In Episode 13, we are talking all things recital! In Part 1 of 3,  we cover choosing a location and a theme, announcing your show and our recital retreat!

Location of show: In normal years, our is theater booked a year in advance. In pandemic times, we have to flex! Due to restrictions at our theater, we had to find a new space for this year: a large convention space at a cool hotel near our studio! We are excited but overwhelmed with the work and creativity required since it is not a theater. We will build out a full stage, wings, dressing space and bring in a production company for lighting and sound.

Choosing a Theme: We start this process early in the season and announce in the Fall. We create a brand around the theme and use it all year to build anticipation! Story driven themes work best for us...if preschoolers AND dads know the storyline and characters, it's much easier!

Once the theme is confirmed, the brainstorming and research begins BEFORE we announce the show: watch the movie, take notes, discuss what parts/characters/concepts would be best for specific classes, purchase books, scour Pinterest and more BEFORE we announce the show. We take this process very seriously and continues throughout season until we make it to the stage! 

Announcing the Show: We make this a really big deal! Our entire studio family gets VERY invested in the theme and announcement day. We reveal on Instagram and drop hints for a few days leading up to it in our stories and posts. These are some of our most engaging posts of the year! We have a show logo and fun announcement ready to go as soon as we announce!

Recital Retreat: This planning retreat with key staff is one of our favorite and most productive things we do all year! We rent a cabin, work around the clock for 3-4 days and plan our entire show. We also work hard to make the weekend fun! As the studio owners, we arrive a day early to set up, buy food (and drinks!), decorate in our theme and assemble goodie bags for everyone! We all watch the movie together and shout out ideas (both good and bad)! You can recreate this concept on a smaller budget, too!

Our task list is crazy, but the most important part: We outline every major task on a poster hanging prominently in our cabin, and we don't leave until it’s all completed! Our most critical tasks include assigning  classes to shows, themes and music for all routines, choosing costumes, editing music, dress rehearsal schedule and identifying props and backdrops. 

We create a master spreadsheet to store all our decisions in Google Sheets, as multiple people can edit at the same time. We will reference this spreadsheet throughout entire season and it becomes our tech sheet, check list, and so much more!

 On next week's episode we will continue this conversation and talk about ordering costumes, announcing our characters, creating our opening number and our props and sets and preschool productions! 

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