Royal Court Players fundraiser dazzles

When juniors Alana Raper and Atley Brown found out they needed to raise funds for McCallum Royal Court Players, they came up with something they knew would add a little magic to their cause.

According to Raper, the idea for a princess tea party came from Brown, a committed fan of the Disney princess franchise, and planning for the event began as early as September.

“We realized that we already had a bunch of great singers in the theatre department, so we thought that if we could get a group together and find some costumes and donations for supplies, we would be able to make it work,” Raper said. “It was all student run. Jack Holtcamp organized everyone to perform the songs, and he worked with each performer individually. Atley and I organized the donation side of it.”

On Oct. 31, the tea party was held in the cafeteria to raise the funds needed for students to attend the Texas Thespian Festival in December.

“We had a bunch of little girls come in,” Raper said. “We served them food, hot chocolate, and juices. They also had little tea cups. And student volunteers in the theatre department dressed up as princesses and performed songs for the girls. It was a big success, actually.”

It was predicted that 40 guests would attend, but by the end of the meal 55 young girls were served along with others who attended in a show of support.

“We spread the word for the fundraiser on Facebook and through neighboring elementary schools,” Raper said. “But a few high school students like Margeaux Brown and Wil Brookhart even came to watch the performances and encourage the theatre department. It was really nice.”

Junior Margeaux Brown said she received the same magical treatment as her fellow guests at the tea party.

“They served us food, mostly desserts, and sang songs for us,” Brown said. “And the performers also came around and signed cards and took pictures with the little girls. I really liked that it was student-produced and and that they came up with both the costumes and the blocking to make it a good production in such a small space.”

The success of the event promoted the Fine Arts Academy, according to Brown.

“They definitely made an effort to make it seem inviting to younger children,” Brown said. “I thought that it was really good for the performers to to be able to connect to kids of that age because it gives the kids and their parents an idea of maybe where they want to go to high school. They get to see the good things that McCallum students can do, and they’ll remember that.”

In total the theatre department raised $650 from ticket sales and donations. Because the fundraiser’s popularity and success exceeded expectations, Raper and Brown plan to continue hosting the tea party as an annual event.

“We made $500 from ticket sales, and $150 from a parent’s donation,” Raper said. “When we were planning this, I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out, but clearly it ended up doing great! And I know the kids loved seeing their favorite Disney princesses. You could see their faces light up when the princesses came down for the meet and greet. I think it’s a memorable and fun experience that we’re definitely going to do again.”