# Need input. Annoying new school fundraiser - emails! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 19, 2017, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719 "2017-09-19T12:29:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/41 "2017-09-20T07:17:11Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > $42K? That’s **insane**. I would seriously call for an audit and investigation into the Drama Department. To give you an example “The Wizard of Oz” is a $50 - $35 play, meaning for an amateur group and a theater seating under 400, the royalty payments are $50 for the first performance and $35 for each subsequent performance. No, your wrong. Another school did ‘’“The Wizard of Oz” and it cost way more. In the thousands range. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/42 "2017-09-20T07:34:02Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I honestly had no idea that high schools paid licensing fees, especially such large ones, for the shows they put on. I figured the ticket sales paid for the costumes, the ads paid for the programs, etc. > > BTW, I’d be pretty ticked off if you sold my email address. I’d create 20 new ones to give them before selling out my friends, family and neighbors. > > StG Then I don’t think you are a parent in my shoes. Yes, I sent out email addresses but I figure that is why we have spam filters. Its not so different than my kid going around selling Scout popcorn or Girl scouts selling cookies is it? And you REALLY are clueless on HS theater aren’t you? On tickets, remember all students get in free. So do staff and members of the school board (plus spouses). Boosters get so many free tickets also. So really they don’t make a huge amount off of ticket sales. Also a HS musical is way bigger than anything you would remember. Your talking not just actors but crew and the crew - wow. They have lighting crew (including spotlights high up in the rafters and computer driven special effects), sound crew (microphones), costumes (4 sewing machines in there), props, and sets. AND a whole business crew that is in charge of the programs, advertising, and promotions. So easily 75 kids or more. That’s bigger than some sports teams. Now the coolest thing about the theater department is that it is all student lead. Yes, their is one adult but he jokes he could just sit back and drink his coffee and let the students run everything. The kids are in charge and run every department. And the production values and quality of the shows rival professional theaters. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/43 "2017-09-20T08:13:25Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > And you REALLY are clueless on HS theater aren’t you? On tickets, remember all students get in free. So do staff and members of the school board (plus spouses). Boosters get so many free tickets also. So really they don’t make a huge amount off of ticket sales. Why would anybody be clueless for not knowing that one particular school gives away most of its tickets for free? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/44 "2017-09-20T11:48:25Z")
What a wonderful idea! Everyone complains they don’t get enough spam in their inbox, and that’ll be delighted to get more! The only sane solution is to pick another musical. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/45 "2017-09-20T11:58:52Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Then I don’t think you are a parent in my shoes. Yes, I sent out email addresses but I figure that is why we have spam filters. Its not so different than my kid going around selling Scout popcorn or Girl scouts selling cookies is it? Have you actually read the replies? The ones telling you that this is really rude and different than having someone go around in person? No one seems to be agreeing with you. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/46 "2017-09-20T12:58:20Z")
Either your school is lying to you, the drama coach is lying to parents/administration, or the drama coach filled out paperwork wrong. Rights to available shows are priced according to a number of things; different shows cost more or less depending on popularity, and then that is all run through some math that takes into account whether the performers are for profit/non-profit/educational, how many seats in the theater, how many performances, and ticket cost, among other things. There is no way in hell, unless your son goes to an uber-expensive private school and R&H charges privileged white people more to do shows, that Footloose costs a school $34k in rights. As a data point, the last ‘big budget’ show I worked on (also a nostalgic retread of an 80s movie) budgeted for expected ticket sales of $170,000 (for 5 shows over one weekend in a 1,400 seat house), and our rights cost $22k. A high school show at $10 a pop for 1,500 tickets? For Footloose? I’d say even moving the decimal point to $3,400 would be a surprising amount to pay. Bottom line: unless there’s some major piece of missing information, your school is not spending $34,000 on rights to produce Footloose. (Also, an aside in regards to the article you shared, I question the wisdom and priorities of any public school drama program that spends the program’s money to have ZFX come and fly someone for a production of Marry Poppins.) ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/47 "2017-09-20T13:05:22Z")
Another aside: Your OP comes across a bit like stealth marketing. OMG, this crazy thing my kid’s school is doing, and they’re using **THIS LINKED FUNDRAISING PLATFORM** to raise money for it. It’s outrageous what they’re doing. **HERE’S AN ARTICLE ABOUT RELATED ISSUES TO LEND AN AIR OF REALISM TO MY COMPLAINT**. Anyway, it’s all fine really, here’s what I did. **ALSO, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE FUNDRAISING PLATFORM I LINKED TO UP ABOVE!** That, combined with the frankly unbelievable numbers in your OP make me lift my eyebrows a little. Maybe it’s not, and so my apologies for bringing it up, but my Spidey sense is tingling something fierce. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/48 "2017-09-20T13:33:13Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Either your school is lying to you, the drama coach is lying to parents/administration, or the drama coach filled out paperwork wrong. > > Rights to available shows are priced according to a number of things; different shows cost more or less depending on popularity, and then that is all run through some math that takes into account whether the performers are for profit/non-profit/educational, how many seats in the theater, how many performances, and ticket cost, among other things. > > There is no way in hell, unless your son goes to an uber-expensive private school and R&H charges privileged white people more to do shows, that Footloose costs a school $34k in rights. > > As a data point, the last ‘big budget’ show I worked on (also a nostalgic retread of an 80s movie) budgeted for expected ticket sales of $170,000 (for 5 shows over one weekend in a 1,400 seat house), and our rights cost $22k. > > A high school show at $10 a pop for 1,500 tickets? For Footloose? I’d say even moving the decimal point to $3,400 would be a surprising amount to pay. > > Bottom line: unless there’s some major piece of missing information, your school is not spending $34,000 on rights to produce Footloose. > > (Also, an aside in regards to the article you shared, I question the wisdom and priorities of any public school drama program that spends the program’s money to have ZFX come and fly someone for a production of Marry Poppins.) Actually I hope I’m wrong on the numbers. I highly respect the director and hope to discuss this with him personally. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/49 "2017-09-20T13:47:13Z")
Why not do _ **Hamilton** _? Heard good things about it. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/50 "2017-09-20T18:09:24Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > And the production values and quality of the shows rival professional theaters. And you’re giving it away for free? If the local population agrees with this, wouldn’t they be willing to pay higher prices? ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/51 "2017-09-20T19:24:50Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Why not do _ **Hamilton** _? > > Heard good things about it. They’re not licensing Hamilton for amateur productions yet, and probably won’t for a few more years. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/52 "2017-09-20T19:34:50Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > They’re not licensing Hamilton for amateur productions yet, and probably won’t for a few more years. Sorry, I was being facetious. With ticket prices being through the roof, I figured licensing would be crazy expensive as well. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/53 "2017-09-20T20:25:17Z")
I could understand Hamilton being expensive for a high school to license, given its continued popularity on Broadway. But Footloose? It was on Broadway over ten years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/54 "2017-09-20T20:33:47Z")
I agree w/ **silenus** a call for an audit is appropriate. Someone should justify the choice of such an expensive play. Or, if it is not so expensive, they ought to be aboveboard in what they are requesting. I’d be a big supporter of HS theater and other extracurriculars receiving the same funding as sports (which does not appear to be the case in these parts). But even if funding is through boosters, there is no excuse for the directors spending money irresponsibly. And yes - you were a bit of a dick for giving them e-mails. Sure, it is a minor annoyance, but an annoyance nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719/55 "2017-09-21T15:35:14Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Also people get solicitations and junk all the time thru email. That’s why we have spam filters and delete buttons. > > What do you all think? I don’t. I’m very protective of my e-mail address and cell phone number. This would piss me off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-input-annoying-new-school-fundraiser-emails/796719.md?page=2)