Princess fundraiser brings magic to Milford Theatre Company

Tiaras, glitter, ecstatic kids, and an endless repeat of Let It Go–all this and more is an average weekend night for Milford senior, Samantha Reed, or as you may know her, Elsa.

Reed, accompanied by fellow students, is hired for birthday parties, Halloween parties, or other events to play the role of a Princess.

It started out as a single event fundraiser that was held September 20th, 2015. MHS Psychology teacher Mr. James originally brought the idea to the program. He attended a “Princess Night” with his daughter, and took the idea to Milford’s drama teacher, Ms. Megan Weeks.

Planning began as early as February to secure a date, location, and different costumes. Weeks and Reed coordinated to match volunteers from the theatre company to different princess and princes. From there, it was each student’s responsibility to come up with their costume and research their character.

Hosted by Carls Family YMCA, little children came dressed up in their own costumes for “magical karaoke fun”, crafts, and photo opportunities with the princesses. Charging $5 per adult and $10 per child entrance at the door, Reed told that the event was a real hit. The kids were full of excitement and awe as they were greeted by their favorite characters. When the doors finally closed, the princesses packed up their things, and were a little disappointed by their own fairy tale ending.

“[After the event,] I got several emails asking if some of the girls would come to parties, and I figured why not?” Weeks said. With the costumes all ready to go, it was a great way to keep the fundraising rolling.

Now, the system works a bit differently. Hiring a princess for a party is $50 per princess for a full night. Additionally, there are now more students playing more roles: each princess character has a list of several girls who match that particular look in hair color, height, and size. If at all possible, wigs are avoided.

“You’re [mimicking] a cartoon, so it doesn’t have to be perfect, and even though they are little kids, we want it to feel real…” Reed explained, “You wouldn’t want the princess experience to be skewed by a bad wig.”

Since the fundraiser is essentially students dressing in costume and acting as a character, it translates well over to the theatre program. It requires a lot of improvisational acting, which Weeks reminds her girls before every gig. The children will ask a lot of questions and the princesses must be ready to answer them in character to keep the fantasy alive.

But the magic isn’t just limited to the kids. “It’s so much fun seeing the little kids eyes light up, and to tell them ‘You’re such a beautiful Princess!’” said Milford senior, Megan Waxman, or in this case, Snow White.

Milford Theatre Company is planning to host another big event with all the princesses in the winter to kick off the rental princess campaign. To book a princess or two for a private party, you can contact Megan Weeks at [email protected]