For many students, third quarter means studying for the ACT or trying out for spring sports. For others, it means all of those things along with the most awaited event of the year: Showtime.
Juniors and seniors involved in choir spend up to five days a week rehearsing songs in preparations for auditions.

“[It’s] a lot of hard work,” senior Brett Van Blaricum said. “I’m taking a break from work right now just because of how much Showtime is really affecting my schedule. [I’m] trying to keep up with school, and I play golf, so I have to keep up with that too.”

While Van Blaricum finds it hard to juggle his four ensembles, senior Taylor Moldenhauer balances even more.

“In total I’m doing about eight, plus a solo and a duet,” Moldenhauer said.

Though many students say rehearsals are fun, they find it hard to be time efficient.

“Definitely just [staying] focused at rehearsals [is] probably one of the main problems,” Van Blaricum said. “There’s no teacher to scold you if you’re doing something wrong, so whoever is the leader of the group has to step up and be like, ‘All right, guys, we’ve got to make sure and focus today so we can get some work done.’ If you’re not prepared for auditions, then you’re screwed — you’re not going to get in. So you have to make sure that you’re really prepared so your song gets in.”

Another obstacle is coordinating students’ already busy schedules.

“Everyone’s schedule is so busy,” senior Mackenzie Owens said. “[And] after school, it’s really, really hard to get people together and rehearse together.”

Understanding how difficult it can be to find time to rehearse, choir director Dwayne Dunn advises against participating in so many groups.

“I think students can increase the odds of having their featured act chosen for the show by working on fewer acts that are really, really well done, as opposed to spreading themselves too thin with acts that are not prepared well,” Dunn said. “Think quality, not quantity.”

Students are also adjusting to working with a new director. Though Dunn has attended as an audience member in the past, he has never worked behind the scenes. Despite this, students believe he will do well.

Owens finds herself in a unique position for Showtime, since her junior year she wasn’t in choir and was unable to work with choir teacher Cathy Crispino before her retirement.

“I didn’t have a chance to work with Mrs. Crispino, but everyone says [Dunn] is still really good,” Owens said. “They say that his song choices are better, which I can kind of agree with only because [I went] to a couple of the concerts last year.”

Dunn assures students he intends to run Showtime like the past.

“Showtime has been such a successful event and is loved by so many people that I don’t feel it needs to be changed,” he said. “There may be some things that I handle differently or that get done in a slightly different way because every director is unique, but I am not consciously trying to make big changes to Showtime.”

Moldenhauer also believes Showtime will remain the same.

“There isn’t a lot of difference in how it’s run because it’s a student driven thing,” she said. “But when it gets down to actually practicing with the groups that have been chosen, it might be different just because he’s a different kind of conductor.”

What students are most excited about are, of course, the songs they are working on.

“I’m really excited about Shake it Out because the harmonies are just really pretty and it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Moldenhauer said. “And then my Britney [Spears] group is definitely the best group because who doesn’t love Britney?”

In addition to group numbers, Moldenhauer is hoping to do a duet with senior Zach Ramaley.

“My duet with Zach is a song called Waltz of the Wallflowers by Small Potatoes,” she said. “It’s adorable.”

Owens and Van Blaricum are both involved in many groups.

Van Blaricum is focusing on This Love by Maroon 5 for auditions on March 4.

“I’m really excited for This Love because it’s gonna be a capella, which means no instruments or anything, so we’ll be making beats and everything,” he said. “It’ll be really fun.”

Owens is involved in an all girls ensemble performing a song by the Cheetah Girls.

“I’m really excited for Cheetah Girls because I think it’ll be really, really fun,” she said. “I’ve always liked that movie, so being able to reenact it will be really cool.”

Although seniors are very excited about the groups they are involved in, some have taken the initiative to make sure others are also involved.

“I’m just reaching out to people and making sure that everyone gets involved in groups,” Moldenhauer said. “I learned what it feels like not to be in a lot of groups [last year],I want everyone to at least have one or two groups that they really love and they really enjoy being in this year.”