As the school year comes to a close, rehearsals for “Showtime” are just ramping up. Lawrence High choir’s cumulative mixed program showcase features acts that defy the boundaries of time and genre.
Unlike typical choir concerts, “Showtime” is organized by students, who select and rehearse songs outside of class.
“It’s very much student run until we audition for our acts to go into the show,” senior Adelle Spiess said. “Everything about learning the music, choreographing any dance, coordinating any mic exchanges, all of that is very much the students’ work.”
After student directors have selected songs and rehearsed with their group, they perform at an audition adjudicated by choral director Dwayne Dunn. This step finalizes the “Showtime” program and provides an opportunity for students to get feedback before rehearsals officially begin.
“The whole reason why we go with Dr. Dunn is so he can clear up whatever he likes, since he has, of course, more expertise than we do,” junior Samantha Jenkins said. “But everything is student run and student ideas.”
The rehearsal schedule, also organized by the students, can be intense depending on how many acts one is participating in, with some tackling as many as eight acts.
“Every week we commit at least 20 minutes to a featured act that we’re in. So that means you know how many featured acts you’re in, you can do the math and you see where that lands you,” Spiess said. “It’s a difficult time of the year to be committing that much time every week to showing up and rehearsing, but I think that work is really rewarding when we can put together the show at the end.”
“Showtime” includes upperclassmen singers from across all vocal classifications, allowing performers to build connections they might not have otherwise.
“When we’re rehearsing and participating in choir, we’re very much sticking to our choirs, and then within that, our voice sections,” Spiess said. “So when it’s acts that you’re involved with and you’re coordinating, it just forces you to interact with more people and develop relationships where you wouldn’t have before.”
Participants said that this sense of camaraderie reaches its peak during tech week and performance weekend. This is the time when each individual act rehearses in order, bringing together the final elements of production.
“It just really comes together and it’s beautiful to see it all turned into an actual show,” junior Maria Guereca Palacio said.
This annual showcase is not only a chance for students to make new connections, but to show what the choir program is capable of outside the traditional concert setting.
“It just shows what we do in the choir department,” Jenkins said. “There can be students playing instruments, dancing, acting even. It’s a very diverse array of what students do and it just shows why having a music department is so important.”
Guereca Palacio said the amount of agency students are given for “Showtime” makes for a great educational opportunity, equipping them for future endeavors.
“It prepares us for the real world. A lot of us want to be performers, so I think it’s really important that we get this experience beforehand,” Guereca Palacio said. “It’s an excellent way to prepare us for that kind of situation.”
“Showtime” is just one of many LHS traditions that has stood the test of time, establishing itself as a pillar of community entertainment.
“‘Showtime’ has existed at LHS for decades…We’re singing new music, more modern things sometimes, but it also feels like tradition, which is really cool to be a part of,” Spiess said. “People will come see ‘Showtime’ in the Lawrence community that have seen it for decades or have been in it decades ago. It’s really cool to know that you’re still a part of that history as it continues on.”
