Published: October 11, 2008 02:16 am      

Taking the stage

Blazer theater students put on variety show fundraiser

ASHLAND — It was an all-day variety show with a rotating cast, a potpourri of singing, dancing, comedy and drama.

Paul Blazer theater students kept the Millennium Center humming with energy Friday with their annual “Actors Gone Wild” fundraiser. Inviting English students, which effectively means just about everyone at Blazer, they packed the house every period, at $1 a pop.

By the end of the day they’d raised $650, which they’ll donate to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Ike relief.

“It’s been fun all day long,” said Amy Larsen, a senior. “We get to be crazy.”

Larsen looked like the sane one in her number — she sang a song from Disney’s “Little Mermaid.”

But her two accompanists brought down the house. Senior Christian Slone and Devon Collins, a sophomore, translated her lyrics into a zany — and entirely improvised — interpretive dance.

The number was added to the show at the last minute to fill time, Sloan said. “Amy is a great singer and we decided to spice it up.

“We weren’t expecting such laughs. We’re glad they enjoyed it.”

Theater students love to perform but not all of them can be in plays, said theater teacher Jane Modlin. Students who are in sports don’t have much time for rehearsals.

Some highly talented kids have to make the hard choice every year, she said. “I lose extremely talented kids to the swim team every year, so this is a chance for the rest of the student body to see them perform.”

Over the course of the day her students put on 87 acts, ranging from magic tricks to tap dancing to dramatic and comic monologues.

The emphasis was on improvisation and adaptability. Between classes, Modlin and her students discussed acts that shone and the ones that flopped, and tweaked the lineup for the next show.

Having one’s schoolmates as an audience is a challenge, but a welcome one, students said.

“It’s hard, but I love it,” said Ali Merritt, a senior. On one hand, she’s performing for kids she sees every day in class and in the halls. So if she flubs, everyone knows.

But if she’s good, she hears about that, too.

One’s peers can be more critical than strangers, and their criticism can sting, said senior Barbara Delaney. But there’s always the chance of praise for an exceptional performance. “And they’ll tell you about it later,” she said.

The fundraiser is one of two that theater students do every year; the other is in the spring and funds a scholarship.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2652.