Education: CHS’s annual show brings out students’ talent

Ten acts demonstrate talented students singing, dancing, comedy

By Marty Cheek

Christopher High School’s “CHS Got Talent!” show gave the audience a fun night out as a cornucopia of Cougar creativity took center stage.

From the sizzling sounds of bands to the side-splitting antics of comedic duos, and even a mesmerizing Hawaiian dance that had everyone swaying, the annual talent extravaganza proved these students have more than just academic prowess up their sleeves. As the campus amphitheater came alive at sunset May 11 with the energy of 10 sensational acts, it became clear the future of the arts at Christopher is as bright as the spotlights illuminating the stage.

After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the drama department made a triumphant return with their annual talent event put on by the Catamount Actors Theatre club. It showcased a diverse array of student talents while raising funds for the drama program.

Riley Brown, a senior and the facility overseer for the talent show, described the show’s importance for Christopher’s community. The decision to move it to the amphitheater transformed the evening into a festive, concert-like experience, complete with concessions such as tri-tip sandwiches, hot dogs and nachos, she said.

“It was originally going to be a smaller event in the black box (theater), but then after realizing the amazing talent we have, we realized we wanted to make this a bigger event,” she said.

The show entertained audiences with a variety of different acts, Brown said.

“We went from small skits of humor, to almost kind of like an improv kitchen cooking bit to a teacher performing and sharing his music experience of learning the guitar,” she said. “We had three bands and various singers. We had a great grasp of singing and music and comedy.”

Brown emphasized the importance of the performing arts in adolescent development.

“The arts help build self-expression, especially in adolescence,” she said. “There’s a stigma on whether or not the arts are important based on whether it helps academic intelligence. Our psychology textbooks teach we have three different types of intelligences. We have academic, we have our creative, and we have our analytical. You have to be able to use all three of those in order to find yourself and create your identity and become who you are, especially (for teens) in such a crucial period of time for self-development.”

The talent show not only provided a platform for students to express themselves but also fostered a sense of community, Brown said. The drama class students and teacher Kate Booth worked tirelessly for two weeks, dedicating every class period and after-school hours to put the show together.

“From the backside of it, this entire operation was a fully collaborative effort,” Brown said. “We learned about ourselves and about each other through the experience, and I hope the audience was able to see that and get some enjoyment out of it,” Brown added.

As Christopher High School’s drama program continues to grow and attract more students, events like CHS Got Talent! serve as a testament to the power of the arts in bringing people together and helping individuals discover their unique talents, said student Isabel Malone who, with Lauren Perales, emceed the show.

“It allows us to show the community what students are passionate about while having fun,” Malone said.

The most enjoyable experience for her that night was “goofing around” on stage with Perales.

“Lauren and I stuck with the ‘straight-man’ and ‘comedic-man’ bit, which essentially was our own personalities amplified,” she said. “As soon as we went on stage, we just let loose and followed our guts on what to do, what to say, and how to act. I had a blast trying to be silly and having fun on stage.”

The hardest part for her was coming up with the script and the humorous “bits” she and Perales would do based on each act. Malone and her father spent many late nights coming up with gags to entertain the audience. They would brainstorm an idea and slowly craft a script around it, bouncing lines or jokes off of each other.

Not only did the students get the chance to perform, they got to do it at an evening performance in an amphitheater, which was a special experience.

“They were able to perform on a cool stage to a crowd that paid to come and support them,” Malone said. “Plus, they got to experience tons of audience reactions and cheering, which always feels amazing as a performer.”

With students who worked on the school’s talent show at the helm, the future of arts at Christopher looks bright and promising, she said.

“Everyone I worked with was spectacular and helped the show come together,” she said. “It was an amazing night with amazing people, and I will forever be proud of the moment I got on stage and danced in a hot dog costume. It was a great show!”