Imagine you’re faced with an incredible talent, yet you have nowhere to put it. There seems like there are no competitions or conventional ways to show off. This was the problem that LFHS alumn Allen Chiu had in 2018 with his Chinese yo-yos. So, after starting a yo-yo club, he found his place at the talent show.
It takes a special ability to get the entire talent show crowd begging for more, and Chiu and the yo-yoers did just that.
“They blew it out of the water for two years. It was the kind of performance that just built up,” talent show director Mr. Corey Holmer said. “The energy was incredible and it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”
Every act participating in the talent show has the potential for the power of the famous yo-yo act and, like in Chiu’s case, the talent show is often where people come to find their place.
While this is Holmer’s 10th year involved the show, the LFHS talent show has been around for 63 years. The big number years often have an exciting twist, but every year has its own magic.
“The kids make it their own,” Holmer said. “Each year is special in its own way.”
The talent show started as a standard variety show to fill in the gaps of missed opportunities for students, giving them opportunities that they can’t find anywhere else in school.
“Every school needs that outlet for students,” Holmer said.
While the talent show has always had this mission in mind, the show didn’t start out as the spectacle it is now. The talent show used to be a very simple way of showcasing talents with the formula of act, video, and emcee bit. The show was a performance, but it wasn’t a show.
The talent show was elevated when CROYA manager Rick Day and video director Charlie Alves added their expertise to the production side of it.
“The tech and media of the show really bring it all together,” senior Chip Bailey said. “The show is now a full-on production that has a flow. It’s not your average talent show.”
The technical side of the show is a clear draw, but the acts also bring it every year. A good act has two parts: the talent and the show, fitting to the event title.
“You need to blend well with your act, but you also have to think of the audience,” Holmer said. “Having fun on stage and interacting with the crowd is what makes the show memorable. It’s more than just the act.”
Some acts, like Chiu and his yo-yos, embody this task. Last year, The Band Women stepped up to this challenge. They had choreography and costume changes that kept the audience hooked. Two years ago, The Devil Went Down To Georgia did the same thing. Their performance told a story.
The acts, tech, and media come together to collaborate based on the theme. This year’s theme is western.
“The themes really came to life after COVID,” Holmer said. “We wanted to bring back the show with a big theme. The themes now give structure to all parts of the show— costumes, pit band, emcees, new media.”
The last few themes have been Camp, 80s, and On the Road Again.
The talent show process kicks off in October before choosing Emcees in December, and then auditioning acts in January. From there, the show starts to form.
“We try to involve as many people as possible, especially underclassmen and new people,” Holmer said. “I get to watch people interact, try new things, and do different talents. It’s my favorite month of the year.”
Get tickets for this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 p.m. in the RMA to watch this one-of-a-kind show.
