Hello everyone,
After pestering poor Frank for numerous details in the wee hours of the night, I think I am right in concluding that Culturama 2006 was undoubtedly bigger and better than ever! Hence, it should come as no surprise that I am writing this e-mail as an expression of my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the fact that it weren't for the long hours of sweat and toil on your part, the flame of Culturama would have died a year ago.
For those who don't know or remember me, my name is Aditya and along with Leah Razumovich, I started Culturama 3 years ago. In our first year, we experienced several snags. The stage was not given much attention, costumes were not elaborate, lighting schemes were almost a last minute thing, heck we didn't even get a full-blown stage rehearsal until the very last day. We focused quite a bit on the idea of inviting organizations to present material at designated booths, an idea that didn't quite work well. In our second year, things were a lot smoother. We'd already established a reputation, so it was easier to convince students that our idea would work. We got a lot more time for stage rehearsals and we actually spent time designing the stage. We had more food, and our audience packed the caf (well if you give people a night of entertainment and food, free, why not :-)?)
Based on what I've heard, Culturama was not only bigger and even more popular, but a lot more organized and polished than ever before! The fact that the audience overwhelmed the seating capacity of the caf, and were able to consume 900 dollars worth of food in minutes, shows that we are truly unstoppable. I am delighted to note that you all put in the time to send personal invitations to teachers, come up with an elaborate way to decorate the stage and visit home forms. Most of all, I thank the performers, those who put in endless hours of work into our show for only a few minutes of stage-time. Gosh, if this trend continues, I guess it isn't silly to expect Broadway-quality shows in a few years! (am I kidding? hmmm..).
I must admit, after passing on the torch to Frank and his crew, I was apprehensive at first. With Culturama growing bigger and more complex every year, the number of chances for problems and snags to creep in only gets larger and larger. I was very unhappy with the fact that even though we have had such a successful track record for two consecutive years, Ms. Greene decided to focus all her attention on Robotics and the fashion show this year. I hope this is not true anymore, but Culturama was never mentioned on official newsletters sent to parents from the administration, although events such as the school play and fashion show always were. However, Culturama has always been rather independent from student council and the school administration. I don't know if you all remember, but we received a lot of trouble in our first year from Ms. Klement and the student council for starting Culturama with Ms. Gans' (then principal) permission and not consulting them first. Our tremendous success, 3 years in a row, merely goes to show that we don't need official sanction or help to succeed. Culturama was an idea founded by and carried out by students, and I hope it will always remain that way. I would hate to see the day Culturama is taken over by a committee of teachers, telling students what to do.
However, none of it would have happened without you all. As I mentioned earlier, if it weren't for the many long hours you all put in, Culturama would have merely been remembered as a small diversion from the usual routine at Mackenzie. However, your efforts have proved without a shred of doubt, that Culturama will become our school's flagship event. Keep in mind, that although many high schools have so-called cultural days or fairs, few, if any, stage an entire evening after months of planning. We are lucky at Mackenzie to be part of such an incredibly diverse school, and if it weren't for Culturama, how else could we celebrate our stunning diversity?
To those who are graduating, believe it or not, it's very likely for you to miss participating in Culturama next year. I certainly feel that way, even though it's been an entire year. It's strange, but even though managing it was hectic, the joy of seeing it all fall into place at the end just made it all worth it. I hope you all learnt valuable lessons from your time at Culturama. I also hope some, if not all of you, will take Culturama's idea to your universities and colleges, and start an event of even bigger proportions there. University's a whole different cup of tea, with a staggering number of opportunities and lots more money.
To those who are not graduating, I really hope every one of you joins Culturama next year. I am sure you will all use your experience to help make it even better in the years to come. One thing you might want to consider is to find ways to get more high schools involved. It is important for Culturama to grow, as we do not want our audience to conclude that we are merely a small high school talent show. I also think it is very important for us to spend only money that we fundraise, to establish that we are truly student-run. However, more on that later.
Once again, thank you so much for doing your part to ensure that Culturama is here to stay. Give yourselves a big, hearty round of applause, for you all deserve it. Last but not least, please feel free to send this e-mail to all those who were involved in Culturama this year, as I only know those who were involved last year and happen to be on my MSN list.
Regards,
Aditya Natarajan
After pestering poor Frank for numerous details in the wee hours of the night, I think I am right in concluding that Culturama 2006 was undoubtedly bigger and better than ever! Hence, it should come as no surprise that I am writing this e-mail as an expression of my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the fact that it weren't for the long hours of sweat and toil on your part, the flame of Culturama would have died a year ago.
For those who don't know or remember me, my name is Aditya and along with Leah Razumovich, I started Culturama 3 years ago. In our first year, we experienced several snags. The stage was not given much attention, costumes were not elaborate, lighting schemes were almost a last minute thing, heck we didn't even get a full-blown stage rehearsal until the very last day. We focused quite a bit on the idea of inviting organizations to present material at designated booths, an idea that didn't quite work well. In our second year, things were a lot smoother. We'd already established a reputation, so it was easier to convince students that our idea would work. We got a lot more time for stage rehearsals and we actually spent time designing the stage. We had more food, and our audience packed the caf (well if you give people a night of entertainment and food, free, why not :-)?)
Based on what I've heard, Culturama was not only bigger and even more popular, but a lot more organized and polished than ever before! The fact that the audience overwhelmed the seating capacity of the caf, and were able to consume 900 dollars worth of food in minutes, shows that we are truly unstoppable. I am delighted to note that you all put in the time to send personal invitations to teachers, come up with an elaborate way to decorate the stage and visit home forms. Most of all, I thank the performers, those who put in endless hours of work into our show for only a few minutes of stage-time. Gosh, if this trend continues, I guess it isn't silly to expect Broadway-quality shows in a few years! (am I kidding? hmmm..).
I must admit, after passing on the torch to Frank and his crew, I was apprehensive at first. With Culturama growing bigger and more complex every year, the number of chances for problems and snags to creep in only gets larger and larger. I was very unhappy with the fact that even though we have had such a successful track record for two consecutive years, Ms. Greene decided to focus all her attention on Robotics and the fashion show this year. I hope this is not true anymore, but Culturama was never mentioned on official newsletters sent to parents from the administration, although events such as the school play and fashion show always were. However, Culturama has always been rather independent from student council and the school administration. I don't know if you all remember, but we received a lot of trouble in our first year from Ms. Klement and the student council for starting Culturama with Ms. Gans' (then principal) permission and not consulting them first. Our tremendous success, 3 years in a row, merely goes to show that we don't need official sanction or help to succeed. Culturama was an idea founded by and carried out by students, and I hope it will always remain that way. I would hate to see the day Culturama is taken over by a committee of teachers, telling students what to do.
However, none of it would have happened without you all. As I mentioned earlier, if it weren't for the many long hours you all put in, Culturama would have merely been remembered as a small diversion from the usual routine at Mackenzie. However, your efforts have proved without a shred of doubt, that Culturama will become our school's flagship event. Keep in mind, that although many high schools have so-called cultural days or fairs, few, if any, stage an entire evening after months of planning. We are lucky at Mackenzie to be part of such an incredibly diverse school, and if it weren't for Culturama, how else could we celebrate our stunning diversity?
To those who are graduating, believe it or not, it's very likely for you to miss participating in Culturama next year. I certainly feel that way, even though it's been an entire year. It's strange, but even though managing it was hectic, the joy of seeing it all fall into place at the end just made it all worth it. I hope you all learnt valuable lessons from your time at Culturama. I also hope some, if not all of you, will take Culturama's idea to your universities and colleges, and start an event of even bigger proportions there. University's a whole different cup of tea, with a staggering number of opportunities and lots more money.
To those who are not graduating, I really hope every one of you joins Culturama next year. I am sure you will all use your experience to help make it even better in the years to come. One thing you might want to consider is to find ways to get more high schools involved. It is important for Culturama to grow, as we do not want our audience to conclude that we are merely a small high school talent show. I also think it is very important for us to spend only money that we fundraise, to establish that we are truly student-run. However, more on that later.
Once again, thank you so much for doing your part to ensure that Culturama is here to stay. Give yourselves a big, hearty round of applause, for you all deserve it. Last but not least, please feel free to send this e-mail to all those who were involved in Culturama this year, as I only know those who were involved last year and happen to be on my MSN list.
Regards,
Aditya Natarajan
Culturama Night!:
Culturama is happening on the 27th of April at 6:30 (tentative time). Please check the map for the location of the event, which is located at William Lyon Mackenzie CI in the cafeteria.
Feedback/Suggestions: Thank you for your interest in Culturama, we would like to hear from you! Click on our Feedback/Suggestions link on the top-right corner or on the links to the side, and leave us a message. Your comments will help make Culturama 2007 even better!
If you would like to sponsor Culturama in anyway, please e-mail any member of Culturama (preferably Lisa, Frank, or Jack), and we will reply within 48 hours.