Gofundme Fundraiser For Blessed Sacrament Children's Theatre

Pictured: Photos of last year's stellar production of 'The King and I'

A Gofundme account has been set up to support Blessed Sacrament Children's Theatre production of 'The Music Man.' Organizers are asking for financial support so that they can continue to bring their children in grades preK through 8 an opportunity to shine on stage. This is the group's 17th year and they need your support; a goal of $5,000 has been set. Click here to donate.

The information posted on the online fundraiser is very detailed and I discovered a few facts of which I was not aware. I was honored to see that my Top Ten List and Naugatuck Patch were mentioned in a few of the sections of the background provided on the Gofundme page.

The theatre group will also be participating in Naugatuck Duck Day and will hold some Can Shakes at various locations to support this year's production of 'The Music Man.'

History of Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre

Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre was born out of the dedication and creative capacity of Blessed Sacrament parents and friends some 17 years ago in 2001. With support from the Board of Trustees at that time, then Blessed Sacrament parent John O’Donnell and his friend, Bob Tansley, who had a background in musical theatre, set about establishing a children’s theatre program initially for the students of Blessed Sacrament School. What began as a limited endeavor for a small, private school in 2001, quickly grew into a self-sustaining theatre program that included a double-cast of children from Blessed Sacrament School and beyond by 2003.

Although associated with Blessed Sacrament School as a home for its productions, the mission of the Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre is an inclusive one that looks to strengthen the creative capacity of the Greater Waterbury community by promoting a love of fine arts among urban and suburban children in public and private schools throughout the area. Every child wishing to participate is given a role regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic status, or disability. Additionally, the theatre does not collect data regarding individual or family income, and therefore, no child is turned away due to a lack of funds. This inclusive mission not only fosters a sense of community but also provides its performers with instruction in public speaking, acting, dancing, and vocal performance under the direction of consummate professionals.

Open to any child in grades Pre-K through grade 8, the theatre has considered changing its name to The Greater Waterbury Children’s Theatre to more aptly align with its mission but has hesitated to do so, instead maintaining a name that underlies its roots. The Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre works with approximately 130 children per year. Auditions are held in late March/early April with rehearsals beginning shortly after casting is complete and continuing through the month of June. Performances are held on the last Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in June.

The funds from any institution will be used to support the Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre 2018 production of The Music Man by affording area grammar school children with a unique opportunity to perform in a Broadway-style spectacular complete with a professional orchestra, hand-crafted sets, state of the art lighting and sound equipment, and one-of-a-kind costumes. This comprehensive theatre program affords its audiences, which are estimated to be approximately 1200+ attendants per year, with an opportunity to observe what Co-Director Pat Hearn termed “an adult level production performed by children.” Last year’s production was of particular importance because of its special significance to Director, Bob Tansley.

Bob Tansley’s daughter, Brooke, was the 14th actress to hold the lead female role of Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Production on Broadway from 2004-2005. The pride Bob felt in having his daughter star on Broadway is the pride he brought to the 2016 production of Beauty and the Beast by the Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre. Bob has directed 51 shows in the last 26 years with kids of every age group.

Success of the Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre

The success of the Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre can be measured in a variety of ways, not the least of which includes the increasing numbers of schools represented by members of the cast each year. For the 2015 production of Seussical, for example, over 20 schools and approximately 15 cities and towns in the Greater Waterbury area and beyond were represented. The number of cities and schools involved has increased each year. Our 2016 production of Beauty and the Beast saw 25 schools involved from as far away as South Windsor and Burlington CT. Last year’s cast for The King and I had 130 children from better than 30 plus schools and 20 or more cities and towns. Furthermore, the number of students returning from year to year combined with increasing participation by new cast members is itself a testament to the success of the program. Annually, significant numbers of volunteers return to help the theatre in a variety of ways, sharing their time and talents to ensure a quality production and many new volunteers join the team. It is important to note that a substantial number of volunteers who began working with the program when they had small children participating have continued to do so despite the fact that their own children have aged out of the program. Furthermore, many alumni of the theatre also return to assist with each production. Some alumni work on set construction and design, some are instrumental backstage, some assist with front-of-house duties such as ticket sales and concessions, while others assist with the choreography and music for the production. Last year, The King And I placed 3rd in reviewer Nancy Sasso Janis' list of the top 10 best shows by young actors as stated in the Naugatuck Patch online newspaper. The BSCT were competing against High School and College level performances.

Funding Sources

The Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre is a self-sustaining non-profit program. While the program is run out of Blessed Sacrament School, it should be noted that The Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre receives no direct financial assistance from the school or parish. Through ticket sales, fundraising activities, business and personal ads for the program book, donations and t-shirt sales, the financial needs of the theatre are met through the tireless efforts of performers, families, and volunteers. To continue the program, it is imperative that the theatre program be able to meet its own financial needs. Should you decide that you would like donate to our program it can either be done anonymously or we can recognize you in our program book. Should you like to be one of our major sponsors then we would include your organization in all print, posters, radio and online advertising.

Event Promotion

Each production of The Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre is promoted in a variety of ways. Articles discussing the merits of the program and providing information about auditions are run in the Waterbury Republican-American, The Naugatuck Patch, and the Catholic Transcript. Program and audition information is also distributed to area schools and publicized in the Church bulletins.

Event promotion is a key aspect of all fundraising events described above. In addition, notices and advertisements containing production dates and times along with ticket information are placed in the Waterbury Republican-American, Watertown Times and Naugatuck Patch. Flyers containing the same information are distributed to the Waterbury, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Watertown, and Oakville libraries as well as to the Waterbury YMCA, area parochial schools, municipal offices, and local businesses. Cast members are also provided with flyers to distribute to additional local businesses in the Greater Waterbury area and beyond. Yard signs are made available to parents to be placed in prominent areas in and around the city of Waterbury and two large outdoor signs are placed on Blessed Sacrament property facing Robbins Street. The Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre also has a Facebook page.

As the run approaches, The Waterbury Republican-American generates a story with included photos about the production, highlighting specific cast members and production volunteers. Tom Chute promotes the show on WATR 1320 AM in the weeks leading up to the run and also hosts a live discussion/interview with children in the cast just prior to or during Production Week as is possible given the radio schedule.

It should be mentioned that each year The Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre invites all Greater Waterbury Military Veterans to attend a performance free of charge to thank them for their service to our country.

The history of our program...

2001 Oliver

2002 Annie

2003 Hello Dolly

2004 Wizard of Oz

2005 Seussical

2006 Guys and Dolls

2007 High School Musical

2008 Wizard of Oz

2009 Willie Wonka

2010 Oliver

2011 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

2012- Dark

2013- Annie

2014- Peter Pan

2015- Seussical

2016 Beauty and the Beast

2017 King and I