hold induction ceremonies; as of now I have 2 members.... So I need to bring in a lot of students who I have reviewed and believe have earned the minimum points required to earn induction; I'm very proud of this! My questions are:1. does the induction fee mentioned on this site provide anything (certificate, pin, etc.) in addition to the membership and the magazine? ; and 2., do troupes charge their members an additional fee, besides club dues, to pay for these induction costs? If I have thirty to catch up with,I'm looking at $750.00... where do troupes get the money to pay for this?
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James Washington
New Port Richey FL
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