By Meghan Runte
The McNicholas Theatre program is holding two showcases for students to highlight what they have learned throughout the year. The Musical Theatre Class has their showcase on April 28 at 7 p.m. in the Jeanne Spurlock Theatre, and the Theatre Appreciation and Performance, Acting Styles, and Musical Theatre Dance classes have their showcase on May 5 at 7 p.m. in the Jeanne Spurlock Theatre.
McNicholas High School Theatre Teacher and Director, Mrs. Leslie Baum said that “performing in front of a live audience allows students to experience the full life cycles of theatre from choosing material, rehearsing, and, finally, performing.”
Baum said that the showcase is beneficial for students to get out of their comfort zone, explaining that “it is a very vulnerable thing to put yourself on display in this way and it teaches students how to manage their anxiety about public performance. Students always feel a gigantic sense of accomplishment and pride at having conquered those fears!”
Sophomore and participant in the Acting Styles class, Chloe Manderfield, explained that “the showcase represents the work we have done throughout the year because we get to incorporate all the skills, like movement or improvisation, that we learned and we can apply them during the show.”
Acting Styles student, sophomore Lucy Brock thinks that the showcase is an important part of the theatre program because “it helps people to see what goes on in some of the theater classes. A few of my classmates actually joined the arts after going to the showcase because they thought it looked really cool.”
Freshman participant in Theatre Appreciation and Performance, Luke Amann, said that the class has allowed him to “meet so many amazing new people that I would consider great friends now. I also enjoyed this process because I was able to use my skills and abilities to bring together the community.”
Amann added that he would “100% recommend this class to anyone I know that is planning on going to McNicholas High School!”
Baum encourages students, parents, and staff to attend the showcases to support theatre classes. She added that she would love if others “come to see your friends show off doing what they have worked so hard on this semester. It is sure to be an evening full of fun, laughs, and maybe even some tears!”
Acting Styles performed Into the Woods by James Lapine for their 2024 showcase after working on the show for the first quarter of the class. The show starred current seniors Addy Russo, Amelia Engle, and Parker Segar and followed an adventurous story where characters venture “Into the Woods” to retrieve ingredients to reverse a spell.
The McNicholas Milestone 