Center Stage Youth Theatre Popcorn Fundraiser a Popping Success!

This month Center Stage Youth Theatre had a vision. With fall semester classes well underway, the theatre administration began to look for ways to raise money to support the extra students enrolled in the program. “Upon opening registration this semester, we had more students than our class schedule could handle,” said James Faurote, Executive Director of Center Stage. “We looked at the numbers and our available staff and decided to open an eighth cast of Beetlejuice the Musical, Jr. We already had three casts of Beetlejuice and four casts of Seussical KIDS, but when kids want to participate, we find a way to make it happen!”

The eighth cast filled to capacity in three days, but with an extra cast comes extra cost.

In the past, Center Stage used the Double Good popcorn fundraising platform to bring in money for programming; this year they decided to do the same. The fundraiser was open for a week and had 587 supporters from 37 states and other countries. In total, the fundraiser brought in close to $16,000. “This will tremendously help our programming costs, not only for the fall semester, but also the spring semester and beyond,” said James Faurote. “We are blown away by the support of our community and are so thankful for their engagement in this initiative.”

With only a single bag of popcorn between them, Andi Rhoads and Sarah Shute were the top sellers for the fall popcorn fundraiser. “Andi went around the neighborhood selling popcorn and telling everyone about her theater experience. It became a community project as they all cheered her on and asked for updates,” said Jamie Rhoads, Andi’s mother.

Echoing the statement, Nichole Fernandez-Shute said, “Sarah's family live across the U.S. and the world, with aunts and cousins living as far as New Zealand. This was not only her first fundraiser, but an opportunity that family could support her without being local. We were not expecting the level of support and are utterly full of gratitude and humility. We have a tribe like no other and we are proud to pay it forward.”

“I like Center Stage because I’ve gained confidence and made a lot of friends, and the teachers are nice and inspiring,” said Andi. Truly, this is what Center Stage Youth Theatre is all about: creating community through grass roots initiatives and programming.

You can support Center Stage Youth Theatre by attending one of their eight fall shows presented at both Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center and Generations Christian Church in Trinity. The eighth cast of Beetlejuice will be performing at Starkey Ranch on Halloween weekend, Friday, October 30th at 7pm and Saturday, October 31st at 1pm. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Center Stage Youth Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is a part of HappyStars Youth Programs Inc. and is an inclusive organization whose purpose is to unlock the potential of students through theatre. For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming shows or classes, visit www.centerstageyouththeatre.org.