A soft, melodic piano tune meanders through a dark room, where a microphone stands alone at the front, illuminated by a soft yellow stage light. Twinkling string lights, forming the letters “T” and “S,” adorn the black curtain that covers the backstage, along with a velvety, crimson curtain that wraps around both sides of the stage. The room is brought to a hush as people begin to take their seats. The end of the café music signals the beginning of Coffee House.
Coffee House is a biannual open mic fundraiser that features student performers who sing, dance, recite poetry, or play an instrument. The show highlights the talents of students who perform in mainstage productions throughout the school year, along with students who aren’t a part of Theatre South but have a passion for performing. As a fundraiser, the show raises money for Theatre South, Great Neck South’s drama program.
The biannual show traces its roots back to the ’90s, when a student named Emily Wolper attended an open-mic performance at a summer program and wanted to bring it to South High. Since then, Theatre South has hosted two shows per school year—a fall show in October and a spring show in March. Each show has 20 slots open for students to sing, dance, recite poetry, or play a musical instrument. “Most students choose either pop songs or musical theater, since we have a lot of students here who are super into musicals,” said Ms. Ilana Meredith, the drama teacher and director of Theatre South. “That’s also the cool thing about Coffee House: Students have the freedom to choose something that means a lot to them, instead of being forced to sing something that we give them.” The only requirement is to make sure that their performances are school appropriate.
Unlike Theatre South’s larger productions (such as the musical and the opera), Coffee House is hosted in the GP Room, a notably smaller space that closely resembles a black box theater. “It’s a very intimate setting,” said Ms. Meredith. “It makes you feel like you’re in a café and not just in this really big auditorium.”
The show’s cozy atmosphere allows for close-knit interactions between performers and their listeners. The audience—friends, family, teachers, and classmates—never hesitate to show their support for the performers; it’s common to hear a whoop! after a high note and claps to the beat or see illuminated phone flashlights swaying through the air.
“It’s a very pleasant atmosphere to be in,” said junior Nara Lee, who has performed for Coffee House since her sophomore year. “Each performer is so supportive of one another, which makes the event an enjoyable one for both the performers and the audience.”
After the first 10 performances, a five-minute intermission is held, where the audience and performers are free to get snacks, hot chocolate, and, of course, coffee from the provided selection. When the second set of 10 performances concludes, the Hot Lunch Improv Troupe always closes off Coffee House with their Beastie Boys Rap game. In this game, the audience chooses a word, and each member of the troupe must create a phrase that ends with something that rhymes with the chosen word. However, if a member fails to think of a word, or if they reuse a word, then they are out—and the audience can BOO them! While this game serves as a promo for the Improv Troupe’s biannual shows, it also leaves both the audience and performers in good spirits.
“Coffee House is not merely a place where we see others perform,” said Lee. “It’s a place where we create lifelong memories and enjoy the moment.”
If you’re interested in performing in Coffee House or learning more about Theatre South, feel free to join their Google Classroom (code: naw25re) for more information. They are always looking for new members.
