Students, faculty and other members of the GDS community gathered in the Forum to watch this year’s spring Cabaret performance on April 3.
The Cabaret offers an opportunity for students to perform and showcase their talents. The event is held twice a year, with shows in the fall and spring. All proceeds from the event were donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.
This year there were 20 acts. Students sang, played instruments and more. While all were musical performances, the show is open to all types of acts.
“Anyone can perform; you don’t have to even be a musician. It’s kind of just fun, so we have a lot of variance in performance,” junior Sarah Sakr said. Sakr helped organize the event alongside seniors Sophia Ades and Zachary Lundman.
Some especially memorable performances from the night included sophomore Nathan Ginsberg’s rendition of “You’ll Be Back” from Hamilton, a guitar solo by sophomore Rowan Magnell and an a capella performance of Rollo Dilworth’s “Jordan’s Angels” by sophomores Joy Edwards and Natalie Ogden and junior Sosi Audain.
The show is distinct from other performing arts events at GDS, such as the One-Acts or musical, in that students have complete freedom in what they choose to perform.
“For me, seeing people that I see in different ways—like maybe I see you in the weight room or on the athletic field—and then to see you in here, those are always fun for me because it just shows me that we have kids that are so talented in so many different ways,” Assistant Principal for School Life Quinn Killy said.
Many of those interviewed by the Bit noted the other unique opportunities Cabaret offers, especially to those who may not usually be involved in the performing arts at GDS. “It’s a lot more low stakes,” freshman Della Blum, who performed “I Remember Everything” by Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves in the show, said.
“It’s sort of a lighthearted environment,” Sakr said.
The event encourages students from all backgrounds to perform and get involved in the arts. “I’m doing every Cabaret,” Mason Wechsler said after his performance of “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper with fellow sophomores Mina Holtzman and Natalie Ogden.
“I love watching how everybody’s friends support them,” Killy said after the show.
“There’s a real teamwork aspect of it even though people are doing solos and performing separately. We’re all sort of like one big group and support each other,” Sakr said of the environment backstage.
The show’s proximity to the end of spring break presented a challenge for some of the performers. “It was pretty hard to find time to practice, especially because it was so soon after the break,” junior Helene Burwell, who performed “Anyone Else but You” by the Moldy Peaches in a group with other students, said.
“We’ve had different shows at different times of the year,” Killy said. “It kind of depends on the rest of the calendar.”
Cabaret is a highlight for many members of the GDS community every year since it was started during the 2008-2009 school year. However, the show has also changed over the years.
“We used to have more faculty that would sing in Cabaret,” Killy said. “There were always one or two faculty who would perform at Cabaret. Usually it was someone in the performing arts department.”
In addition to their organizational roles in Cabaret, Sakr, Lundman and Ades all performed during the show. Lundman played a piece by Chopin on the piano, and Sakr sang “She Used to be Mine” from Waitress. To close out the show, Ades, accompanied by Lundman on the piano, sang “Stay” by Rihanna. The song, she told the audience, was the same piece she had performed in her first Cabaret.
At the end of the show, Sakr came on stage to thank Ades and Lundman for their roles in Cabaret and in GDS’ arts department over the years. “They have made such immense contributions to the performing arts programs at GDS,” she told the audience. “Cabaret won’t be the same without them next year.”
“They were more like leaders for me, kind of who I looked up to, and they’ve really helped me prep for next year’s Cabaret,” Sakr said of the two seniors. “They’re both so talented and I have a lot of respect for them.”
“A little hint for next year,” Wechsler said of his future performance. “We’re thinking rap.”