EMU hosted its second annual Cabaret on Dec. 4, providing both students and faculty an evening to share their artistic talent on stage, be it singing, songwriting, spoken word, or skill of a musical instrument. The event, co-hosted by CAC, BSA, and the theater department, attracted a number of enthusiastic and supportive attendees and even gifted to each one a complimentary drink courtesy of Common Grounds.
In the wake of socially-distanced and masked performances, the opportunity to be on stage, albeit in an informal manner, was meaningful to participants. Long-time theater participant and senior Elizabeth Eby noted that she “didn’t think it would be as big of a deal to lose performances because of Covid” and that, as she approaches graduation, “It’s fun to be able to [be on stage] at least a few more times.” Eby performed a monologue from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as well as Kermit the Frog’s most famous song (and Eby’s favorite song) “The Rainbow Connection,” complete with singing puppets.
For other participants, Cabaret provided an outlet to share pieces that have become meaningful to them in the past few months. Junior Molly Piwonka showcased a ukulele-accompanied performance of “Blackbird,” originally sung by The Beatles, and said of her song choice, “It’s a song that has stuck with me for a while, especially […] with Covid and all of the emotions that have come up during this […] time period […] It’s just meant a lot to me this semester.”
Junior Anna Hoover shared that while she has performed on EMU’s stage many times in the past, she was nervous for Cabaret. “Normally I don’t get stage fright singing like this […] I usually have months and months of rehearsal and [Cabaret] was more thrown together, but it was still really fun!” When asked what inspired Hoover to sing “She Used to be Mine” from the hit musical “Waitress,” Hoover admitted, “I’m trying to convince Justin [Poole] to choose [Waitress] as [EMU’s] next musical […] It’s on the list of potentials and one I’m really pushing for and really love […] It’s one of my favorites.”
Regardless of what brought performers to EMU’s Black Box theater on Saturday night, the support and excitement of the audience upon seeing their peers on stage was apparent. EMU’s Cabaret offered a chance to enjoy drinks, talent, and, perhaps most importantly, one another’s company.
