So, have at it.  Sound off.  Tell us what you think and what you want to see and thanks for your participation and support!

As I’ve had to say a number of times already, believe me, no one is more upset that Tuna has had to be rescheduled again than I am.  I know that a number of you are frustrated by this and I think that explaining how our relationship with the artists works might help you understand why and how situations like this can arise.

The simplest way I can explain it is this: when you come to see a show at the Hippodrome, you are not seeing a show that we have artistic control over.  We do not put the plays on, hire the actors, design the sets, etc.  The shows are independent packages that we hire to come to our venue, the Hippodrome.  We have a contract with them to ensure who is responsible for what.  In this case, part of the contract is a force majeure clause that covers a number of things that would make the performance impossible.  Among them is exactly what happened: catastrophic damage to costumes or properties.  Half of the costumes for the show were accidentally destroyed and without them, there really isn’t a show.  They tried everything they could to repair, rebuild, rent, and buy costumes to replace the lost ones, but in the end they didn’t have enough to put the show on.  Numerous theatres have been affected and their entire Spring tour is being re-routed because of this.

Of course, from the audience point of view, we at the WPAC are left holding the bag.  We’re the only people you deal with, so when a show has to be rescheduled, you look to us for a reason why.  I wish the answer were more clear, but please understand that we have not canceled the show on you, the show has been canceled on us.  We are just the entity responsible for ticketing and seating.  We ask your patience in helping us get through this situation.  Obviously, we can’t wait to actually get the show here and we hope to see you all there.

Tuna Does Vegas has been rescheduled for April 17-19, 2008.  That’s a Friday through Sunday just like we originally planned.  So if you had seats J-10+11 on Saturday night in January, you will still be able to have seats J-10+11 on Saturday night in April.  You can feel free to contact us here at the box office, or you can just expect a call from us shortly.  Hang on to your tickets until we get you replacements.  And if any of you are still confused and need to talk to me about it, please feel free to contact me here at the theatre any time.

 Scott Baker, Executive Director, Waco Performing Arts Company 

http://russellrealtygroup.com/wordpress/2008/10/the-waco-hippodrome/ about attending Seussical the Musical back in September

http://blackhurstfamily.blogspot.com/2008/11/first-theater.html about attending The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories 

- Scott Baker, Executive Director

What teachers should expect when bringing students to a New Horizons show:

ORDERING

New Horizons Educational Series Brochures are sent out once a year to all schools and educators on the WPAC mailing list. At each NH performance we also pass out information forms to be filled out in case we don’t have contact information and we can add teachers and schools to our list.

ALL NH reservations must be submitted in writing. The order forms attached to our Season brochures may be used or any order forms provided by the Educational Coordinator via email or fax. Forms must be filled out completely. Incomplete order forms will not be considered for reservation.

COST

In an effort to keep our admission cost affordable for most groups attending our performances, admission applies to everyone- students, teachers and chaperones. Infants and lap children who will not be occupying a seat are the only exception and are not required to pay admission.

PAYMENT

Information also indicated in the brochure and cannot be stressed enough is the need for final payments to be made no later than 5 business days prior to each performance. Therefore, Purchase Orders should be submitted to each school’s financial department in a timely manner with this deadline in mind to avoid the cancellation of a reservation.

We encourage educators to estimate high because inevitably there are additional chaperones or new students who join the group later on in the school year. Once a performance has sold out it is nearly impossible to add to these orders, however it is incredibly simple to reduce a number closer to the date of the performance once it is confirmed there will be no additional persons attending. Once payment is made to the theatre there are NO refunds or exchanges.

Due to the large volume of orders the WPAC handles for these performances we now only accept payments by one single check, cashier’s check, money order or VISA/Mastercard. Please do not attempt to submit Amex/Disc, cash or multiple check payments as you will be requested to resubmit your payment.

TRANSPORTATION AND BUSING

Personal vehicles, or van transportation are welcome as a method of transportation to our theatre. For NH performances these vehicles may drop off students in front of the theatre in the designated drop off zone, but are then responsible for acquiring their own parking spaces elsewhere.

For safety reasons buses MUST drop off their passengers in front of the theatre in the designated drop off zone in FRONT of the Hippodrome not on 8^th street OR the opposite side of Austin Avenue going toward 8^th street. Buses are then directed to a designated parking area by our bus attendants and drivers are asked to cooperate fully with these attendants to ensure a safe and timely dismissal after the show.

PERFORMANCE SEATING

Schools and groups are seated on performance days in the order of their arrival and in their reserved section. Simply put, when a reservation is made (by order form) the group is given the designation of either downstairs or upstairs depending on seating availability at the time of the order. On the day of the performance the group is taken to their area designation, and then seated in the first available seats in that section at the time of their arrival. All of this is communicated to the contact person prior to the performance via confirmation faxes and phone calls from the Educational Coordinator, so there should be no confusion as to what to expect on show day.

DISMISSAL

Dismissals are made at the discretion of the House Staff and all considerations are made to ensure a safe, timely dismissal for all of our patrons and guests. Please do not make requests to be dismissed first or in any particular order as the WPAC cannot guarantee these requests. All patrons who arrived via personal transportation (cars and vans) or by foot may leave as soon as the house lights are on for a safe exit. All guests who have arrived by bus must wait in their seats until they hear their group dismissed on the PA. The WPAC makes every effort to recall the buses to ensure the timely return of each group to their point of origin.

More questions? E-mail Laurinda McMichael-Butler at community@wacoperformingarts.org.

-The Mgmt.