Dear Amherst Alumni:

We are in the throes of the Amherst Operetta’s Annual Patron Drive, which raises funds for the Operetta by selling ad space in the program.  The Operetta is able to exist each year because of, essentially, only two revenue streams that make the show possible: Patrons and Ticket Sales.

Our Development Team is led by Mrs. Jessica McLaughlin, assisted by Ms. Danielle Rodgers.

Our patron goal is $20,000.  Last year we surpassed this goal, having raised approximately $20,750 in ad sales.  The remainder of the budget is paid for by ticket sales. I anticipate the CATS budget to be approximately $35,000 – $40,000.  To give you an idea of a few past shows:

• Phantom (the Operetta’s only other Lloyd Webber Musical) was still the highest to date at approx $57,000 in production costs.  
• Last year’s Les Miserables cost approximately $56,200. 
• TITANIC 2020 cost approximately $44,000 
• Seussical 2023 was approximately $41,000

Link to the Operetta’s Patron Forms: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15uEnuKB0Wjki9w9urG9Y0p2fWHTy9vdi?usp=drive_link

The link below will take you to the Operetta’s Annual Patron Spreadsheet, where you can see all of the current patron subscribers and the last 7 or 8 years (see YEAR tabs at the bottom of the page).  From this document, the staff keeps track of every ad sale, large or small, and works to develop the program that is distributed when the audience arrives for the performances.

Operetta Annual Patron Spreadsheet

Any and ALL patrons help to keep the production going strong, purchase materials for the set, costumes, company events, and even compensate the staff, which is NOT covered by the ACSD.  As I always articulate, the Amherst Operetta is nearly self-sufficient, run like a professional theatre company that produces one major production annually.  These funds also support the Music Department Scholarships at the end of the year.

Thank you for your help keeping this great Amherst tradition alive and well!  Your help is needed!  Please, feel free to reach out to a local business, your workplace, etc., and solicit a patron in support of the Operetta!  No patron is too small or too large, and your help is the most important of all!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to: Justin Pomietlarz, Producer/Music Director: Jpomietlarz@amherstschools.org or Jessica McLaughlin, Patron and Development Manager: blettj@gmail.com

Thank you so very much for supporting our Amherst students!  The Amherst Operetta is the OLDEST High School Music Theatre program in Western New York 1950 – 2025 – an astounding 

76 annual productions!

With sincere respect and appreciation, Justin T. Pomietlarz

_________________________
Note from Mrs. McLaughlin:

Dear Amherst Family and Friends,

This year marks the 76th consecutive year of Amherst Central High School’s long tradition of exceptional musical theatre productions.  We are sure that this year’s selection of CATS will carry on this fine tradition!  

These shows exist in large part because individuals in our community recognize the educational benefits and entertainment value of the musical theatre experience and contribute financially to help cover the costs of the production. There are many costs associated with putting on a Broadway quality show such as fees for a professional stage director and choreographer, royalty fees, printing programs, costumes, makeup, lighting and set design. 

We have met with Mr. Pomietlarz, producer and vocal director, and set a fundraising goal of $20,000.   In order to meet this goal we need your help!  We only have a few weeks to raise funds for this production.

In this email, you will find the Patron Drive forms to share with your favorite businesses and family/friends.  We are also sharing a list of the Patrons that have donated in the past.  If you see an unclaimed patron that you would like to contact, please feel free to do so! We also hope to grow our patron list so that more businesses can help us reach our goal! Please contact either of us if you have any questions or to share your ideas on how we can make this year’s Patron Drive a huge success. 

Sincerely,

Danielle Rodgers (dwrpianist@gmail.com) 

and Jess McLaughlin (blettj@gmail.com)  

Co-chairpersons
Operetta Fundraising Committee