The theater department sponsored the first Cabaret Night on Dec. 6 to raise funds for scholarships and a trip to New York. The night featured a variety of performances from all grade levels including songs, monologues, Flyspace, a short film, and a guest performance from the middle school production “Suessical.”
“I participated in the cabaret because theatre is my life,” sophomore Matthew Kertzman said. “It is a way to express myself and every new event is a new opportunity, so I like to participate in as much stuff as I can.”
Students auditioned for a spot a few weeks before the show and rehearsed on their own. Kertzman said that most of his rehearsal was in his free time with a voice teacher. Kertzman performed “Stars” from the musical Les Miserables, a scene from “Landscape of the Body” with junior Bianca McKenna, and songs with Pizzaz.
“Right before the show, I just get into a relaxed zone before going on stage,” Kertzman said. “I know whatever happens on stage will be okay. Singing in front of an audience is so fun and the energy I get from it is incredible.”
One of the biggest challenges to put on the production was the limited amount of time. The entire performance was set up in three rehearsals after school the week before the show.
“There wasn’t much time to prepare,” senior Matthew Greenbaum said. “[Senior] Jake Blonstein and I worked as the MC’s and literally everything we are doing is made up on the spot.”
Sophomore Joanna Kolker worked as a co-assistant stage manager and agreed with Greenbaum that the timing of the show was challenging. Her job was to stay behind stage to cue the performers and help make sure everything ran smoothly.
“The hardest part of putting on the show was the amount of time had to work with,” Kolker said. “With all of the
different kinds of acts and people included in the show, it made it a bit more challenging to figure out how the show would run and who would be where at what time.”
Tickets sold for $7 for students and $10 for adults. In addition to a raffle to win $50, the ticket gave entrance to the performance as well as refreshments during the intermission. The show raised around $1300 for the theater department.
“I hope we can put on the Cabaret night again next year,” Kertzman said. “It was a great fundraiser for the department and it was a lot of fun.”