I am MAD!!!! Actually beyond mad. Missoula Children's Theater came to town this week, and my daughter got a part in the play. She did one last year when we were living in Idaho. We are now in Kansas. AFTER she auditioned, we found out we had to pay a $30 participation fee. In Idaho, there was no "fee". On top of that, they have been advertising the theater for months, with no mention of a fee. Before we moved here in August, we already knew what week they would be here, and my daughter was looking forward to the audition. Anyway, back to the present - I have been asking my daughter all week about ticket prices, and she didn't know anything about them. She said nothing had been said about the ticket prices. Everyday, she has come home with papers from both the Arts Center and the Children's Theater with various information. I have all of these papers, and none of them mention anything about tickets. Yesterday, we pick her up, and she told us both shows are sold out, so we have now paid a fee for our daughter to be in a play that we cannot even go to!! I am really angry. Apparently, they were selling tickets in an office inside the arts center, all week long, but they weren't advertising, so you had to go in and ask!!

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Together They Fell
Together We Stand
Never Forget:
2/26/93
6/25/96
9/11/01
God Bless USA and our Troops!

I would be mad too!
And they WOULD find me place to view the play!!!

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Square dancing is friendship set to music!

When was the last time you were able to visit with an adult who is involved in the play? Is it possible that there was some paper your child didn't get, even though it sounds like she did bring home quite a bit of information?

I know for our children's theater, they have a pre-sale for the parents that lasts three afternoons, and then they open up ticket sales to the public. We also have to pay a fee. You're very fortunate that in your last place of residence that wasn't required.

Why didn't you ask someone in charge instead of asking your child? If I knew my daughter was going to be in a play this weekend, I'd be checking on it myself.

I would be mad too -- at myself! Hope you'll be able to work something out so you can at least see the play.

Wow!! That is a shock to me because the Missoula Children's Theater was just here last week and my daughter was also a part of the play. There were no fee's involved and no ticket sales...everyone was welcome. The only money we paid was a $2.00 donation to get the 2 leaders a gift. I would be mad too!!

I've never heard of this group, but I'd have been mighty suspicious of any group that was charging my daughter to be in a play . . . sounds like a total rip-off.

Missoula comes here as well and my kids did it for 3 years. They have always been wonderful! There was no fee here because a family sponsored it so there would be no cost to the children. Here the tickets are a few dollars and there is always seats available. I would be mad to.

"I've never heard of this group, but I'd have been mighty suspicious of any group that was charging my daughter to be in a play . . . sounds like a total rip-off."

Google them, it is a wonderful cultural theater group for children.

We've always had to pay some to be in Children's Theater. I believe it's $30 for the first child, $15 for the 2nd, and then any others from your family are free. That $ helps to pay for their costumes (which often they keep), their t-shirts, and the pizza party they have at the end.

This past fall, my daughter participated in her school's production of Mulan. Each child involved with the play had to pay a fee of $50. This included a t-shirt and dvd, but I did think the amount was a bit much. After seeing the elaborate costumes and nice stage, I came to terms with the amount. I really would have been fuming if I didn't get to see the play, especially after what we paid and the effort that went into getting her to practice.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

UPDATE: I called the Arts Center with my complaints, and told them I was going to call Missoula Children's Theater, and she said 'well, the directors will be here at 4PM' and I said 'no, I mean I am calling the home base in Missoula, Montana' I told the woman I knew it wasn't a procedure set by her, but the arts center should have realized that parents would WANT to see their kids perform, instead of selling tickets for each show to the same people. (Parents bought groups of tickets for both shows, the venue only seats 150) Well, in the end, before Missoula Children's Theater opened, I had a phone call from the Arts Center letting me know that they were going to add a show. (the dress rehearsal is now a 3rd show) Unfortunately my husband cannot go at that time, but my 8 year old and I will be there. And just an FYI it isn't the Children's Theater charging the fee, it is the Arts Center (probably to help defray the expense of bringing the theater to town) but in none of their advertising for the auditions did it mention any sort of fee.

__________________
Together They Fell
Together We Stand
Never Forget:
2/26/93
6/25/96
9/11/01
God Bless USA and our Troops!

Okay me again -just for the record for $30, we get NOTHING!!! Obviously, not even the tickets, they are $ 15 each!!There is a cast party, but everyone has to bring something.

__________________
Together They Fell
Together We Stand
Never Forget:
2/26/93
6/25/96
9/11/01
God Bless USA and our Troops!

I don't think we've gotten tickets when we've paid our $30 for our local children's theater. Also, there wasn't info in any advertising here about how much it cost to participate, but if you actually went in to audition, they gave you a sheet full of information, and that's where it mentioned the fee.

Do you know if most of the other parents got tickets? And if so, how did they find out about the ticket sales?

Most of the other parents got tickets, it was all NEW people (meaning new to town) who didn't get tickets. On top of that, as I mentioned earlier, the center only seats about 150, and there were parents buying as many as 20 tickets for one show!! You had to go to the theater office and ask for the tickets. NOTHING was ever mentioned on any of the sheets sent home. I was able to find all of this out from talking to other parents today. And no, we never went in the office to ask about tickets, because I work full time during the day, and so does my husband. He was able to leave work to bring DD to practice, but only to quickly drop her off because he had to get back to work again. The whole thing to me seems so simple : A flyer with ticket prices and order form, limit of 4 tickets per child, limit 1 performance per family, THEN sell any additional tickets to whoever wanted them!! I think it would have been much easier than how they did it. Don't want to offend anyone, but we are learning that where we live (not in Idaho anymore) , overall people tend not to be the most intelligent around here!! (I could tell you about the dropoff procedure at my kids school, I am joining the PTO primarily so that I can try and change it!!) And one more thing about the play, my daughter had us put on the 'waiting list' when they told the kids both showtimes had sold out. My younger daughter and I went to the 12PM show that they added because so many parents complained about not getting tickets, my DH couldn't go this show because he had to work, so tonight he called to see if any tickets had become available, and they had, so he is at the show by himself now. I thought they were going to call us when tix became available, not the other way around!!

__________________
Together They Fell
Together We Stand
Never Forget:
2/26/93
6/25/96
9/11/01
God Bless USA and our Troops!