Showcases

Showcases are a one-day event that take place locally, usually at Carco Theatre in Renton and occur in December, March and June.

Competitions

Some competitions do require travel. Team members are expected to be available Friday – Saturday for each competition weekend. Occasionally older students may get scheduled on a Thursday evening, competition depending. Exact competition schedules will be shared ASAP but often are not received until 7 – 14 days prior to competition dates.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is a crucial part of being a member of CPT. When performers are not in class, they are not progressing in the routine and other students are also not learning the correct routine because formations, vocals and staging are negatively impacted. When one person is not there, the entire team suffers. While we understand that things do come up – someone gets hurt or sick, family emergencies – we expect that CPT is given the highest priority. This absence policy also applies to all required vocal and dance classes. Frequent absences from these technique classes may result in solos or featured roles being removed from CPT routines.

2025-2026 Attendance Policy:

• Communication: Clear communication is essential if you need to miss class. If you will be absent from any CPT class—including dance and vocal required classes—you must notify Jessica, the CPT Director, by email or text. For any absence, tardiness, or early dismissal on the day of, please text Jessica at 206-531-3829. If you do not communicate with Big Star, your absence will be considered unexcused.
• Preplanned Absences: For preplanned absences, you must email Jessica at least two weeks in advance. She will send you a form to complete and will review it to either approve your absence or follow up with additional questions.
• Excused Absences Include:
  • Illness: these must be communicated via email or text
  • School Requirements: these must be communicated at least two weeks in advance
  • Pre-planned Family Vacation where the staff is notified well in advance.
  • All of these require written communication for them to be considered excused
• Allowances: You are allowed one unexcused absence per 12-week session. If you exceed this allowance, you will likely have your performance track altered (have solos and/or features reassigned to other students) at the discretion of the instructor and studio staff.
  • Any absences that occur within the two weeks leading up to a performance or competition may result in a student being unable to participate in the event and/or having their performance track (including solos and features) reassigned at the discretion of the instructor and studio staff. This policy applies regardless of whether the absence is considered excused. Absences during this critical time place an extra burden on teachers and teammates, who must re-learn and adjust choreography to ensure everything is in sync and that all performers can present their best work. It is also unfair to the other students who are present and fully committed to CPT.
  • Please stay home if you are experiencing fever, vomiting, diarrhea, have an excessive cough or are contagious. You are encouraged to Zoom in for class assuming you are well enough to do so. If an injury is preventing you from participating in class, you will still be expected to attend class to watch so you don’t fall behind.
  • You are responsible for viewing the rehearsal video(s) from class and/or getting together with a peer to learn what you missed before you return the following week regardless if your absence is excused or unexcused.
• Excessive absences: Excessive absences, excused or unexcused, may result in a student being removed from the team, and no refunds will be made to the family.

Teams for CPT 2025/26:

The Big Star Competition Performance Team is organized by Levels. Please review the CPT Level Breakdown for details. Levels 3 and 4 are further organized by Grade Groups.

Grade Groups: All Level 3 and 4 students are required to participate in their grade group team. Each grade group team will focus on two different routines to perform at competitions. Some grade groups will combine to collaborate on one routine. This year we have six grade group teams, as follows:

• Minis: PreK-1st
• Juniors: 2nd grade – 4th grade
• Pre-Teens: 5th grade – 6th grade
• Teens: 7th grade – 8th grade
• Seniors: 9th grade – 10th grade
• Premiere: 11th grade – 12th grade

Select Groups: (optional) are by invite only and are based on age and skill level, and usually have a specific skill set or song in mind when students are selected for a particular group. Each select group performs one routine at each competition.

Extra Work: (optional) is made up of solos, duos, trios, and small groups. Each extra work spot performs one routine at each competition.

• While we aim to accommodate your wishes, it is important to note that the allocation of extra work will ultimately be determined by the CPT staff. There may be instances where a student is assigned to work with someone they did not initially select, as our coaches identify them as an ideal match for a particular project. Should such a situation arise, students are welcome to decline the assignment; however, alternative routines aligned with their preferences may not be provided as a replacement.
• Students are not allowed to come up with extra work assignments on their own, they will be assigned solely by our CPT staff.
• Extra work will take place Monday-Thursday evenings, and Fridays from 12:30pm-7:00pm. A few extra work routines may be scheduled on Saturdays.
• Extra work schedules will be sent out to families in late August.
• During competition season we will not run extra work on Friday or Saturday as that will be time we are participating in the competition. This may occasionally also affect Thursday extra work if comp starts on a Thursday.
• Extra Work does have additional choreography and competition fees as outlined in the Cost Breakdown section.

Recap of Key Information:

Meeting Times:

• Mondays: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Age Group Session)
• Thursdays: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM (Full CPT Team Session)

Performance Pieces:

• Two theater pieces from Monday sessions
• One full production piece from Thursday sessions

Additional Class Recommendation:

• Dance classes (not required but beneficial)
• Dance class can be Intro Hip Hop (Monday), Intro to Dance (Wed)

Fees:

• Monthly Tuition: $180
• $105 for Monday sessions
• $75 for Thursday sessions

Competition Fees:

• Choreography Fee: $150 (one-time Sept)
• In-house: $225 (Dec)
• Spotlight OR Celebrity: Approx. $270 (Jan)
• Theater Festival (May): Approx. $225 (Mar)
• Coaches Travel Fee: $300 (for the entire season-August)
• Disney/Anaheim Trip: Minis are not required to attend. If you want to attend, please talk to Miss Delaney, as we can add extra work for those that want to attend this travel competition.
• Competitions/Performances: December 7th, January 25th, March 8th, May 10/11, June 14th