The new Karaoke Tuesdays, which take place in the Little Theater during lunch every other Tuesday, are put on by the Buena Drama Department. All students are welcome, though the usual crowd is Buena Drama students. For people who love to sing, it is a great way to help get more comfortable onstage, as it is more of a performance than traditional karaoke.
As you walk into the charming Little Theater for Karaoke Tuesdays, high notes from singers ring through the room as music plays from the black speakers. Armed with a microphone, these confident stars sing and belt out their song with ease, finally bowing to cheers and applause from the crowd.
Musical theatre songs are the most popular choice, though pop and country songs are sung as well. The only limitations are the songs must not contain any profane lyrics, references to anything not suitable for school, and must be school appropriate.
Originally taking place every other Wednesday, they are now scheduled for every other Tuesday, due to student scheduling issues with clubs.
To sign up, students can visit the Drama room, where a clipboard is waiting. Molly Ensminger, the drama teacher and person in charge of Karaoke Tuesday, said she is also open to emails.
“In the Drama Club, we were thinking of other things that the Drama Club could do. We have the main stagecraft side of it, the theatre productions, and we also had the Improv Troupe, just of last year,” Senior Willie Wagner said. “We want[ed] a new thing this year, and a Karaoke Club came up […] We just started a list of names of people who are interested, and it went on from there.”
With technical issues showing their faces at Karaoke’s first performance, a supportive crowd is exactly what is needed to pull the whole thing off.
“[Karaoke Tuesdays] are really good with boosting confidence,” Ensminger said. ”It helps to build community and make connections and build confidence, it teaches them about the feeling of stage fright, and what it feels like to get over it.”
Anyone can come to perform or be an audience member. Solos, duets, trios, and even quartets are welcome, if you want to perform with a friend or two. Simply walk into the Little Theater during lunch, take a seat, and enjoy the show. Ranging from musical theatre songs, pop hits and more, Karaoke Tuesday is a day you will not soon forget.
“I hope that people who watched the performances feel that they had a good time, but also [that] they feel inspired to prepare their own performance, if they want to,” Wagner said. “[Karaoke Tuesday is] a chance for people to sing a song that they performed in front of a supportive audience. We accept anyone, so everyone gets a chance to perform what they’ve been practicing.”
