Contents

Foreword
History of the show
The Production Team
Breakdown of
characters
The Music of Seussical
the Musical

Artistic Vision
Musical Direction
Vocal Direction
Dance
Audition Process

Set
Sound and Lighting
Stage Management

Fundraising Plan
Press and Publicity
Appendices

Foreword
Thank you for taking the time to consider our pitch for CHMS 2016 Spring
production. We have decided to put forward the idea of Ahrens &
Flahertys Seussical. We are a team of twelve students from the university
covering a range of backgrounds regarding that of performance within
musical theatre and subject of study.

Seussical is a fun loving and light hearted musical containing catchy

musical numbers, a vibrant set and costumes, and characters that are
both comical and emotional. Its plot is based on a number of Dr. Seuss
books: Horton Hears a Who!, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Lorax,
Green Eggs and Ham, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, Horton Hatches
the Egg, I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew, McElligot's Pool, Hunches
in Bunches, If I Ran the Circus, The Butter Battle Book, Oh, the Thinks You
Can Think!, The Cat in the Hat, The Sneetches and Other Stories, Did I Ever
Tell You How Lucky You Are?, Oh, the Places You'll Go!, One Fish Two Fish
Red Fish Blue Fish. The vision of our team is to bring these books to life
using a wide range of devices that will bring out the shows many excellent
qualities.

Within our pitch, the financial practicalities, fundraising and marketing are
extremely important to the team and the success of the production. We
have a wonderful team who has planned in detail how this production will
work. The team has tried to plan for things to go wrong (as things so often
do in musicals) so that we can let any issues have as little impact on the
cast, teams and the production as a whole.

As a team, we are excited for this opportunity, and believe that this would
be a perfect way to showcase some of the amazing talent available to us
on campus, and through CHMS. We are eager to gain the experience that
creating this production would bring us.

Thank you again,

The Seussical Team

History of the show

Seussical is a musical written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and is based
on a number of Dr Seuss books. It opened on Broadway in November, 2000
after a year being shown in a Toronto workshop. The show on Broadway was
directed by Frank Galati and choreographed by Kathleen Marshal. The original
Broadway cast included Kate Constantine (Cat in the Hat), Kevin Chamberlin
(Horton) and Anthony Blair Hall (Jojo). The run featured many celebrity Cat in
the Hat replacements, including Rosie ODonnell and Cathy Rigby.
The first US national tour of the show was in 2002 to 2003 and starred Cathy
Rigby. The second toured in 2003 to 2004. After lukewarm reviews of the
Broadway show, the script was re-written, and several songs were reworked or
taken out completely. This version of the show has found success in many
schools, community and regional drama societies. A 90-minute production of
Seussical was staged in July and August of 2007 with Shorey Walker playing The
Cat in the Hat. This production then toured until spring of 2014. The cast of this
final tour included Tommy McKiernan (The Cat in the Hat), Jeremiah Haley
(Horton the Elephant), April Lavelle (Gertrude McFuzz), Josh Boscarino (Jojo),
Ashley Stults (Mayzie La Bird), Charnette Batey (Sour Kangaroo/Young
Kangaroo), Raye Lederman (Bird Girl #1/Mrs. Mayor), Emma Wagner (Bird Girl
#2), Sammy Lopez (Wickersham #1/Mr. Mayor), Brody Karn (Wickersham #2),
Corey Loftus and Greg Laucella (replacement Wickershams).
In the UK, the show opened in the West end at the Arts Theatre in 2012 by Sell
a Door Theatre Company. Seussical also has a one-act version of the show
written by Jeff Church for the Theatre for Young America. This version reduces
the cast to only twelve actors, and focuses the main plot on Horton.
The musicals encouraging moral pointers about self-belief and good fellowship
are unimpeachable The New York Times
a combination of vulnerable but assured performances and simple but eyepopping stagecraft adds up to a well-honed family show with a surprising
amount of soul Chicago Tribune
Flaherty & Ahrens are incapable of writing a bad musical theater song, and
Seussical is full of gems, from the infectious opener ("Oh, The Thinks You Can
Think!") to the finale. Theatre Mania

Production Team
Emma Allison Producer
Emma is a first year Music Student at York studying Piano
as her principal instrument. She also plays saxophone in a
number of bands. She has experience performing in the
bands of many musicals including Wizard of Oz and Songs
for a New World. After seeing her first musical (Joseph
and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat) at a young age,
Emmas love of musicals never left her and she continues
to be fascinated by the music and production of such
shows. Emma has experience helping with the running of
choirs and is often found behind the scenes making sure
everyone is organised. This would be the first large scale
musical that Emma would be producing, and she is
extremely excited to have the opportunity to produce a
musical.
Athene Broad Production Manager
Athene is a first year music student, now a thoroughly
committed member of the department having changed
course from studying English to be more immersed in
her true passion, music. Athene really enjoys musical
theatre as is provides a great fusion of these two
interests, incorporating language and drama with music.
Athene is therefore very keen to make on the role of
production manager and feels that her diverse subject
background means that she has a lot to bring to the
role. Playing both the flute and cello, Athene has
significant experience performing in orchestras and pit
bands for musicals including Oliver, The Wizard of Oz,
Fiddler On The Roof, and in this years music department
production of The Threepenny Opera. Having very much
enjoyed these experiences, Athene is very excited to
turn her hand to the production side of creating a
musical.

Callam Neville Co-Director and Set Design

Callam studied Drama and Theatre Studies to A-level,
specialising in Brechtian Technique and Direction. He Cowrote/Directed the 2011 ArtsBox Award nominated play
Domino and has since directed several small scale productions
of plays such as Lysistrata and The Cauacasian Chalk Circle. He
most recently took on a role as Assistant Director/ Technical
Director in York Universitys production of The Threepenny
Opera.

Vicentre Magalhaes Co-Director and Repititeur

Vicente is a second-year music student. He Co-directed the two
productions of the student-written play, Down the Rabbit Hole,
alongside Joe Willis at the drama barn in York and Matthew's
Yard in Croydon. As a repetiteur he has accompanied many
rehearsals for different ensembles, from choirs to small
orchestras both in England and in Portugal.

Oliver Pickup Musical Director

Ollie is a second year jazz trombonist and composer whose
works infuse contemporary classical composition with elements
of jazz and improvisation. Ollie started playing trombone with
both the Lancashire Youth Brass Band and the Lancashire Youth
Jazz Orchestra, whilst at St Marys College, Blackburn where he
studied jazz and composition with Carl Raven (Apollo Saxophone
Quartet, House of Bedlam). As a performer, Ollie has played
lead trombone with various jazz groups including the Nostalgia
Swing Band, New Kings Big Band, the University of York Jazz
Orchestra, Dysfunktion and the Sam Johnson Big Band. He has
also played for many musical theatre productions including
Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, Hairspray
and Wicked. Ollie is also the Assistant Musical Director for the
2015 CHMS Summer Showcase and has conducted the East
Lancashire Concert Band as well as his own wind band as part of
the World War One Conference in March 2015. Ollie is the
current Musical Director and Trombonist for York based function
band Dysfunktion and brass quintet 5 Men 1 Tuba.
Olivia Moss Vocal Director & Costume
Olivia performs regularly as a classical, jazz and musical theatre
singer. Her most recent theatrical performance was in the
University of York Music Department's production of The
Threepenny Opera playing Polly. Olivia also enjoys performing
with Opera Society and has been a chorus member in Cendrillon
and taken part in showcases. Stage appearances prior to
university include Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,
Eva Peron in Evita and one of the Bird Girls in Seussical, all for
local productions. Olivia trained for a year with the LIPA
weekend academy and in local amateur dramatic groups
previously. She has also undertaken extensive choral training,
for example with the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir, with
which she performed in several major works at the Liverpool
Philharmonic Hall and performed in the 2012 Olympic Closing
ceremony. Now in her second year studying music at the
University of York, Olivia is a keen member of University and
Chamber choirs and has this year taken over as a conductor for
Vanbrugh Voices. Along with Vanbrugh Voices, Olivia has
directed other musical groups through school, taught piano for
several years and has assisted in directing shows with younger
children. Olivia is excited to extend her directive experience in a
larger production, particularly with a show that she loves!

Chris Roberts Technical Director

Musicals have formed a large part of Chris life for a
number of years. He has performed and recorded as a
member of the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra,
played for the Cardiff Youth Orchestra in Porgy and
Bess and Miss Saigon as well as directing sound for this
same orchestra. Chris has also produced many EPs,
singles and other works across genres, while one of his
original compositions, written, recorded and mastered
with band Dartmoor, received airtime on Nation radio

Hannah Takats Choreographer

Hannah is a first year music student from Hertfordshire
studying the flute as her principal instrument. She also
sings and plays piano and saxophone. She has played and
performed in various orchestras and concert bands at
home including performances at the Ritz in London and
at the location of Downton Abbey. She spent a year with
a musical theatre academy taking part in workshops with
West End professionals and this love of musical theatre is
still with her. She has danced since the age of 8, doing
most styles including ballet, tap, modern, contemporary
and street, performing three times a year in dance
shows, and played the lead role in Snow White in March
2014. Having spent the past few years choreographing
and teaching dance during her A Levels, she is excited to
be choreographing here in York.

Eleanor Dunsdon Press and Publicity

she is no stranger to the role. Earlier this year, she was elected for
Press and Publicity officer for both the universitys Music Society
and Gilbert and Sullivan Society both of which she maintains an
active role with. At the start of this academic year, Eleanor was
appointed Press and Publicity assistant for the Music
Departments project The Threepenny Opera, in which she created
a website, Facebook and Twitter pages, filmed video diaries and
documented the productions rehearsal process through
photography. Further to this, Eleanor has experience in publicising
herself as a musician, utilizing all social media outlets and
designing and creating a website for herself.

Louise Barclay Johnson Finance

Louise is a first year music student who is not unfamiliar with helping
produce shows and musicals. Having worked in a secondary school
for a year as their Performing Arts Coordinator and helping to
finance and put on a full school production of Les Miserables and
several smaller drama productions, alongside a familiarity of
performing in shows at school such as Oh! What a Lovely War and
Little Shop of Horrors. With an A level in maths, a current position on
the committee of the Royal Schools of Church Music and previous
administrative and financial experiences in a cathedral office and a
charity working with numbers and being organised is not an
unfamiliar task.

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Lizzie George Fundraising

Lizzie is a first year music student and a principal
flautist as well as a keen saxophonist. She has
experience performing in various bands both in York
and at home in Suffolk. She has a lot of fundraising
experience after raising over 15,000 on the school
charity team and fundraising for her gap year. She is
currently fundraising to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in
September. Although this would be the first musical
Lizzie would be involved in without being a member
of the band, she is incredibly excited for some
creative fundraising!

Character
Breakdown
Main Characters
The Cat in the Hat

Male
Narrator, Soloist, Baritone/Tenor
The essence of mischief, fun and imagination. The Cat
likes to cause trouble but always sets things right
after. The Cat is the host of the show and plays many
comic minor parts throughout the story and can
improvise with the audience (would require someone
who isnt scared to interact with the audience).

Horton the Elephant

Male
Lead role, Tenor/Baritone
Horton is an elephant and citizen of the
Jungle of Nool. He is imaginative and believes
in the worlds goodness and is gentle, big
hearted and appealing. He is responsible for
saving the planet Who and befriends JoJo by
doing so. Needs a strong singer/actor with
good comic timing.

Gertrude McFuzz

Female
Lead/support, Soprano, Whiney voice
Gertrude is a shy and self-conscious bird with a
one feather tail. She is in love with Horton and
does whatever she can to get his attention.

JoJo

Male (possibly played by female)

Lead role
JoJo is a Who and the child of the mayor and his
wife. He is a loner and awkward whos thinks get
him into trouble. In the end, his Thinks save the
planet.
Mayzie LaBird

Female
Lead/support, Alto belt with second soprano
range
Self-centred, selfish and vain bird who
manipulates anyone she can into doing what
she wants. Comic role!
Mr Mayor

Male
The Mayor of Whoville and
JoJos dad

The Sour Kangaroo

Female
Lead/support, Alto with gospel feel
Main antagonist and a citizen of the Jungle of
Nool. She has a lot of sass and attitude.

Supporting Characters
Mrs Mayor

Female

General Genghis Khan Schmitz

Male
Support, Tenor/Baritone
General in the army and crazy about war. Would
require somebody with a strong voice and confident
stage presence.

The Wickersham Brothers

Male x 3
Support, 2 tenors and 1 bass
3 monkeys that are childish in nature and like
to fool around. They are often found doing the
bidding of the Sour Kangaroo.
The Young Kangaroo

Female (same person as SK)

Support, will use hand puppet

The Bird Girls

Female x 5
Support, 1 soprano, 2 mezzo soprano and 2 alto
Help to tell the story and often appear with
Mayzie

The Grinch

Male
Support, Bass/Baritone

Yertle the Turtle

Male
Small role, preferably a
Bass for the low F but not
essential
Vlad Vladikoff

Male
Says one line, can also be a member of
the a chorus or a who
A reclusive vulture that is hired by the
Sour Kangaroo to steal Hortons clover.

The Hunters

Male

Thing 1 & Thing 2

Male or Female
Appear every time the cat is on-stage,
carry props, could be used to run around
the audience before the show starts
Non speaking roles apart from a few lines
in their own made up language

Ensemble Characters
The Whos

Tiny people from the planet of Who

Mixed chorus, can include various
support characters as doubles
Each family will be given its own colour
scheme

The Jungle Creatures

Inhabitants of the Jungle

of Nool
Mixed chorus

Hunches

Hunches that JoJo had thought,

ideas that have come to life
Mixed chorus
Circus Performers

Animals that are part of

the Circus McGurkus
Mixed chorus

The Music of Seussical the Musical

Act I
1. Overture Orchestra
2. Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! Company (except
The Grinch and Vlad Vladikoff)
3. Our Story Begins The Cat and JoJo
4. Horton Hears a Who! Bird Girls, Horton, Citizens
of the Jungle of Nool
5. Biggest Blame Fool Sour Kangaroo, Young
Kangaroo, Horton, Wickersham Brothers, Bird Girls,
Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie LaBird, Citizens of the
Jungle, JoJo and The Cat
6. Here on Who The Mayor, Mrs Mayor, The Grinch,
Whos, Schmitz and Horton
7. Its Possible (In McElligots Pool) JoJo, The Cat and
Fish
8. How to Raise a Child Schmitz, The Mayor, Mrs
Mayor, JoJo and Cadets
9. The Military Schmitz, The Mayor, Mrs Mayor, JoJo
and Cadets
10. Alone in the Universe Horton and JoJo
11. The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz
Gertrude
12. Amayzing Mayzie Mayzie, Gertrude and the Bird
Girls
13. Amazing Gertrude Gertrude and the Bird Girls
14. Monkey Around Wickersham Brothers and
Horton
15. Chasing the Whos Horton, Sour Kangaroo, Young
Kangaroo, Bird Girls, Wickersham Brothers, The Cat,
Vlad Vladikoff and Whos
16. How Lucky You Are The Cat and Whos
17. Notice Me, Horton Gertrude and Horton
18. How Lucky You Are (Reprise) Mayzie and Horton
19. Horton Sits on the Egg Full Company

Act II
1. Entracte Orchestra
2. Our Story Resumes The Cat, JoJo, Horton,
Gertrude, Schmitz, Bird Girls and Hunters
3. Egg, Nest, and Tree Sour Kangaroo, Bird Girls,
Wickersham Brothers, The Cat and Hunters
4. The Circus McGurkus The Cat, Horton and Circus
Animals
5. Mayzie in Palm Beach Mayzie, The Cat and Horton
6. Amazying Horton Mayzie and Horton
7. Alone in the Universe (Reprise) Horton
8. Solla Sollew Horton, The Mayor, Mrs Mayor, JoJo,
Circus McGurkus Animals and Performers
9. The Butter Battle JoJo, Schmitz and Cadets
10. Havin a Hunch The Cat, JoJo, Hunches and
Things
11. All for You Gertrude, Horton and Bird Girls
12. The People Verses Horton the Elephant All
principles except Mayzie and Schmitz, Wickershams,
Yertle, Bird Girls, Young Kangaroo
13. Finale/ Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! Full
Company
14. Green Eggs and Ham Full Company

Artistic Vision
Seussical has a very playful attitude and we want to highlight
those aspects as much as possible we want high audience
interaction so we aim to use the whole of central hall to its
fullest, with the stage used largely as a focal point for important
action rather than limiting the action there solely. We want to
try and transform as much of the space as possible through use
of props to make it an immersive experience for the audience.

We have a very diverse list of characters and we want to

highlight the diversity of our CHMS members through the casting
with a rich tapestry of background characters with singing roles
and a lot of ensemble work in play we really want to use CHMS
assets to their fullest. We aim to find everyone who auditions a
role in the ensemble.

We feel that with the backing of CHMS this show could be truly
spectacular and draw a wider, more family and child friendly
audience.

Audience Participation
We feel that Seussical offers a lot of chances to involve the
audience. One of the ways we plan to do this is at the start of
Act II when Horton is captured by the hunters. The Cat will be
stood either in the audience or directly in front of the stage
and will engage in a mock auction for Horton which will be
ended by the leader of Circus McGurkuss. Another plan is to
make use of the mischievous nature of Thing 1 and Thing 2
and a lot of this will be improvised and left up to whoever we
cast as the Things.

Musical Direction
The music for Seussical spans a wide range of genres including Rock n Roll,
Soul, Funk, Latin and some almost Disney-esque numbers. We feel that this
eclectic mix of genres will provide music that is entertaining for audiences of
all ages and backgrounds. The instrumentation for the show is a standard large
show band and is as follows:
Reed 1, Reed 2, Reed 3, Trumpet 1, Trumpet 2, Trombone, Guitar 1, Guitar 2,
Keys 1, Keys 2, Percussion, Drums, Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass

We plan to begin our band rehearsals in Week 1 of Spring term with a 4 hour
rehearsal (with breaks) twice a week. This will allow us plenty of time to get to
grips with the music and be able to perform to a high standard during the
sitzprobe, dance runs and dress runs. As our MD is a music student, this gives
the band easy access to the purpose built rehearsal rooms in the music
department. During production week, we will aim for at least 2 standalone
rehearsals and then the various runs. We can also have sectionals as and when
needed with individual sections.
Our production team also has both a Musical Director and dedicated Vocal
Director. The VD will be engaging mainly with the cast at first in order to get
the singing and acting up to a professional standard. Once both the band and
cast know the material well enough, the MD and VD will work together to
bring everything together. The MD will be working with the band to start with
and working on areas such as dynamics, transitions and generally bringing the
music to life.
During the shows, we plan to have the band either directly in front of the stage
or below the audience (as was done for Witches of Eastwick and Princess Ida).
This will ensure that both the band and cast can see the Musical Director and
make interaction easy, and that the audience can see the band (they dont get
nearly enough notice!)

Vocal Direction
Vocal direction will start in the first week of rehearsals and continue
throughout. Chorus members will be needed for at least one rehearsal each
week, initially to learn notes/harmonies/characterization/etc and then to add
movement and direction. Ideally all chorus numbers will be learnt within the
first 2-3 weeks, with the Vocal Director. From then on the Vocal Director,
Director and Choreographer will co-ordinate rehearsals together to focus on the
staging of the pieces. Additional chorus rehearsals may be run with the Vocal
Director if needed, to iron out any particular issues for chorus members within
the music and for any alterations that come about from rehearsals with
choreography (the Vocal Director will make notes of issues through the
collaborative rehearsals and will organize extra rehearsals as they see fit).

The Vocal Director will also be coordinating the songs for the principal roles.
Although they will need to learn some of the works themselves, the Vocal
Director will help with initial understanding and reading of the music and then
will continue to help with direction and expression for the songs. Again with the
aim for most the material and ideas of expression for the principals to be
coordinated within the first 3 weeks of rehearsals, the Director and possibly the
Musical Director will then join rehearsals with the Vocal Director and principals
to add in any additions to staging and to gain an idea of the performers
interpretation, in order to co-ordinate with the orchestra.
After the first few weeks of direction in this way, the Vocal Director will then sit
in on most chorus and principal rehearsals in which the music is being practiced
further and will run extra rehearsals for whatever vocal support they judge is
needed. They will also be there at this point to make general notes for
improvement to support the rest of the team.
The Vocal Director and Musical Director will collaborate thoroughly on the joint
rehearsals between cast and orchestra, making notes for each other both
before and throughout the earlier rehearsals to ensure consistent
interpretation and to thus make the final rehearsals run smoothly. Within the
final collaborative rehearsals, the Vocal Director will be on hand, again to make
notes, and to help and support the cast as they learn to incorporate the
orchestra into their performance.

Choreography

Seussical presents many great opportunities for some exiting

choreography. After the auditions we plan to have 2 hours per
week of dance rehearsals and have all of the dances taught by
Christmas, leaving us with Spring term to iron out any mistakes
and have everyone up to standard for the big dance day later in
the year.

Our big dance numbers are going to be Oh, The Thinks You Can
Think, Biggest Blame Fool, Monkey Around and the exit
music Green Eggs and Ham. These are all up tempo and have
the potential the capture the audiences attention.

Auditions

We plan to start our auditions in Week 2 of Autumn term, in line with the arrival of new students
but avoiding the hassle of freshers week. The auditions will be split into 3 categories: Instrumental,
Vocal and Dance. We will aim to use Hendrix Hall for all of the auditions but we will also be
attempting to see if we will be allowed to use the music department seminar rooms for auditions.

Instrumental Auditions

The instrumental auditions will be held over several days during Week 2. Interested people can sign
up online for a day and time and will bring with them a prepared piece. If this piece is accompanied
then our repetiteur will be on hand to do this. After the audition piece, people will be given some
sight reading and asked about their availability on the show dates and it will be pointed out that the
show will have to take priority over any other extra-curricular activities. Once the instrumental
auditions have finished, successful auditions will be emailed the details of forthcoming rehearsals
and unsuccessful people will be sent an email with details of other ways to get involved with CHMS
both during the show and throughout the year. The musical director, one of the directors and
producer will be on the audition panel. The stage managers will be on the doors to take people to
the audition room and answer any questions that students (particularly new ones) may have. We
aim for each audition to last approximately 15 minutes and if we estimate getting 2 people
auditioning per part, that we will need around 5 hours in total (allowing for late arrivals etc.).

Vocal Auditions
Vocal auditions will be held in a similar fashion to the instrumental auditions in
terms of how people will sign up. After the performance of an audition piece
(which will either be a Capella, with a backing track or with piano backing), we will
give people a range test and a section of text from the show. The audition panel
will consist of the Vocal Director, Musical Director and one of the directors. Our
repetiteur will be on hand to accompany the auditions. As most of the characters
will need to dance at some point during the show, everybody will be required to
go to a dance audition. A breakdown of characters will be available outside of the
audition room and it will be made clear in our advertising that a copy of this
breakdown can be requested at any time from any member of the production
team.

Dance Auditions

The dance auditions will be taken in groups of 10-15 per session

and last for 45 minutes each. The audition will be part of one of
the dances for the show and will be taught and judged by the
choreographer. We will be filming the auditions for reference
during the casting process. Each session will take around 45
minutes. We plan to hold these auditions on Saturday and Sunday
of Week 2. This will hopefully mean that the auditions should not
clash with any lectures or seminars.

Set
Seussical requires the use of multiple scenes with quick transitions,
making large changes in backgrounds and props a problem. We
plan to work around this by using a two tier stage and interesting
lighting to make distinct changes in location known to the
audience. One of the features that we feel makes our show unique
will be including the whole of Central Hall in our set design plans.
We will be using the main Central Hall stage as the top stage and
the floor below as the lower stage. The actual construction of the
set will be done by sending out emails asking for volunteers to
assist with building whilst being supervised by members of the
production team who have significant DIY experience.

In order to make scene changes as effective as possible, we will be

using lighting colour schemes to indicate different locations e.g.
green lights with leaf shaped stencils for the jungle scenes, blue
lights with fish stencils for McElligot's pool. These will be used in
conjunction with relevant props as staging such as wacky trees and
plants that are idiomatic of Dr Seuss's style.

To compensate for rapid scene changes we are going to split

Central Hall into 3 main areas: Upper Stage, Lower Stage and
Audience.

Designing Seussical
As a musical set in a variety of places, both indoors and out, rural
and urban, we will need to make good use of lighting to capture
the essence of these places as vast and complicated scene changes
arent a possibility. For example, many scenes are set in the jungle
so in order to create the atmosphere needed, we will use a
mixture of green-tinted lights and gobos (stencils which we will
use to cast shadows of large jungle leaves) as well as some light
smoke which will help the colours stand out, but also adding to the
eeriness of the jungle.

Another significant moment in the musical is use of UV lights and

actors with white gloves to create the ghostly figures following JoJo
through the jungle.
On top of these we will need LED lights capable of swift colour
changes and two spotlights (most important to isolate Horton and
the Whos during scenes in which there is conversation between
the two.

All in all, we believe that Seussical gives an opportunity to put on a really great
show that will take the audience on an immersive journey with the characters
thanks to the effective differences between scenes made possible by a creative
lighting set-up.

Please note that these figures given in the expenditure section are estimates for
industry standard equipment. Should the university decide to renew its contract
with JSS then we will be using them for the production.

Fundraising Plan

Our fundraising ideas are an ongoing plan of action. We

have a number of events planned out in Appendix B,
but we will be constantly thinking of new ways to raise
money for the show.

Please see Appendix B for a list of our current

fundraising ideas,

Stage Management
It is important to have a solid backstage team in order
to ensure that the show runs smoothly; no backstage
team, no show! The backstage team will be directed by
our Stage Manager and Assistant Stage Manager and
will cover duties such as performing swift scene
changes, making sure everybody is where they need to
be and managing the distribution of props. The SM and
ASM will also be directing people to the auditions and
act as a point of contact if the cast have any problems.
After the initial auditions and rehearsals, it will be the
responsibility of the Stage Managers to find a reliable
and effective backstage team for production period.

Press and Publicity

Social media platforms:

- Facebook
Our primary publicity platform, where a page and
event can be created to keep those following
regularly updated. It is easy to update quickly and
frequently, along with photos and videos to keep the
public interested during the run-up to the show.
Facebook is the most popular and frequently used
online social network, making it imperative that we
use it to its full capacity. Uniformity is highly
important, therefore the logo and colour scheme
used for the posters and flyers must also be used for
all social media profile pictures and banners; looking
organised and professional is crucial.

Twitter
Like Facebook, the Twitter account can be used to
upload photos and videos of rehearsals and preparation,
as well as regularly update the public with our progress,
and any fundraising events. To help gain further
awareness and recognition, a hashtag for Seussical can
be created and used in every tweet.

Instagram
Although not quite as widely used for advertisement,
Instagram is still a useful way to post the photos and
videos that have been used on Facebook, Twitter and
the website. Keeping this regularly updated will give
an impression of an active and exciting production
team and cast.

Snapchat
Again, not typically used for advertisement, but still
potentially a good way to gain interest by directly
publicising things going on in rehearsals and show
preparation.

Other platforms for advertisement:

- Radio (university and local)
Closer to the dates of the show, a group of principles
and production team can advertise the show by
talking about it to various radio stations, to help
boost awareness and ticket sales. See contact list.
- Newspapers (university and local)
A great way to raise awareness and ticket sales, both
on and off the university campus. See contact list.
- Television
Another platform to raise awareness by advertising
the show and ticket sales. See contact list.
- YouTube
Over the course of rehearsals, clips and video diaries
will be filmed to upload to all social media sites and
our YouTube account; vlogs, interviews and
promotional videos are an effective way to create
excitement and interest around the show for the
public.
- Photography
Any photos of rehearsals and show preparation
should be uploaded to all social media platforms and
the shows website.

Campus advertising
Promotion around campus is highly important, as
students will make up a large percentage of our
audience. A poster will be created to be approved by
YUSU, to then have up on available screens across
campus. This can also be sent to the Student Cinema,
to advertise before weekly screenings. Flyering on
campus and posters will also gain welcome attention
for the show. We would like to create a banner to
hang up on the outside of Central Hall in the weeks
running up to the show, if this can be approved by
YUSU. Another way in which to advertise across
campus effectively is through the use of branded
merchandise. We plan to order a form of clothing (for
example hoodies or sweatshirts) for every cast and
production team member, with the official logo for
the show printed on the back, to create further
awareness and curiosity across campus.
YSTV
As has been done with previous shows, getting in
contact with YSTV to create a short promotional
video proves to be effective in advertising it looks
both professional and exciting, something that is
greatly important in publicising the show.
Posters and flyers
Using the decided logo and design/colour scheme for
the show, posters and flyers will be designed to be
distributed across York and the university, where the
majority of our audience will reside. Travelling to
Leeds and other nearby cities to publicise is also
important. See distribution plan.

 Website
Having a professional-looking, regularly updated website is
imperative to the productions success. It will be primary
seller for tickets, and must include information about the
story of the show itself. Fundraising events will be detailed
here, and blog should be kept in the run up to the show. As
with the social media sites, any photos and videos will also
be uploaded here in an easily-accessible gallery. In order to
save any extra costs, making use of contacts within the
production team of webmasters will be much more costeffective and simple to create a website we want.

Schools
As Seussical is a family-friendly show, we plan to take
advantage of this by making sure local schools are made
aware of the performance. By sending out information
packs to schools in the area (see contact list), before the
end of autumn term, teachers will have time to arrange
and get the necessary parental permission for school trips.
To encourage teachers to get their pupils involved, we plan
to put together creative writing packs for primary school
classes, and design fun and engaging workshops related to
the show, as the Dr. Seuss books and its characters lend
themselves very well to this.

Fundraising
An important part of P&Ps job will be to publicise not only
the show, but also any fundraising events surrounding it.
This can be done most effectively through Facebook where
events and pages can be created, and Twitter where
information can also be posted. The website should also
detail anything like this, to make the public aware of how
to get involved.

Your Shop
They have offered to sell tickets,
which will be a huge help to us as
they are one of the most popular
campus shops. Their screen will
also display the production
poster once approved by YUSU.

Summary

We hope that our pitch has shown you what a

fantastic show Seussical is and how exciting it
would be to stage. Its eclectic mixture of drama,
music, humour and wackiness make Seussical
enjoyable for people of all ages.
We believe that with our dedicated production
team, Seussical will be challenge to produce, but
also enjoyable as we get to work with the wealth
of talent in CHMS and alongside a committee with
a reputation of putting on amazing shows.
Thank you once again for taking the time to read
and consider our pitch
The Seussical Team

Appendix A Budget

Appendix B Fundraising Ideas

Rocky Horror Event

Venue: The Courtyard
Description:
Dysfunktion will arrange the whole Rocky Horror Show soundtrack and perform it,
possibly including guest appearances from CHMS members, at The Courtyard. We will
charge 3 per ticket and aim to sell a minimum of 50, bringing in a total of 150 from
ticket sales. This amount will be added to with a raffle with prizes hopefully donated by
businesses in York. Raffle tickets will cost 1 per strip and we will aim to sell a minimum of
50, giving us a minimum total profit of 200 for the event.
Dr Seuss Event
Venue: The Courtyard
Description:
This event will hopefully get people excited for the show and we would be looking to hold
it about a month before the show. A similar format to the Kilimanjazzro event will be
followed, hoping to make a profit of around 300.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Description:
5 for a box of 12 doughnuts and doughnuts will then be sold for a pound each, enabling
us to make 7 per box. Each cast member will be asked to sell a box of doughnuts, with a
cast of 50, the potential profit of this is 350. If people were to buy a box of 12 doughnuts,
these would be sold for 10. Doughnuts will also be sold around campus, outside nisa, the
library etc, and also in the foyer of the music department and potentially in other
departments. However, it is expected that more than box could be sold per cast member,
and the suggested order and profit is:
200 boxes of twelve, bought at 5 each, with the doughnuts sold at a 9:1 ratio of
individual to boxes, could make a projected profit of 1360

Dr Seuss Bar Crawl

Description:
A fancy dress bar crawl, with an organised route into town and then giving discounted
club entry. This would need to be organised with the club and bars to get the best offer

and drinks deals however wrist bands for the event could be sold at 3 each. With a
minimum of 50 people attending, profit would be expected to be around 150.

Personal Fundraising Targets

Description:
Each cast member will have a personal fundraising target of 30. This is the minimum each
cast member would be expected to raise. Therefore a cast of 50 will potentially be able to
bring in at least 1500 from personal fundraising. It will be down to each individual cast
member on how they choose to do this.

Busking
Description:
Various ensembles go into town; main target weekends will include weekends of the
Christmas fayre, and before Christmas. Bank Holiday weekends are also likely to be busier
and this will be prime busking time! Busking will be scheduled throughout the year with
different ensembles. Projected profit would be a minimum of 50 a day. At least 8
sessions over the year will raise 400.

Bake Sale
Description:
A baking rota will be made, and each person will be asked to make 12 cakes to sell. Two
people will bake at a time, and will be sold three times a week in the music department
foyer. Sold at 50p each, this would make 12 a day and 36 per week. If this runs for 10
weeks projected profit will be 360. There will also be other opportunities for cakes to be
sold, for example during the breaks of rehearsals of orchestra and uni choir. If 12 is made
each time, and 6 rehearsals are targeted, the projected profit is 72.