Foxtravaganza 2026

Theme: Around the World in 7 Grades

Date: Sunday, May 3, 2026 (One Show Only!!!)

Time: Curtains up at 2pm 

Venue: San Mateo Performing Arts Center (600 N Delaware St., San Mateo, CA 94401).  Parking map.

Key Dates (Updated 10/7/2025):

Bold = General Performer Timelines

• Tuesday, October 21, 2025  -  Sign Ups Open - Grade/Group Act Leader Recruitment (Closes Friday, October 31) 

• Monday, November 3, 2025 - Performer Sign Ups - Solo/Group/Grade Act (Closes Friday, November 14) 

• Monday, November 17, 2025 - Grade Act Leader Finalized (Level 2 clearance required!)

• Wednesday, January 14, 2026 @ 8:30am (Location TBD) - Grade Act Leader Meeting

• Thursday & Friday, January 15-16, 2026 - MC Auditions 

• Monday, January 26, 2026 - Small Group Act songs submissions due; Program artwork submission due

• Week of January 26, 2026 (exact date TBD) - Group Act Leader Walk Through of San Mateo Performing Arts Center (600 N Delaware St., San Mateo, CA 94401) 

• Sunday, February 1, 2026 - Foxtrav Kick Off Potluck

• Monday, February 2, 2025 - Group Act Rehearsals start

• Week of February 16, 2025 - Winter Break, no rehearsals

• Week of February 23, 2026 (exact date TBD) - Group Act Leader Walk Through of San Mateo Performing Arts Center (600 N Delaware St., San Mateo, CA 94401) 

• March 10-17, 2025 - Minimum days, teacher conferences.  No rehearsals.

• Friday, March 13, 2026 @ 6pm - Preview Night for Small Group/MC (no Grade Acts) (Exact performer arrival times TBD) 

• Saturday, March 14, 2026 - Artwork submission closes

• Week of April 6, 2026 - Spring Break, no rehearsals.

• Friday, April 17, 2026 @ 6pm - 9pm - Dress rehearsal (5th grade finale / MC only) (Exact performer arrival times TBD) 

• Friday, April 24, 2026 @ 6pm - 8pm - Dress Rehearsal (all participants) (Exact performer arrival times TBD) - potluck on the blacktop

• Sunday, May 3, 2026 - Show day.  Performer arrival no later than 1:30p unless otherwise instructed by your show leader

• Friday, May 29, 2026 - Foxtravaganza Watch Party

Foxtravaganza is a group effort and takes lots of hands to make the show run smoothly.  See "Sign Up Information" below for a list of volunteer positions needed. There are plenty of positions available, depending on how much you can commit to the show, but all are valuable!

Positions have instructions and documentation so you don't have to "reinvent the wheel", so come join the Foxtravaganza volunteer team to help put on a great show!   It's a great chance to meet other parents too.  AND... volunteers get priority access to purchasing tickets.

GRADE GROUP ACTS:

Grade Group Acts - minimum of 2 parent Level 2- cleared volunteer leaders (max of 3 leaders (preferred)) for a particular group to participate. 

5th Grade Finale - minimum of 4 parent Level 2- cleared volunteer leaders.

TK Musical Act - minimum of 3 parent Level 2- cleared volunteer leaders to learn the act; 2 additional parent Level 2- cleared volunteer leaders on Show Day to chaperone.

Leaders can have other Level 2-cleared volunteers come in to assist.  Producers will coordinate with Grade Group Act Leaders. Grade Group Act leaders will coordinate with their volunteers.

PLEASE NOTE:  All Grade Group Act Leaders and extra volunteers need Level 2 Background Check Clearance completed before rehearsals start in January 2026.  

VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND CLEARANCE:

All volunteers need to complete the Level 1 form EVERY SCHOOL YEAR.  It takes just a few minutes.  The link is here: https://www.brssd.org/volunteer-information.  Level 2 clearance cannot be confirmed if you have not completed the Level 1 form for the 2025-26 school year.

Level 2 clearance requires fingerprinting and only needs to be done once while your child is at BRSSD.  Please allow a week for processing once you've gotten fingerprinted.   Search for Live Scan fingerprinting locations and fees here: https://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/locations?county=San%20Mateo.

Parent Volunteer Sign Up (including Grade Group Act leaders): Sign up here from October 21 - 31, 2025.

Student Performer Sign Up Link TBD.  Sign up here from November 3 - 14, 2025.

Information To Come In Spring 2026

Q: What’s the difference between all the Foxtravaganza choices?

A:

• • Grade Group Act - all kids are eligible to participate in their grade’s act.  The number of students per act is capped to keep it reasonable for volunteer parent leaders to manage the group.  There must be a minimum of 2 parent volunteers per grade group act in order for the act to happen.  We ask for 3 parent leaders maximum to keep it manageable for the Foxtrav producers.

• • Chorus - 1st through 5th grade kids are eligible to participate.  The number of students is capped to keep it reasonable for our volunteer teacher leader to manage the chorus group.

• • MC (aka emcees) - only 4th and 5th graders are allowed to audition for MC.  MCs start and end the show and may be asked to participate in acts throughout the shows during transitions.  Students who are selected for both MC and small groups will most likely be asked to choose only one, to give more opportunities to more students .

• • Small Group Acts - only 4th and 5th graders are allowed to submit an act for consideration.  This is a chance to highlight the amazing variety of talents of our older grade kids.  As mentioned above, students who are selected for both MC and small groups will most likely be asked to choose only one, to spread the spotlight.

• • 5th Grade Finale - only 5th graders can participate.  This is their big hurrah before heading to middle school.

• • TK Musical Act - This will highlight the music they’re learning from Mr. Matthew in school so no additional practice outside of school hours is necessary.  This is a great opportunity for parents to learn the music (< 90 seconds) and lead but not have to choreograph anything!

• • Backstage Crew - only 4th and 5th graders are allowed to be part of the crew.  Not all kids want to be in the spotlight and we get that.  The Backstage Crew role allows those kids a chance to be part of the experience.  They will not be able to participate in show acts, but for the 5th Grade Finale

• • Artwork for the Foxtravaganza program - stay tuned for opportunities for your artist (will be open to all grades).

Q: What are the Foxtravaganza 2026 goals?  What's changed from prior years?

A: We've been collecting feedback throughout the season, with a thorough debrief after the production last May.  To ensure the show runs as efficiently as possible, we've made the following improvements:

• Volunteers make Foxtrav run!  To ensure that we have enough volunteers to support the show acts, we're asking for parent volunteer sign ups (October 21-31, 2025) AHEAD OF opening up for student participants (November 3-14, 2025).  This way, we'll know how many acts, and which acts, can be supported.  If your grade isn’t available for student sign up, it means not enough leaders signed up.  Do not wait to see if that happens… sign up now!

• Small group acts were a hit last year so we will be eliminating solo acts.  4th and 5th graders are eligible to be in a small group act.  There is a limit to the number of small group acts.

• MCs will audition again this year in January 2026.  Returning MCs can audition but priority will be given to new MCs and MCs who have parents willing to volunteer as MC leader.  If you are selected as MC and have been chosen to be in a small group act, you may one select which you prefer to do. We're trying to have more kids in the spotlight.

• Chorus will not practice at lunch.  Chorus will practice Wednesday right after school from 1:10-1:40pm.  If your child wants to participate, you will need to make sure they are picked up at 1:40pm if they don’t go to a Fox after care program.   

• TK will have a musical act open to all TK-ers, in addition to a girls act and boys act.  This will highlight the music they’re learning from Mr. Matthew in school so no additional practice will be necessary (but dress rehearsal is mandatory).  This is a great opportunity for parents to lead but who don’t want to choreograph anything!

Q: Why do MCs audition when the rest of the performers do not?

A: We are overflowing with MC interest and we decided the “first come, first served” wasn’t the best approach for this situation.  We created a selection criteria.  Interested kids will be asked to memorize 30 seconds of dialogue and recite it for the producers.  It also gives the producers (and MC parent if one is identified already) a chance to (1) see the strengths of each kid, and (2) confirm the kid can dedicate the time and have the skill to memorize dialogue.

To ensure we have a mix of skills and talents, students will be asked about any special talents or interests that could be incorporated to diversify the show.  

Special skills could include things like singing, dancing, rapping, poetry, announcing acts, etc. 

Q: How will solo/small group acts be chosen?

A: The producers will select acts using the below criteria:

• Variety of acts (e.g., we don’t want 15 piano solos or 15 juggling acts)

• Group acts get priority.  The bigger the group, the higher the priority.  Bonus: Any groups with 5 or more participants will get 1 minute, 30 seconds max.  Everyone else gets 1 minute max.  

• The number of acts is unknown until timing/agenda is confirmed (currently anticipated to be December 2025).

• Participation required on Friday, March 13, 2026 @ 6pm for the Solo/Group Act/MC Preview night.  Acts unable to participate will be removed and a new act will come in.

Q: Why might my kid be asked to stop participating in Foxtravaganza?

A: We want everyone to participate but we also have to respect that this is entirely put on by parent volunteers.  You kid may be asked to stop participating for the following reasons:

1. Late pick up.  If there are more than 2 late pick ups after practice, your kid may be asked to leave the relevant act.  Parent volunteers must stay until every kid is picked up for safety reasons and their time must be respected.  Parent volunteers are not babysitters.  

2. Critical absences.  Because all of our acts are group acts, each participant is a critical component to the overall performance.  Things like spacing, choreography, etc., can be thrown off-balance even if one child is missing.  However, we know that there are circumstances outside of your control, so there will be 2 permissible absences from practices per show season.  However, dress rehearsals in April are compulsory for ALL participants, and zero absences will be permitted for those events.  Please mark your calendars accordingly.

3. Behavior issues.  A parent volunteer is not trained to deal with behavior management.  Your kid will be asked to leave if there are behavior issues, up to and including no longer participating in Foxtravaganza.  Please read the Code of Conduct for guidelines/expectations.

Q: This is our first time participating in Foxtravaganza.  What should we expect the day of?

A: A blast!  Excitement!  Great memories!  

But on a more tactical note, here are some pro-tips:

1. The show is roughly between 2.5-3 hours, from start to finish, including a brief intermission.  This is not your average school talent show, but a combination of a talent show and stage production.  The students, volunteers and production team work hard to make it a wonderful experience for the audience from start-to-finish and expect people to stay for the entire show.  

2. Though the show starts at 2:00p, you will be required to drop your child off no later than 1:30p.  

3. Parking at the SMPAC can be a challenge, so we highly encourage you to carpool with other families and/or plan to walk a few blocks for parking.

4. There will be concessions served before the show and during intermission.  Food and drinks, however, will not be permitted in the auditorium.

Q: My Question wasn't answered.

A: Reach out to our parent volunteer team at foxtalentshow@gmail.com.