Students Actin’ Out Draw A Crowd, Applause

Thursday November 12 at 7 pm was the opening night for Darlington’s annual Actin’ Out; a variety show that had a total of eighteen acts. This year the theme was “Smiles and Sunshine.”  Looking around during the show I could see the entire audience expressing the emotions that the students were conveying, as there were plenty of smiles to be seen.

Kicking off the evening was Ali Harton singing and dancing to the song “Cabaret” from the musical Cabaret. She had a fabulous performance and really gave the audience a taste of how first-class the show was going to be. Next came Catlin Capes, Rachel Christopher, and Aliya Smith all reading separate poems in “The Dramatic-Happy Poems Medley,” and not to sound crazy, but these poems were both dramatic and happy. Following that was a unique performance of tap-dancing featuring Allie Evans, Emily Grizzard, and Maggie Sparks tap dancing to the song “Jumpin’ East of Java!” Then there was a sincere song written and sung by Hannah Montgomery which she named “Just Another Day.” Following Hannah was a very inquisitive performance by Stefan Dill of “Green Eggs and Hamlet.” “Hakuna Matata,” a song from The Lion King, was performed in a skit by Charles King singing Timon’s part, John Wilhoite singing Pumbaa’s part, and Meredith Albury singing Nala’s part. This skit was very enlightening and uplifting and had the entire audience all ears. Later, Aliya Smith read a poem named “Monologue.” As she read you could really feel it reaching down into your soul with its deep and interesting meaning. To finish the first half of the show were Cameron Smith, Nathan Kearton, and the Men’s Ensemble with a performance to the song, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from the musical Spamalot.

The second half of the show was set in motion by Alex Murray, Dan Lewis, Aliya Smith, Jamie Vincent, and Cameron Smith performing to the song “I’ve Got a Theory” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer the Musical: Once More With Feeling. This act was a fantastic way to start off the second half of the show as it had a lot of energy and woke the crowd right up. Next was an exclusive performance by Drew Williams reading “A Dreamer’s Monologue.” Following that was a dreamy routine including Allie Evans, Emily Grizzard, and Maggie Sparks, all dancing to the song “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. Soon RD Legacy walked onto stage decked out in scarf and hat reciting a piece of prefromance poetry titled “Scratch and Dent Dreams.” Calley Craton sang and played the ukulele to her own composition, “A Really Lame and Inspirational Happy Song.” To contradict the name, it ended up being awesome and also inspirational. Following Calley was Emily Braden reading a poem titled, “The Perfect Man,” which ended with a twist! After Emily, Rainey Cordell walked onto stage where she recited a poem called, “She Sez,” which was about a mom still stuck in her younger years. Next were Jamie Vincent and Aliya Smith took the stage with a hilarious interpretative dance to the song, “Happiness” by The Fray, which gave the room an uplifting sensation.  Following that skit was Alex Murray reciting the poem, “Laughter,” which kept the happy atmosphere in the theatre. To wrap up the evening was a great performance to the song, “Springtime for Hitler” from the musical The Pro ducers, which included Andrew Blair, Charles Pool, and many others. The act was a great way to end the very eventful evening.

Actin’ Out at Darlington School is a great way to show students’ interests and talents. Every year there is an entirely new show and anyone who wants to see a great performance should definitely plan to attend.