Concert For CASA
It’s been a long time since students were able to gather together for an in-person, live performance at Tufts, but last Friday, 300 undergrads sat back in Distler Auditorium to experience the beauty of a live show for an event called Concert For CASA. Hosted by Tufts chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta for short), Concert For CASA featured 10 amazing guest star groups, including Tufts Tap, Tamasha, Pulse, Encendido, Middle Eastern Dance, BlackOut Step Team, Public Harmony, Enchanted, The Beelzebubs, and The Jackson Jills. All proceeds went to the Boston branch of Theta's national philanthropy, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), an organization that recruits and trains adult volunteers to advocate in court for children in the foster system.
As the Chief External Affairs Officer of Theta, I was in charge of the philanthropy event. In the past, Theta has put on an annual event called Thetathon, with food trucks, raffles, games, contests, etc. However, with Covid, some of these traditional events were not allowed (i.e. clubs can’t have food events indoors or solicit outside vendors for food trucks). I opted to start a new tradition with the benefit show instead, because the masked, indoor performance option allowed more flexibility with the weather, and as an arts-lover, I thought people would enjoy the opportunity to see a performance again.
Starting in early September, I booked the space, invited performing groups, and met with Jeff, who runs Distler. I recruited a sponsor, Markit, an app that helps people find things to do and make plans with their friends. Started by Tufts students and alumni, this app is taking off at Tufts, where Markit already has over 2,000 users. Markit covered our fee for using Distler (paying for sound tech, time, staff, etc.).
Once all of the details were set in stone, I began the social media push, focusing mainly on Instagram, Facebook, Markit, and word of mouth. At first, the ticket sales were slow, and I was worried that maybe I hadn’t captured a hole in the market after all; however, my mom told me to be patient, and she was right! By the end of the two weeks during which we advertised, we were able to sell out the show, filling Distler with 300 audience members, and raising over $7,000 through our donations platform!
The actual event was a huge success as well. When I came out as the MC to introduce the event, the audience would not stop clapping and cheering, and eventually, my butterflies went away. The groups were all phenomenal, and I got to perform last with Tufts Tap, for our first in-person performance in over a year and a half!
My Emma’s advice to you is this— if at first it does not look like you will succeed, persevere. After the first week of ticket sales, we had sold just 3 tickets, but 5 days later, we had sold 300. It’s amazing how much a community can rally together for an event, and last weekend, Tufts Theta, the 10 performing groups, and many student supporters were able to do just that. I hope that Concert For CASA becomes an annual tradition!