Expressions

Expressions, the All-of-us Express Children's Theatre member newsletter, is published from time to time. If you have news of interest to the AECT member community, please let us know.

Boo Bowl: All-of-us Express Bowling Fundraiser Saturday 27 October 10:00 – noon at Spare Time Entertainment, 3101 East Grand River, Lansing MI (across from Frandor). Costumes encouraged! Prizes awarded! It's not too late to join the fun!

• Each participant on a five person team bowls two games. The first game is a regular game, the second is a ghoulishly fun game.
• Your $20 registration fee offsets the cost of bowling and shoes. Each bowler must raise an additional $30 in pledges to participate, totaling a minimum of $50 per bowler. (The entire $50 may be raised in pledges, but $20 must be paid when you register, with the remainder being turned in at the event.)
• First 30 teams to register receive a free Laser Tag game!
• Prizes are awarded for costumes, for various bowling achievements, and for pledge achievements.
• We encourage team competitions. (So put together a rival team!)

More information will be provided upon registration, or call 517-333-2580x0. You may register online or print a registration form at cityofeastlansing.com/allofus. The registration deadline has been extended to October 12 (noon).

Watch the Boo Bowl PSA on YouTube. Thanks to Josh Cook (Last Laugh Productions) for filming and editing this video. Thanks to Sandi Sigworth, Gina Golden, Kathleen Miller and others for their time and effort in planning and organizing this fundraiser. (If you would like to become an event sponsor, sponsor a lane, or donate a prize, please contact Sandi Sigworth.)

23rd Season Awards Ceremony

Miranda hands out guild badges.

The annual Awards Ceremony is when the hard work of the many people who are not on stage during our productions is recognized. Guild and Experience Crew badges and certificates are given out and volunteers receive much-deserved applause. It has always been part of the philosophy of All-of-us Express that crew work is every bit as important as performing on stage. Recognition once was done as part of each production party, then as part of a combined annual meeting and recognition event, and now is a separate annual event of its own. Event photos.

CTAM Fall Conference

Some twenty All-of-us Express members, participants and staff were involved with or attended the Community Theatre Association of Michigan Fall Conference September 28-30 at McQuire's Resort in Cadillac. Much fun and learning took place. The two most popular workshops seemed to be stage combat (Brett Eckhardt) and character acting (Kellie Stonebrook). Paul Bourne (at right) presented the Greening Your Tech workshop. Photos from the conference.

24th Season News Last performed in February 1998 at Kinawa Middle School in Okemos, Little Women returns to begin our 24th Season with a cast of 30 and crew of about 50.

The Princess and the Pea & Rapunzel, our winter double-bill, has auditions coming up at the end of November. (See the left side-bar.)

Our Riverwalk Theatre production this year is The Beatles Slept Here (not a musical). Our summer show, Aladdin and His Wonderful, Magical Lamp, is the first full musical All-of-us Express has ever done.

We have photos of the costume space in the basement of Hannah Community Center that was featured in the September issue of Expressions.

25th Season Planning

At its August meeting, the AECT Board established a committee to begin planning events for our 25th Season. The committee co-chair is Lisa Lees. Please contact her if you'd like to help out. Committee members to date are: Sherry Bass-Pohl, Dylan Lees and Morgan Lees.

Ideas being considered so far include a special T-shirt listing all the shows we've ever done, a reception following a show, a special performance of a show featuring alumni as cast and crew and/or alumni-provided entertainment between Saturday shows.

Board of Trustees

More information about the Board, its bylaws and members may be found on the Board of Trustees page and the Staff and Volunteers page.

Fundraising

The September charity poker event raised about $1,700 for AECT, which works out to about $20/hour of volunteer time. There is one more event this year, December 6-9.

Charity poker events are scheduled at Stacks Hold'em Bar East Lansing in 2013 for January 6-9, February 21-24, September 12-15 and November 18-20. If you are able to help out (and are 18 or older) please contact Sandi Sigworth for more information (no poker knowledge necessary).

Grants and Sponsors

Known at this time is a grant from the Ingham County Hotel/Motel Arts and Tourism Tax Fund for Little Women, and guild program support from The Capital Area United Way and Jackson National Life.

Information about sponsorship opportunities may be found on our Sponsors page. Sponsors and grants for particular shows and seasons is detailed on the Season pages.

Annual Meeting

The AECT Annual Membership Meeting was September 19. The following people were elected or re-elected as members of the Board of Trustees: Gina Golden, Andrea Hibbs, Dylan Lees, Lisa Lees, Kathleen Miller, Savannah Sequeda, Chris VanZwoll and Natalia Walter. Savannah and Natalia are new youth members on the Board.

The AECT Board elected its officers for 2012-2013: Gina Golden (president), Tanya Stamford (vice president), Crystal Carrothers (secretary), Megan Buonodono (treasurer).

You can download a copy of AECT's annual report from the Board of Trustees page.