Opening Up

I found a pair of fabric scissors in my purse this morning. That's a good thing, because I was wondering where they were. There are safety pins in my right pocket and a hot glue gun in my trunk. There was a name tag from a costume attached to my jacket yesterday. Again. Feathers in the hall and sequins on my floor. And lets not forget the miles and miles and miles of tulle!!

What does all of this mean? That's right! Tonight is opening night!!!!!

All of the hard work everyone has been putting in for the past few months all comes together in this amazing show. And for the first time in my memory, we are sold out for tonight before even selling tickets at the door. The way things are going, I am VERY optimistic we'll sell out all three shows. That's amazing, and says so very much about the kids and families of the FCCT. Without your support, it's nothing. We can teach them songs. We can show them the dance. We can dress them up in sequins and feathers and glitter and bows. And tulle. Lots of tulle. But getting friends and family to come and see them on the stage? The community support means everything. And we are so grateful for the support we've gotten.

All of us on the board and the production team are volunteers. That's right, we make exactly zero dollars for any of this. We do it because we believe in this theater, and we believe in the mission. We love these kids, and giving them a safe space where they can be part of a production in a nurturing environment where everyone is welcome matters. When we see this many people come out to see a show, we know it matters to all of you, too.

So thank you. To the parents, thanks for the help with sets and costuming and wrangling 90 kids backstage. Thanks for late nights and snacks, and drying tears of frustration and for shirt-busting applause of pride. Thank you for allowing your kids to take this journey under the sea with us. We cannot do it without you.

It may be chaos at times. But when you see the finished product tonight, tomorrow, or Sunday, I promise, it's worth it.