ALTON - Marquette Catholic High School (MCHS) will host their annual Theater and Music Dinner Fundraiser, complete with a cotton candy station, silent auction and performances by MCHS staff members and students.
On Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, attendees can enjoy a child-friendly evening emceed by the Grinch. The silent auction starts at 4:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 5:30 p.m. and the show at 6:15 p.m. Dinner tickets must be purchased by the end of the day on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. People can purchase tickets for the show up until the night of Dec. 9.
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Music and Theater Director Brett Klaus explained that the money raised will fund more opportunities for students in the music and drama programs.
“The people on Broadway, the ones that I’ve worked with: all Midwestern transplants,” Klaus said. “People forget that they start here in schools like this with people who just need to give them an opportunity. So I realized it’s my job to give them every opportunity.”
MCHS hosted the Theater and Music Dinner Fundraiser for the first time last year. They raised enough money to afford the rights and special effects in “Peter Pan,” and the MCHS production went on to receive recognition from the St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards.
Klaus noted that the music and theater departments have both had a successful year, which he attributed to the talent of the students. He hopes the fundraiser will help the programs grow. This year, they are fundraising to produce “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” as their spring musical.
“When people see what we did in a year, I think they’ll realize the importance of the arts program,” Klaus added. “We’re competing with division one-type schools. We beat out other schools with our St. Louis High School Musical Theater Awards, which have much bigger budgets than we have. So we have talent, that’s for sure.”
During the silent auction, adults can enjoy wine and charcuterie while children make ornaments and snack on cotton candy. Silent auction items include tickets to the Fox Theater, the Muny and the St. Louis Symphony, among other items. Santa and the Grinch will be on hand for photos.
The show will start at 6:15 p.m. after dinner, and it will showcase sketches and songs by students as they fight the Grinch and his fellow “Christmas Villains,” including Ebenezer Scrooge and Mariah Carey. MCHS Assistant Director Robert Price will take on the role of the Grinch. Price used to perform as the Grinch at corporate events before he began teaching at MCHS.
“It’s going to be really funny and just a fun time,” Klaus promised.
For more information about the annual Theater and Music Dinner Fundraiser, including how to purchase tickets, visit the official webpage at MarquetteCatholic.org/DinnerAndShow.
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