Once again, EMU has hosted what is referred to as the Cabaret, where students can come together to share with one another their works of song, art, and literature. The Cabaret is almost like a sort of talent show, with a variety of different acts that are performed by talented individuals from EMU (and sometimes the surrounding community.)
The show kicked off with a stunning rendition of “A Boy Named Sue” by Johnny Cash. It was performed by alumnus Andrew Stoltzfus along with current students Brad Kirkdorfer and Joseph Harder. Andrew singing along to the narrative driven song was a soothing presence that contrasted nicely with the loud guitars from Brad and Joseph. The two of them would also stick around for a little bit later in the show to perform some songs that the two of them had written themselves. Their original song, “The Beggar,” amongst others, is a hard rock song about true stories and seeing their reflections within others.
Speaking of music, there were a couple other students who performed with their own music. Senior Molly Piwonka performed a very moving song known as “Blending Colors.” She wrote it in response to the overturning of the famous court case Roe v. Wade which occurred this past summer. This major political event sparked a lot of controversy within the nation, and Molly chose to express this through a truly impactful song. An alumnus by the name of Liz Marin, who graduated in 2020, also performed part of her rap musical that she wrote while at EMU. Two songs from the musical, known as “Discovery and Twinkle” and “Clouds vs. Sunshine” had fast paced lyrics and deep messages. Liz and Andrew Stoltzfus would also go on to sing “A Million Dreams” from the movie The Greatest Showman together later in the show.
Many students chose to perform poetry or other pieces of literature. Junior Hannah Landis performed a monologue about a 7-Eleven employee, a thieving youngster, and the general powerlessness from both sides of the encounter that she described. Also, community and Crucible cast member Eileen Hernon performed a truly unique poem about the Comic Sans font and why it wasn’t as bad as everyone says it is. With its drama, humor, intrigue, and a plethora of “colorful language” this performance gives a brand new perspective on a normally overlooked font.
After this, the hosts opened up the stage to do an open mic, where anyone could perform something, even if they didn’t sign up for it. This included a cover of “Aaron Burr” from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” performed by Nicholas Murch, a rendition of ABBA’s “Don’t Go Wasting Your Emotions” performed by Greta Schrag and Anna Hoover, a father-son duet with Joshua Stucky and his father, and an open-verse poem about middle school by Mikayla Pettus. The night was then concluded with the song “Mennonite Boys,” performed by Joshua Stucky, Naomi Kratzer, and others. This song has often been fondly referred to as “EMU’s theme song,” so it felt fitting that the night was wrapped up with a song that means a lot to our school.
