Alice in Winterland (Winter 2023)
Panther Playhouse | Harrison High School
Enrollment at Time of Production: ~250 Students
Alice in Winterland was a fully student-directed, student-designed, and student-run adaptation. My role functioned as executive oversight and instructional supervisor while student directors, designers, stage managers, and actors led the production process.
This production marked a shift toward student ownership at scale.
Full Production Description & Overview:
Venue Capacity: 950 Seats
Performances: 4
Rehearsal Period: 8 weeks
Tech Week: 1 week
Marketing Window: 5–6 weeks
Financial Overview (Documented Figures):
Net Position
Ticket Revenue: $546
Tea Party Premium Tickets: included in gross
Minimal production costs
Concession revenue during holiday window (November 26th-December 16th)
This production operated with strong margin due to:
No licensing costs
Low material expenditures
Premium experiential add-on
Cost Structure:
Because the production was student-devised and built largely from in-house inventory:
No royalty cost
No external licensing
Scenic and costume materials drawn from stock
Student design labor integrated into coursework
Production Cost: minimal material expenses only.
Mad Winter Tea Party Fundraiser
In collaboration with Harrison High School Culinary and Catering programs, the Mad Winter Tea Party functioned as a premium add-on experience tied to Alice in Winterland.
Premium Seating: $15 per ticket
Cross-department collaboration
Culinary students produced and served themed refreshments
Theatre students performed immersive character interactions
This event served as the final fundraising push before traveling to the 60th Colorado Thespians Conference the following week.
Unlike traditional concession-based fundraising, this model:
Elevated ticket price through experience value
Integrated two academic departments
Increased per-attendee revenue
Reinforced student entrepreneurship
Ticket & Sales Summary
Ticket Sales (OnTheStage):
Tickets Sold: 129
Capacity Utilization: 5.3%
Gross Ticket Revenue: $546.00
Breakdown Highlights:
85 tickets @ $5
23 tickets @ $10
7 tickets @ $3
6 Mad Tea Party premium tickets @ $15
Website, widget, and walk-up distribution split across channels
This production operated under the same accessible pricing structure:
$10 General Admission
$5 Students
$3 Children
Comp codes for accessibility
Strategic Goals & Outcomes:
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This production was intentionally structured as a leadership incubator.
Students independently managed:
Directing and casting
Scenic design
Costume design
Stage management
Marketing promotion
Front-of-house coordination
Event planning and immersive theatre techniques
Peer coaching and problem-solving in rehearsals
Hosting family-friendly interactive performances
Budget tracking and concessions management
The experience simulated collegiate directing and design capstone processes.
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- Provided scaffolding and safety oversight while empowering full student control
- Supported reflective journals and self-assessment tools
- Mentored student leaders through casting dilemmas and delegation
- Documented the process for integration into student portfolios
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The Mad Winter Tea Party:
Integrated Culinary Arts curriculum
Provided real-world catering experience
Created interdisciplinary experiential theatre
Modeled arts collaboration across CTE and performing arts programs
This strengthened institutional relationships and broadened theatre’s academic footprint.
Strategic Impact
Alice in Winterland demonstrates:
Student-led production scalability
Premium fundraising integration
Cross-department academic collaboration
Minimal-cost, high-margin production modeling
Travel-funding alignment with the performance season
This production directly supported student participation in Colorado Thespians while deepening leadership capacity within Panther Playhouse.
It also reinforced the transition from director-led productions to student-governed theatrical ecosystems.
