How To: Organize a Show with Your Cause as the Theme

Want to spread the word about your cause? How about putting a show together. You can include dance and music performances. Have people sing, play instruments, even recite poetry to let people know why your cause is important and how people can take action.

1. Seeing is Believing. Before you do anything, go to a few shows in your area. This will give you some tips on what to do and what not to do for your own event.
2. Pick a Spot. Choosing a place for this event is important. You want to find a place that is big enough to accommodate a lot of people, but isn’t so big that voices will get lost. Your school’s auditorium might work. Otherwise, you can check out local places like the community center, town hall, or a nearby cafe.
3. Go Team, Go. Get a bunch of friends or family together to help you with the event. Write out a long-term plan of action and designate a certain task to each person in your group. Some people can make posters. Others can recruit performers.  
4. Hype It Up! Get people excited about the event by talking about it at school and posting flyers for it everywhere you can. Make sure you ask before you hang up posters. Make the posters big, bright and colorful. Write some rules on the posters like “Your poem or song must be a comment on smoking” – if smoking is your cause.
5. Snack Attack. Bake some goodies to sell them during the event. Donate the profits to a charity or an organization that benefits the cause you support.
6. Detail Time. You may want to create a program with info on the performers. This is also a great place to insert some facts about your cause and give your audience ideas on how they can take action after your event.
7. Running Smoothly. Make a schedule of performances and allow some extra time between performers. Never let the microphone stand alone; if you are waiting for a performer, it’s up to you to get up there and entertain the audience for a few minutes. If you're not comfortable with this, find someone who can emcee and keep the audience engaged between acts.
8. F-U-N, Fun! Have fun, enjoy yourself, make sure the crowd is energized and the performers feel comfortable.