Running a dance show: planning, ticketing and the week of the performance
A show is the highlight of the year for families and the single biggest administrative event for the school. Almost all of the stress is avoidable with a timeline and one place to track tickets, costumes and consent.
Six months out: venue and budget
- Book the theatre or hall and confirm technical facilities
- Check licensing requirements for child performers
- Set a budget covering venue, technicians, costumes and programmes
- Decide ticket prices from that budget, not from last year's habit
Three months out: cast and costumes
Lock the running order and cast lists so costume ordering can start. Collect sizes once, in writing, and record who has paid for what against each dancer.
Six weeks out: tickets on sale
Open sales to current families first — they buy the most seats and appreciate the priority. Allocated seating avoids the queue at the door, and selling through your own system keeps ticket income and family records together.
Two weeks out: chaperones and paperwork
- Confirm DBS-checked chaperones and backstage ratios
- Collect photo and filming consent specific to the show
- Share call times, dressing room allocations and emergency contacts
- Print registers for backstage sign-in and sign-out
Show week
Give every teacher and chaperone the same one-page schedule. Keep phones out of dressing rooms, run the sign-in properly, and nominate one person as the single point of contact for parents so questions do not reach the wings.
After the show
Reconcile ticket income against costs while it is fresh, thank staff and volunteers, and open next term's enrolment within a fortnight — show night is the highest-intent moment of your year.