On Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday Dec. 10,StaplesHigh School’s choir wowed the audience with its production number based on the Ed Sullivan Late Night Show.
Staples choir teacher, Justin Miller, a former student and Candlelight performer himself, got the ball rolling for novel ideas when flip flops and t-shirts were coming into season, last spring.
“We then revisited it and talked specifics about format in early November,” Miller said.
This year was Staples’ 51st Candlelight. The Westport-wide event showcases Staples’ three choral groups: chorale, choir, and chorus. In addition, the band and the orchestra are featured.
Every year, one of the most memorable parts of the concert is the conclusion: the production number performed by the juniors and seniors that are in the choir. It’s just a short part of the concert, but what the amazed audience does not realize is that the process began long ago.
The facilitator of the conversation, Miller, lets the students spark the ideas.
“We all throw out ideas and write them down on the whiteboard so everyone gets a say… this year we collaborated on the theme: A Celebrity Christmas,” said Choir president, Gregg Bonti ’12. These critical conversations formed the blueprint for the elaborate Ed Sullivan Late Night theme.
The Sullivan format allowed for creativity in terms of the casting of characters. Some might not been surprised to see Santa Clause; however, Elvis and the Beach Boys made their first debut in Staples’ skits.
A competitive process takes place to see who will have the opportunity to have solos and to play the prestigious main roles. Although there are soloists in the number, the entire choir is included in the rest of the production number.
“Choir is a welcoming group of super fun students, so production number is basically an example of how collaborative and creative we can be,” said Sarah Cooperman ’13.
In past years, performances tried to tell a story. “This year we tried a different angle, because even though last year worked it was kind of cheesy. The holidays are warm and fuzzy but we wanted something unique,” Miller said.
An additional goal was to keep the audience attentive and involved. “We had the opportunity to sing more songs, which brings a wider variety of music to the production number and something for everyone in the large crowd,” Miller said.
Miller and his choir work hard throughout the fall to make sure that not only is the production number entertaining, but that “it relates to a variety of holiday songs, not just Christmas,” Miller said. The choir makes sure that there is nothing “sacred” in the production number, but instead they include a variety of styles of holiday favorites, such as “Feliz Navidad.”
Just like Players has its hell week and sports teams have their preseason, the music department has its lengthy Candlelight rehearsals. There is a lot of work to do before the curtains open and the production number is revealed.
After memorizing the dance steps and the music, rehearsal mode kicks in. “We work on the skit both inside and outside of school. During Choir, we learn all the music and get it perfect. Then, when we get closer to Candlelight we have rehearsals from7-10 p.m.where we “stage” and learn choreography for the production number,” Bonti said.
Will Bistky ’12 is proud of the past shows and of this year’s performance especially because time was so precious. “Considering the short amount of time we have to put everything together, and all the practice needed, it’s amazing how it comes together each year. And it always does,” Bistky said.
