The lights dim and the audience hushes. Then an announcement comes over the speakers to tell the audience to please silence their cell phones and enjoy the show. It is time for “Cabaret.”

This year, instead of putting on a regular production of a musical, the fine arts department decided to do something different. Due to the coronavirus, directors decided to have a cabaret, an eclectic arrangement of solos with opening and closing group acts. 

Songs like “You’ll Be Back” and “I Can Hear the Bells” were sung at the performance on Saturday, January 30th to the COVID standards for a full house. 

“This is my first time being in a musical at the high school because I’m a freshman but it’s not my first time being in musicals,” freshman James Pate said. “I have been acting at the Creighton  for eight years now and when comparing the two, I think that the ‘Cabaret’ was produced very professionally while still making it fun for the cast.” 

With all the unforeseen changes that can occur during this pandemic, the fine arts director decided to do something different this year compared to the normal musical productions that have been put on in the past.

“We designed the Cabaret so if anyone was ill we could still have the show,” fine arts and choir director, Ken Labonski said. “Even if a few people would have been missing, the show could still go on. We are so proud of our students and everyone stepped up and was well prepared with all the changes.”

The Cabaret offered a lot of learning opportunities to the actors and gave them a chance to share a part of themselves with the audience. 

“I picked the song ‘Dear Theodosia’ because it spoke to me personally, and I really connected with the lyrics in an emotional way,” senior Cameron Smiley said. “My dad wasn’t around for a good portion of my life, and one day when I have children, it’s very important to me that I’m a contributing, present factor in their lives.

Programs like the musical allow students to find their groups and make new friends on campus that they may not have met otherwise. 

“I enjoyed the whole experience of being in the cabaret,” junior Julian Roscom said. “I loved the cast. We had a lot of fun during the production, yet we still focused when we needed to. I made a handful of new friends and got closer to some old ones. There were many talented people from top to bottom.”

The school musical gives students a chance to be involved on campus and have fun, but junior Lucero Garcia took this opportunity to shed light on mental health problems. 

“I chose to sing ‘Lifeboat’ from Heathers because I strongly believe that depression and anxiety aren’t talked about enough in a healthy way or at least symptoms of it,” Garcia said. “Heather McNamara is expressing her emotions by shoving them down and ignoring them, and I feel like students should be taught the right way to deal with their emotions in some setting at school.”

All kinds of songs were performed at the Cabaret. From slow, emotional songs to fast, upbeat songs, the soloists provided a wide variety of entertainment for the audience. 

“I wanted to sing the song ‘Friend Like Me’ because I wanted to give the audience excitement and laughter,” senior Johnny Zumarraga said. “I truly enjoyed singing and being like the new genie along with Robin Williams and Will Smith.”

Performing publicly isn’t always easy, but Smiley took this as an opportunity to push himself out of his comfort zone and to try something new. 

“I really did enjoy the experience,” Smiley said. “I took a lot away from this production, but something that I know will stick with me is to not be afraid to show what I can do and to not be afraid to commit to something that may scare me.”