It is, indeed, your humble
narrator and Convention Director, with a brief summary of what’s in store for
you at TheatreFest 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston, January 27-29,
2012.
Have you noticed that Tony Award
winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will be making an Encore appearance this
year? For those of you who were wowed by
his performance at TheatreFest 2011 and those who joined me in multiple
standing ovations when he appeared in concert in Dallas in September, this is
your chance to see Stokes yet again. For
those of you who missed Stokes’ brilliant reconstruction of “The Impossible
Dream” at TheatreFest 2011, you will not want to miss his 2012 TheatreFest
appearance, which combines both interview (conducted by our own former Aldonza,
Paula Rodriguez) AND performance (accompanied by the always brilliant Mary
Ekler)! A great event, currently
scheduled for Friday, January 27 at 8:30pm.
And do we have AMAZING NEWS for
you about SATURDAY NIGHT’s SPECIAL GUEST?
Well, actually, no, we don’t.
Here’s the thing: Almost everyone is WORKING! Haven’t they heard how bad the economy
is? In any event, we are still wooing a
number of Broadway greats and will continue to look for just the right person
for Saturday night’s spotlight. Stay
tuned for more details soon.
If you haven’t already done so,
there are two things you should absolutely do as soon as possible:
First,
submit your registration forms with payment and make sure that we receive all
forms and payments postmarked no later than December 1, 2011. You not only save almost 30% on the
regular $175 registration fee, but you’ll save lots of time by not having to
register onsite (cash/credit cards/school checks only after December 1);
Second, be sure you have a room
reserved at the Hyatt Regency. This
year’s convention rate again entitles up to four people to stay in a room for
the same price as one. It’s a great
deal, but we were only able to get a limited number of rooms at this rate-
almost one third less rooms than we normally have set aside for members. Once those are gone, the hotel MAY (or may
not) release additional rooms. Take the
stress out of guaranteeing you’ll have a room at the host hotel by reserving
now.
Lastly, remember that while
Registration opens at 8am on Friday, January 27, the Convocation and all
programming do not begin until 1pm. And
here’s a final tip: You will want to be seated in the Imperial Ballroom from
the very beginning of the Convocation, which starts PROMPTLY at 1pm. Don’t say you weren’t given a ‘heads up’.
Rain or shine, ice or blue skies,
we look forward to hosting you at TheatreFest 2012. With well over 200
programming choices, plus ongoing performances, scholarship opportunities,
diverse exhibits, and learning opportunities covering almost every facet of
educational theatre, this is an event you must not miss.
Happy Holidays To All,
Gene Dickey