Walking through the hallways, you can see the faces of countless students trying to get through the school day, but under every face is a hidden talent. There is one night that showcases every talent that LZHS has: the annual Charity Bash talent show.
This year’s show is on February 27 in the PAC and is open to all, not just students and family. Admission is $5 for everyone, including students and adults.
The talent show draws in a huge portion of the money LZHS raises for Charity Bash, and there are certain students who have to put it all together. This year, the head organizers are sophomores Sangami Pugazenthi and Merrick Howarth, and Nicole Hu, junior.
“All the money raised goes to Charity Bash,” Pugazenthi said. “If we have a full house, that’s about four grand just for the charity. It’s a big part of Charity Bash.”
The money the school receives through the event is all given to Special Olympics Illinois, the Charity Bash chosen charity for the 2014-15 school year. Raising money is not the only thing these students are in charge of, they have to organize everything from picking the act to the final details the day of the show.
“My two other chairs and I are in charge of the whole thing. That includes recruiting acts, finding [a master of ceremonies,] finding the judging panel, listening to the audition tapes, and picking the acts. We’ve watched so many audition videos,” Pugazenthi said. “We are looking for something creative, potentially, because there are a lot of singing acts. However, if that’s what you want to do, then go for it. We’re just looking for anything that could fill the time.”
Receiving an act takes more than just standing on stage. Auditions need to be creative and unique, according to Pugazenthi. The best chance to be accepted as a part of the talent show is to do something not many people can do.
“You have to show us something different about you, something that nobody’s ever done,” Pugazenthi said. “One act that really stood out to me was Francesca Castro. She was singing, and she’s a really good singer. She also played a lot of instruments, like the piano, guitar, and some electric [program] on her computer.”
Each student in the talent show has some skill they want to showcase to the community. Auditioning for the talent show gives people the opportunity to do so to those they see around the school.
“I think they should really look forward to seeing their classmates up there doing things I never knew they could do,” Pugazenthi said. “Like I saw this girl in my class, and I never knew she could sing like that. It’s really interesting going up and supporting people you know.”
Students should be ready to enjoy a night of fun and entertainment while watching people they see around school show just how talented this town is. Seeing their friends is not the only thing students look forward to when they attend the talent show.
“I know the Spoerleins usually do a play, and it’s always really funny,” Hu said. “They’re doing that again this year. There are also a lot of people singing. I think it’ll be good.”
The act is different every year, but it never fails to entertain the audience. The talent show is a great way to get to know people other than sitting by them on a daily basis.
“There’s going to be people they’ve seen before, so they’ll know how good they are,” Nicole Hu said. “There will also be new people, and they’re all really good. I think they’ll be excited just hearing people that they’ve just seen in the hallways before, like the people they don’t talk to.”
In order to choose the winners, there need to be judges, and the judges are picked by the Student Council Chairs. There are usually one or two judges who are somehow tied to the Charity LZHS is donating to because it is a big fundraiser for it, according to Hu. There are also LZ teachers or faculty members who are picked accompany them as judges.
During the show, the judges pay attention to the talent the student has as well as the audience reaction, according to Hu. The student who has the best score for both the skill level and audience attention will win the show.
The talent show is the biggest fundraiser to help reach our Charity Bash goal, and the community is welcome to come enjoy the talent LZHS has to offer.