Good afternoon to our dear Spark students and their families. We are already starting to miss ya'll so much! This is such a strange time in our history. We are all dealing with so many unknowns and I'm sure you all have questions. We have been watching developments on Covid-19 as they unfold. It is unbelievable to see the far reaching effects of this crisis. Our goal is to provide a little reassurance and some normalcy and consistency to our community.

Good news from Spark:

First, a little bit of good news. WE FINALLY GOT A REAL SIGN! This has been a long time coming and we can't wait for you to see it. We also got BRAND NEW TRUSS and LIGHTS!! These were installed over spring break just in time for us to shut down. (haha) Spark has made a lot of progress this semester and we are not going down without a fight. The community that built Spark is strong and we know we can weather this storm together.

Hugs to our students who have had shows cancelled:

We have mourned with our students as we have watched show after show get cancelled for other theatres. We know how hard you have worked and are saddened to see Miller and TUTS along with several other theatres cancel all their shows. We fully support their decision to be cautious and to protect our city from this illness.

Plans for Spark Rehearsals and Shows:

Spark is not ready to throw in the towel just yet. We have made plans based on several different scenarios to reschedule our shows. The best case scenario would be to re-open on April 13th as our school districts are planning. We will send out an updated rehearsal and show schedule next week to be posted to each show page. Each cast will be expected to learn materials posted online and attend virtual rehearsals.

For those of you that are concerned that April 13th is too soon, you are not alone. We can all pray for the best case scenario but be prepared for the worst. We have planned alternate schedules based on different dates. We have even planned to go to a summer camp format if need be.

Payments:

So what about payments? As you all learned from our parent meetings, the fees for our shows are always the same regardless of the amount of time it takes to put them on. We have already paid for all of our rights, most of our costumes, set, and props. Many theatres charge the full fee for a show upfront. Spark allows payment plans for the vast majority of our students. We understand that with so many unknowns, it is very difficult to know what to expect for when our live rehearsals will resume or our shows will go on. We also know that many of you are being faced with uncertainty in your own personal lives and finances. For all of these reasons, we have decided to allow families to postpone the April 5th payment until May 5th. We are essentially pausing your payment plans for one month. Rest assured, we will be making up missed rehearsals in our new schedule and will be providing students with ongoing support and materials to learn at home over the next few weeks. If you need to postpone your payment plan, please fill out THIS FORM. If you are able to make your payment on April 5th as scheduled, it will help Spark tremendously. We are doing everything we can to stay in operation.

Communication:

We are taking this day-by-day. Updates are being made all the time and we may need to re-asses as new information is made available. Please be patient as we put together material to be sent out online and schedule virtual rehearsals. We will send a Remind when the show pages are updated.

We appreciate your support at this time. Hold your families close and please be safe!

Love, Spark

Feb. 18: Great rehearsal today!!! Please know your scripts up through page 28 for next week.

Feb. 4: We worked on the first song and scene during today’s rehearsal. Now that everyone knows the parts, please look ahead in your scripts and listen to the music.

Cast List:

Congratulations to the cast of Annie!

ENSEMBLE: Orphans, New Yorkers, Stars to Be, Servants

Summer Anderson, Lam Boeckelmann, Chloe Bouska, Leyla Cardoza, Sofia Cardoza, Claire Cross, Cathryn Freeman, Hope Kelsey, Chloe Lorenz, Jorryn Nuckols, Teagan Nuckols, Amanda Riha, Miranda Smith, Madelyne Taylor, Roman Weaver, Lilah Waters

Annie: Abigail Hill, Olivia Osorio

Ms. Hannigan: Taylor Nelson, Piper Nuckols

Grace: Brynlee Alder, Hannah Kelsey

Molly; Cora Griffin

Cate: Ainsley Baggett

Tessie: Marianna Zierlein

Pepper: Delaney Harper

July: Rachel Roselund

Duffy: Hannah Clayburn

Rooster: Aidan Warren

Lily: Ava Warren

Warbucks: Seth Anderson

Sandy: Rayne Oakley

Drake: Grayson Cockrell

Apple Seller: Isaac Helms

Lt. Ward: Isaiah Anderson

Bert Healy: Ditri Filis

Bundles: Eli Clayburn

FDR: Lincoln Alder

Updates:

Jan 27th:

It’s time to order your Annie shirt!!! Show the world that you were in one of the most loved productions and that you did it at Spark!!

Buy one for your little performer or buy one for each of your family members! Place your order by March 20th to get the group deal.

Buy Shirt Here

Jan. 21:

Great first day of class!

Auditions will be next week. Today we worked on four auditions cuts for music: It’s A Hard Knock Life, Little Girls, Tomorrow and Easy Street.

They may choose which song they want to sing for their audition. They will also do choreography and lines that we worked today.

Parent Meeting: We will be having a mandatory parent meeting Tuesday, January 21 at 12:00 noon. Please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns. 281-516-8382

What to Bring:

You may bring a small snack (we may or may not take a snack break but will let students go to the lobby to eat a snack if they are low on energy).
Each student will need a water bottle labeled with their name. There are no drinking fountains at the studio.
Please wear modest clothing that is comfortable to dance in. No short shorts or spaghetti strap tank tops. We comply with the Tomball ISD dress code.
We recommend that the kids wear black jazz shoes. They will wear these for the performance and throughout the rehearsal process. You can purchase jazz shoes at Fancy Dancer or Academy. *If they do not have these for the first day, they may wear socks.

Tuition: Tuition and costume fees are due. If you have a card on file, accounts are charged on the 5th of the month. It is our policy that payments are made through our online service (Parent Portal) and that all students are registered for auto draft. This saves Spark hundreds of hours on collections. Please note that there have been updates this year regarding tuition payments. There will be a $25 monthly late fee if not paid on due date, as well as $10 fee for no card on file for autopay (ACH). We will be happy to assist you in setting up your account for automatic payments. To access your account, please LOGIN. If you feel you have a special circumstance, we are happy to work with you. Please reach out via inspire@sparktx.org.

Drop Off Instructions:

Annie is a drop off class. While we would love to be able to accommodate parents and family members in our lobby, Spark is very busy on Tuesdays with dance classes as well as our theatre productions. Students will need to be signed in and out of class at the front desk. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We look forward to getting to know you weekly at check in and check out:).