I brought a talent show to our school 2 years ago. The first year was hard but well worth it. We do not charge admission and we only sell candy, water and gatorade to keep it simple. As far as the acts well we have talent show "tryouts" about a month before the show. This is to make sure the acts are school appropriate mostly. There are always one or two acts that just aren't put together well but the kids really want to help out. I ask if they would like to help with the between act skits that are performed in front of the curtain or to be stage hands. I find the skits on cub scout skit websites. They help keep the show moving while you change scenery backstage and help to have all kids involved. As far as lighting and sound I ask high school students that are involved in drama club. They are usually happy to help especially if they are from our school originally. If you cannot get a local celeb to be your MC, we had good luck with having a teacher do it. There is usually that one teacher that is a comedian that all the students love. I start getting everything together in Oct/Nov and the show is in late Jan. Good Luck!

How far in advance do you start contacting local vendors and lighting people.

We have a variety show every year-- our music teacher puts it together and the PTO provides all the decorations for the event. She holds auditions and posts all the winning performances-- normally 3-5 graders.. a few 2nd graders..... There is a limit as to hoe many acts she has- but it works out good-- this is not a money maker-- a fun event for all.
And we hold 2 performances, one during school and 1 in the evening.

The very first one I did was halarious but, in my defense, thrown together. The two parents who had signed on to do the talent show at the beginning of the school year were nowhere to be found time came for the talent show in February, so I volunteered to mix it with my huge event called "Spring Fling", a spring carnival with a silent auction that merited my school about 2/3,000.00 the first year. I was very proud. As years have gone on, I have completed 3 more talent shows and each one has gotten bigger and better. No matter how you plan, it will always have to get better.
Start by sending out a flyer about your talent show about 3/4 weeks in advance of your event to raise awareness and excitement! 2 weeks after that send home the permission forms for the students to get filled out, by their parents, and bring back by a set deadline. Have a talent show preview to inspect your students acts and make sure that they are appropriate for all ages to see and hear. One weeks before event send home a letter telling parents of those entered what your plan is, ie: everyone arrives @ the same time, approx. 45 min before showtime dressed and ready to go on stage. Do your best to maintain communication with all of the parents of the event and monitor feedback. You'll want it to make it even better for next year.
The planning: I start out by calling a videographer to record the event so parents can enjoy the show. My videographer sold videos by pre-sell on the talent show day for about $20.00 with a kickback from each sale going back to the school. Then I call a lighting guy @ a local big church and ask them to volunteer their time. They bring the spotlight and the parents love to see their children in the spotlight!!! Ok, so there's your first two secrets, the next step is to secure your stage. If your school already has one, well, then you're set! If not, some school systems have portable stages. If yours does not, then incorporate your community resources. Call a builder who might be willing to build you a sold, but, temporary stage to get you through the event. They can write off the time/labor & supplies it takes to do this for you. It just takes alot of planning!!! Cover the stage with fabric or donations from a craft store or local Wal-mart. Go to a party store and offer them free advertisement if they donate to your school. The ideas are endless @ the party store.
Go to Sam's to get your drinks, chips, popcorn supplies/machine, candy, etc...and sell it for more profit to go back to your school. These can be fun and exhausting!!!
Be creative and make this event your own for your school!! If you have a local celebrity use them as your role model...Have an American Idol competition of your own.
At my talent show, nobody won or lost. It was all for fun. It helped the children with their speaking/performing in front of crowds and gave their parents a wonderful memory!!!
I called in a favor the first year and had the local weather guy be my MC for the evening. I wrote down the info and 3x5 cards to give him some insight. The kids were in awe that the local weather man knew so much about them.
Put together your stage, decorate and get ready for your dress rehearsal. One to two nights before the show. It's useful, helpful and necessary to give you and the students a preview of how the whole show should go. Tell your parents all details of video purchasing, etc...while you are on the staqe and giving out info.
Call a restaurant or fast food joint that supports your school and ask them to cater food and give a 10% check back to the school at the end of the night.
Well, that about rounds it out. It's alot of hard work and dedication, but, so very worth it for the kids!! You're doing this for them and they deserve the best!!
Oh yeah,!!! remember to have fun!

Michele: Our previous talent shows have made it clear that there are only so many "acts" allowed, to keep the show within a time frame, and also to weed out some of the less interesting performances(not that they are all not so cute, but come on)that way, if they are not chosen to be in the show, it is due to time constraints rather than they are not talented enough to make it. We only allowed students from our school to perform and we've charged $2.00 for parents and $1.00 for students(anyone can come). I've been to many talent shows in my days and I've enjoyed the ones more that have kept to a program, move quickly from one act to the next, and focused on really enjoyable acts. A lot of things these days are set up so no one kid gets dissapointed at anything he or she attempts, but that is not the case in real life, and although it may seem harsh to some, we have not let anyone and everyone perform, let them do it for mom and dad in the livingroom. I am just being honest about my OPINION. That's all it is. My Opinion. We've done the show in the evening, so most parents can come. We've offered punch or juice and cookies at intermision for free (donated by PTO). That's all I can think of for now. Good Luck, and I'm personally glad you are doing one, not enough schools do, it used to be tradition, some kids don't even know what it is. Have fun.

We had a talent show last year for the first time and we are planning one for this year. One mother brought in the idea and did the lions share of the work to set it up. In a school of 275 srudents, we had 33 act from one to 12 people in each. Students were allowed in more than 1 act and siblings were allowed as well. Staff and parents were invited but did not put an act in. Practice was after school and the show was put on in the high school aud. The PTO sponcered the event and we did not charge for it. Each act was responsible for costumes and props but help was given when needed. The total cost for the PTO including a cast pizza party before the show was $500. We were lucky enough that a parent worked for the cable company so the show was taped and aired on local cable.

Hopefully I answered all your questions.