OSKAR Touring Shows – Pricing, Logistics, and FAQ

Yes! Contact us at 713-315-5424 or elenavr@alleytheatre.org to find a date and time that works best for an in-person meeting.

Historically, schools have used a variety of funding sources to pay for Oskar:

• Title 1 Fund
• Activity Fund
• PTO/PTA Fund
• Fundraising event
• School District Funding
• Grant funding
  • Was your school severely affected by damage from Hurricane Harvey? See if you’re eligible for the Texas PTA’s Natural Disaster Relief Fund HERE.
  • We are now part of the Texas Touring Roster – this means you can apply for a grant that could potentially fund up to half of the cost of a performance of Oskar if awarded. The grant application  For more information on deadlines and application procees, please visit Texas Commission on the Arts.

Payment is due no later than 30 days after the performance occurs via check, direct deposit, debit/credit card or purchase order. It is recommended that you plan for your Oskar purchase out of funding that is already awarded versus a pending award or grant.

Upon booking, you will receive an email from DocuSign containing two important documents.

• Invoice – This document states your school’s performance date/time, payment instructions, and due date.
• Touring Performance Agreement – This document is required to help our Oskar team prepare your performance(s), including: contact phone numbers/emails, load in/out schedule, school bus/performance space conflicts, etc. Please sign it via DocuSign.

Deadlines to cancel or reschedule performances are typically a month before the first day of the tour. Please refer to the Touring Shows page tour dates. Rescheduling performances after the deadline will be at the discretion of Alley Theatre and based on availability. Further information about cancellations will be covered in your Touring Performance Agreement and Invoice.

Our show was developed for an all-school audience and is best received with the entire school present. Appropriate ages are K-5. A single performance can hold a maximum of 550 students, therefore we suggest back-to-back performances splitting K-2 and 3-5.

The performance run-time is 55 minutes. There is a built-in 10-minute talk-back after the show. If your school is hosting back-to-back shows please allow for a 30-minute break between shows.

Based on availability, we typically schedule performances before or after the lunch period. The load in/load out schedule is tailored to any unique situations like bus arrival, breakfast/lunch, class period changes, performance space conflicts, etc. At this time, we do not do after-school performances (past 3:30pm).

We require a private dressing area, bathrooms, water fountain and a clean performance space.

The Alley requires the schedule below for load-in and out. When you complete your Touring Performance Agreement, you will describe the situations that will be present during the load-in/load-out process, such as parking issues, student arrival to and dismissal from performance space, presence of pedestrian and automotive traffic on school property, or obstructions during load-in and load-out, etc. The times below will vary depending on your school’s unique situations.

• Load-in & Setup – 75 minutes
• Performance Run Time – 55 minutes
• Reset (if back-to-back performance) – 15 minutes
• Strike & Load-out – 45 minutes

There are four (4) actors and one (1) stage manager present for the day of the performance.

Yes! Please contact Cathy Bencivenga to process your request.

The Alley is an approved vendor for most districts. If you need us to be an approved vendor, please let us know as soon as possible. The Alley will complete the remaining steps to become vendor. If you have any other required district forms, please send those to us promptly to Elena Valladolid-Rivera.

Your performance includes access to our digital online resource called Alley Re-Sourced. Use it before and after your Oskar shows to extend the learning experience and encourage classroom discussion. Download Oskar directly to your SMART Board, and continue the lessons he learns with Alley Re-Sourced! Online you will find:

• A sequencing map of the play
• Special worksheets and activities for grades K-5
• Links to resources for teaching students about bullying and empathy
• Stage Craft page with videos of the actors explaining the show and how it was created

Learn more about Oskar‘s history, past shows and its impact – click HERE!

Yes! Our 2019-2020 touring Oskar shows are about grit, resilience and coping with crisis. If you are trying to book this show to fulfill your No Place for Hate campaign, there are several ways that this show ties into the campaign, such as:

• learning to respect yourself and one another through growth mindset
• how crisis affects your feelings and emotions
• learning how to bounce back from stressful situations and disasters
• teaching growth mindset – believing that students can learn, change, and develop needed skills. Students are better equipped to handle inevitable setbacks, and know that hard work can help them accomplish their goals.
• self-esteem and confidence
• understanding change and how others are different than yourself based on their family life, places they have lived and life experiences
• learn to understand and become aware of and their own emotions, as well as those of others.
• build self-awareness of how emotions affect their interactions with others and will learn to establish more healthy patterns of behavior, improving their relationship skills