In episode 79, we're taking you behind the scenes of our 7-month journey from our October Year-End Show Retreat all the way through dress rehearsal week! We’re sharing how we plan, what gets done when, and how our team brings it all together to create a magical show experience.
Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of our show planning timeline:
November:
- Met with full staff to recap retreat plans
- Saw Wicked (three times!) for creative inspiration
- Sent show day/time and costume info to families
- Master spreadsheet begins!
December:
- Ordered costumes
- Continued editing music for every class
January:
- Delivered music to staff
- Launched costume lookbooks and theme reveals
- Started choreography and prop planning
- Costumes began arriving and were sorted into garment bags
February:
- Finalized music (voiceovers, sound effects, etc.)
- Continued choreography and prop building
- Began building our personalized show app
- Started early logistics planning with DRT (ticketing partner)
March:
- Choreography goal: complete by month’s end
- Uploaded practice videos for dancers
- Preschool show leaders began working directly with classes
- Started planning backstage team
April:
- Routines finalized and shared with characters
- Set pieces in full creation mode
- Began building show program
- Ordered merch + goody bag items
- Released full show info packet to families
May:
- PURE MADNESS (and lots of magic!)
- Final staff meeting before the big week
- Tickets and merch sales go smoothly
- Hosted our character photo shoot
- Dress rehearsal week! Rehearse, group photo, photo ops, and more
- Finished and printed the program – a fan favorite!
- Created fun new photo ops and custom merch experiences
- Filmed our Welcome Video – 15 years strong!
- Set the finale and wrapped up with final rehearsals
- Packed up every last thing needed for the theater
Final Curveball:
Just days before the show, we were hit with a last-minute venue construction notice! We had to pivot quickly, reconfigure logistics, and communicate new plans—all during a major storm! But with quick thinking and teamwork, everything came together.
Challenges:
- Delays due to waiting on music tied to the Wicked movie
- Balancing a busy comp/convention season with show planning
- Last-minute venue access change
Wins:
- Incredible production value and theme
- More creative and fun merch options
- Our custom app made info easy to access
- Our rockstar team made it all happen!
Every season is a new adventure—and we’re always learning and improving. Stay tuned for our next episode, where we’ll dive into everything that happens at the theater—from load-in to load-out!
Thanks for listening! Have a tip or trick that works for your studio? We’d love to hear it.
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