The Only Thing Show Choir Wants to Know is, “who done it”?

To kick off 2024, Hastings High’s show choir performance will be searching for answers to Annie Loomis’ untimely death in this year’s show that they will take to competitions starting in January. The postman, repairman, a suspicious neighbor, and even Annie’s own daughter are all up for questioning. Detective Hawes is tasked with discovering “who done it.”

“The topic of our show this year is ‘murder mystery,’ featuring songs like ‘Smooth Criminal’ and ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson,” Sophia Jarmer said.

Their first competition will be on January 13 at Lincoln High, then the following performances will be on the 20th at Hastings High, the 27th at Glenwood High School in Iowa, February 3 at Grand Island Northwest, the 24th at Grand Island Senior High, and lastly, on March 2 at Lincoln Northwest. Senior Charity Marino and sophomores Sophia Jarmer and Ezekiel Verhage, members of the HHS show choir, encourage people to not only go to the shows, but to even try show choir out for themselves.

“It’s a great experience and you learn a lot from it.. The choir just becomes a big family… Everyone should definitely consider going to our competitions. We have been doing so well the past couple years and we are so proud of where we are going and how good our choir program is becoming,” Marino said.

Putting together and memorizing songs, dances, and lines is no easy feat as Christian Yost, the director of HHS’s show choir already knows, as he chooses the topic every year for the show. However, if the performers are not excited or interested in the topic, it becomes an uphill battle to find a topic that the majority are invested in. Once the topic is decided on, Yost works with the choreographer and music director to help pick what songs are going into the performance, but Yost has the main responsibility of choosing what direction the show will go in.

“I start thinking about the next year’s show choir show in February or March. So it starts as this little thing in my head as a, ‘what if we did this, or what if we told this story?’ and then seeing it, by the time we get to March, this wonderful, beautiful, perfected show, that started as a figment of my imagination and is now this massive thing,” Yost said.

There is plenty of work to be done before the show is complete, and members of the show choir dedicate hours during school, after school, and even on weekends to perfect the performance. 

“We practice every Monday after school from seven to nine p.m. and have classes every black day. We also have multiple breaks and weekends taken up by practice, usually ranging between the times of nine in the morning to six o’clock at night… Having to do all of this is taxing mentally and physically,” Verhage said.

Dancing and singing at the same time, for girls, in heels and dresses, and for guys, in boots or large clothing, can be “taxing physically,” as Verhage described. The stress and strain can challenge a person mentally, and trying to keep composure during long practices when hungry or tired is one of the many challenges.

“The hardest part of being in show choir is the immense work you have to put in…Mr. Yost always tells us ‘green skies.’ This is an analogy and means that even though the sky isn’t green, if he says it is, you better believe him. He knows what’s best and only wants to do what is best for the show. Lots of trust comes with that,” Jarmer said.

Stage fright is another challenge that one must face when performing, but is not something most performers appear to have because they are singing and dancing in front of hundreds, sometimes even thousands of people at a time. Without someone or something to help them overcome their fear, stage fright can make performing on stage terrifying for members of show choir. Jarmer overcame her stage fright and nerves with Yost’s help and the pure excitement that surrounds the performance. It was the same case for Marino.

“Performing on stage used to be really nerve wracking and terrifying, but once you get in front of an audience that wants to be there and that is so excited to listen, it takes a lot of the nerves away,” Marino said.

For many of the show choir performers, the good times outweigh the bad. Marino’s favorite part is all the new people she has been able to meet. For Jarmer, it’s the life-long connections she makes. Verhage enjoys the atmosphere and environment of show choir.

“I love singing and the community in show choir. Our teachers, parents, and supervisors do a great job at teaching and creating a fun safe environment,” Verhage said.