Seniors performed musical duets, dances, magic tricks, and stand-up comedy routines on May 21, when the community gathered in Walker Auditorium to watch the Senior Talent Show. The show, organized by the Senior Class Council and hosted by Kiernan McColgan ’22 and Issac Tandatnick ’22, featured members of the Senior class as their performances evoked laughter and applause. Due to Covid restrictions, last year’s Senior Talent Show was hosted on Harris House lawn. Audience members brought blankets and lawn chairs, spreading out across the grass to watch the performances in small groups. This year, with a schoolwide return to pre-pandemic traditions, the Senior Talent Show was once again hosted in renovated Walker.
The evening’s program included audience participation in a series of magic tricks performed by Luke Johnson ’22 and RJ Ihlefeld ’22, a rendition of Tyler the Creator’s EARFQUAKE, complete with a platinum blonde wig, reminiscent of Igor, by Hughson Wong ’22, and a contemporary dance performance by Stella Ren ’22. While the more sentimental among the audience could find comfort in the duet of Michael Giacchino’s “Married Life” performed by Rena Peng ’22 and Rahul Kalavagunta ’22, others enjoyed the opportunity to watch a comical, pre-recorded race between Mr. Cooper Puls ’12, head coach of Varsity and JV Wrestling, and Mrs. Liz Dittmer, instructor in mathematics, in Between Two Bearcats, a parody film produced by Margie Bowen ’22 and inspired by actor Zach Galifi anakis’ show, Between Two Ferns.
Cooper Roh ’22, who prepared a stand-up comedy performance, commented on what performing in the Senior Talent Show meant to him. He said, “I remembered how much [the Show] influenced me when I was a Prep… which was what inspired me to do my act. It makes me happy knowing that I might [be able to show] people what they can do when they’re just having fun.” Additionally, Roh described the unique space the Senior Talent Show provided for the departing class to perform a variety of acts that don’t follow the traditional formality of other school performances. “[The Show is] a lot more casual, which makes it fun to see people showcase their hidden talents, like playing the ukulele. [They perform] simply because they enjoy doing [so,] not because it’s graded or required,” he said. Grace Keefe ’22 concluded the performances with her rendition of “Glorious” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. She described the emotions that she felt while on stage. Keefe said, “It was exciting and definitely a little bit sentimental. Seeing the Seniors do it last year was really heartwarming, and participating in the Talent Show felt like a final goodbye to the community.”
Watching in the audience, Ella Yu ’24 observed how highly anticipated the show was this year. “I was really excited to see the Seniors put on their own version of last year’s talent show. Especially right now, with everyone so focused on finals and work, spending the night enjoying Senior Talent Show was a much-needed break that lived up to my expectations,”she said. The evening ended with a lighthearted video compilation of Senior class highlights to commemorate the past four years. The tradition of the Senior Talent Show provided the community with a space to reflect and celebrate not only the performers but all of the members of the Class of 2022.
