The Annual Student Council Showcase is an event that celebrates and demonstrates the talent of the Lick community, while simultaneously bringing in donations for a good cause.
photo by Eleanor Sananman
The 6th Annual Showcase on March 13 was in full swing before the entertainment even began with a silent auction for student artwork. The display of art was impressive, ranging from drawings and paintings to photography, woodwork, pottery and original music recordings. All the proceeds from the artwork went to Creativity Explored, a non-profit organization based in the Mission with the goal of supporting developmentally disabled persons in their creation of art.
After mingling and bidding outside, the audience filled the theater and the show began. The lively, charismatic duo Nick Frangenberg ’15 and Toby Richkind ’16 emceed the show, cracking jokes, parodying the Oscars and sustaining the audience’s engagement between acts.
After vigorously popping a balloon to commence the show with “a metaphorical and a literal bang,” the Muses took the stage. An a capella group comprised of eight young women aiming to empower other women by singing songs strictly by female artists, the Muses began the first act with their signature piece, “Royals” by Lorde, followed by the debut of their rendition of “The Parting Glass” by The Wailin’ Jennys.
Following the Muses came Lauren Murray ’16 and Claire Fry ’15, singing “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers. Delicately harmonized and supplemented by Murray on the guitar, the duet easily captivated the audience.
Rebecca Cormack ’16 took the stage next with a fairly unique talent: Irish dancing. Her expertly executed performance displayed the extensiveness of Lick’s talent.
Following Cormack came a group of four juniors, Carly Steyer, Audre Sorem Smikle, Emily Dwyer and Claire Fry. Though they admitted their performance of Regina Spektor’s “Us” was impromptu, their act was earnest and wonderfully informal.
photo by Eleanor Sananman
The show took a turn towards bizarre when Lick’s newest band, Helen Keller Birthday Party, made its debut performance. The pair of Loie Plautz ’15 and Daniel Holzman ’17, robed in baggy shirts, black jeans, bare feet and lipstick, played original songs that fell under the self-described genre “anti-folk.” These eccentric anthems, with names such as “Emancipate,” “Spacebar” and “Poltergeist,” explored matters of sexuality, ghosts and drip coffee.
Keturah Nobles ’15 closed the first act with her spoken word. In her sharp and passionately dictated monologues, Nobles fervently considered monstrous themes of life, love and happiness.
photo by Eleanor Sanana
The second act began with a medley of cinematic work from Julia Pollock ’15, Tywen Kelly ’14 and JayRaj Govender ’14. Pollock’s piece, titled “The Bucket List,” featured a notebook filled with dreams and audio narrated by Pollock. Kelly’s film, “TACOS!” taught everyone in the audience how to make some pretty good tacos. Finally, Govender’s semi-animated film expressed the joy (and ultimate despair) of buying a pair of floral Dr. Marten’s online.
Following the film portion of the night, Sabrina San Diego ’15 and Isabel Siu ’16 took the stage to present their talent of Tahitian dancing.
photo by Eleanor Sananman
The guest stars of the night were University High School’s a cappella group, The Satonics. Founded just last year, the group’s enthusiasm and unfaltering buoyancy propelled the night.
To continue the ascending fervor of the night, Dance Ensemble members Julianne Sison ’14, Will Lazo ’15 and Keturah Nobles gave a concise yet intricate performance; an example of the talent and choreographic brilliance that Dance Ensemble has become famous for.
By this point, the Showcase had stretched far into the night, but the audience’s interest had not grown thin. Gymnastic trio of Julia Howard ’16, Eva Laxo ’16 and Brooke Peterson ’17 took the stage next and executed an astounding collection of flips, spins, twirls and jumps.
The penultimate act of the show comprised of a different type of musical performance than before. Space Among Many, consisting of seniors Glenna Roberts, Tano Brock, and Jack Gorlin, covered “Say Something” by A Great Big World, accompanied by Brock on the piano and a choreographed dance by members of Dance Ensemble.
Lick’s famous and prestigious a cappella group, The Waves, closed the night. Made up of Glenna Roberts, Claire Fry, Emily Dwyer, Lauren Murray, Evan Kolm ’14, Zach Hollander ’15, Jack Gorlin, Nick Frangenberg and Alejandro Santana ’14 beatboxing, the group dazzled with their passionate renditions of “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye, and “Run to You” by Pentatonix.
In total, the event was a complete success. It accurately displayed the multitudes of abilities in the Lick-Wilmerding community, and in our typical fashion, used them to raise donations for a cause.
