The Valparaiso High School (VHS) Auditorium was brought to life Thursday night as “April Antics” hit the stage for another year showcasing amazing talent. Entirely student-run, the show is an annual VHS staple where students of all talents perform on stage in a variety of creative musical and theatrical acts.
“It's always exciting because it is a really big collection of so many different students and lots of different ways that they can show off the things they are good at. We've got dancers, singers, and actors, and it's just a really great variety of talent on stage,” said Director Molly Oros.
The students in this year’s performance have been hard at work perfecting their talents since school began back in the fall. With so many moving parts, everyone involved wanted to dedicate as much time as possible to make sure the show was able to run as smoothly and successfully as possible. Preparation began early on with selecting this year’s theme, and from there, a script was written.
“This year is going back to the 90s. So we are doing a little time travel show. We usually meet as a team of students and myself in December, we brainstorm a whole bunch of ideas and this was one that we just kept coming back to as something that would be really flexible and allow for some 90s songs to be involved and a throwback to some things that are actually pretty trendy nowadays,” said Oros.
VHS students love to participate each year as it allows them to share a variety of creative talents with their classmates and community. “April Antics” isn’t limited to a select type of performance either, meaning anyone of all skill sets can come and join in on the fun.
“It's got an actual clay element, it got a story and it has a bit more interaction from students, like with writing and everything they put together themselves,” said Junior, Harry McMurtrey.
The students have all enjoyed bringing “April Antics” to life, and have many fond memories along the way, making this experience all the more memorable.
“Probably some of the earlier stuff when we were writing it since I was on the writing team. Some of the earlier drafts that we went through and talking with each other about the ideas we had. That was pretty fun. There were a lot of funny moments and things that we came up with,” said McMurtrey.
Oros additionally had a great time working with the students to put the show together and is extremely proud of all they’ve accomplished this year.
"It's always fun to see it come together because it is a show that we write completely from scratch. At the beginning, we don't really know what we're going to end up with, and it's always great to see it come together,” said Oros.
This also isn’t just your typical theatrical production, it’s a night full of song, entertainment, and above all else, fun antics that can’t be found anywhere else. “April Antics” steps away from the traditional theatre show in a refreshing, exciting way, so the team encourages everyone to grab a seat looking for a fun time.
“So many people worked hard on it and there's just so much involvement and its something I don't really feel a lot of people get to experience. Just seeing something that was put together by students for students,” said Mcmurtrey
The antics aren’t quite over just yet! There are still a few more times you can catch the show, so don’t worry if you missed out on tonight's performance. Additional shows will be held on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m. both days.
To stay up to date on all the exciting performances and more Valparaiso High School has to offer, be sure to visit valpo.k12.in.us.