Performing Arts Program Determined to Entertain at Prism Concert
By: Tiphanie Rodriguez
Every year at Timber Creek High School, the performing arts department holds their annual winter showcase, which they have monikered as Prism. It has been well over ten years since the event first took place. This year, the event was set to take place as two separate shows on Saturday, December 11, 2021. There was one show that began at three o’clock in the afternoon, and one at seven o’clock in the evening. Each show was estimated to be as long as an hour and thirty minutes. Also, tickets for both shows went on sale Wednesday, December 1, at 7 PM. Purchasing a ticket as soon as possible was the best way to make sure one was able to attend. Fortunately, the price for a single ticket wasn’t expensive at all. They only cost $8 per person, with the exception of OCPS employees, who could get in for free, and young children that didn’t require a seat.
This year, the performing arts department decided to do things a little differently than previous years. Instead of holding the one big concert in the Performing Arts Center, also known as the PAC, there were multiple performances going on at the same time in different locations around the school. For example, the chorus program performed their set pieces in the PAC while some of the other programs performed in the courtyard, the Media Center, and the school gym. Audience members were welcome and expected to move around to view the different performances, but they were also more than welcome to just stay in one area if they preferred. Ms. Sarah Leaman, one of the choir directors, said, “I am excited to try a new kind of Prism, and also excited to return to in-person after last year, having to do digital things.”
Like in the other programs, students in the chorus program worked their hardest every day to prepare for the event. They practiced in and out of their choir classes to make sure that their set pieces were memorized and as close to perfect as they could get. There were even groups who came together to practice their combined performances, choirs in particular. Ms. Leaman said, “‘Vuelie’ from Frozen– that really beautiful choral piece- it’s combined with all sopranos and altos from three classes, and it’s just gonna be a really cool–cool piece with this awesome wash of sound and just like a really epic-a really epic moment. I’m excited for that one especially.” It was definitely the perfect chance for everyone to see all the different programs perform, especially if there was a specific group someone had been wanting to see.
“A lot of our students right now didn’t have a real Prism last year, and so a lot of our students haven’t actually had a real Prism,” said Ms. Leaman. Chorus president and senior at Timber Creek, Caroline Ogle, said that it was great to see how far all the students have come from last year. She said, “It’s good to see that improvement because I know last year, for everybody, it was–there was a lot of effort that was just not there.” She explained how it was difficult at the start because not everyone was used to being so present. However, the choir students were very excited about the upcoming event, and were confident that both shows would be amazing. They put in a lot of effort in rehearsals, and were mainly focused on how the audience would perceive their performances. They wanted everyone to enjoy the show, which played a large role in selecting which songs they would perform. For example, Donne Forti, Timber Creek’s advanced soprano-alto choir, sang Christmas carols throughout the school at the seven o’clock show. They hoped that the audience would enjoy hearing songs that they were familiar with, along with the unseen before performances.
Emma Johnson, who is also a choir president, said “I love choir. It’s like a family.” She added, “Everybody is really on top of their stuff, like, everybody knows what they’re doing.”
To get further in the holiday spirit, Prism is a “combined effort from all the performing arts at Timber Creek where we get to bring together band, chorus, dance, orchestra and theatre to put on a spectacular holiday show for our community,” said Leaman. It can honestly be said that it was the most musical event of the season. Music and magic were in the air, so being there might’ve just been the perfect plan for a weekend wonderland.