WILMETTE – Volunteers for the famed variety show at McKenzie Elementary School are just starting to kick into high gear as rehearsals begin for the 37th annual event, which will be performed in mid-March.
Of course, that doesn’t mean work just began on a show that entertains the entire community and is the school’s largest fund-raiser. Almost as soon as the 2016 show is a wrap, volunteers begin thinking about the next year and who will step up to direct and produce the show.
“The time commitment is huge,” said Elizabeth Belkind, who directs the show this year. But don’t take that comment as a complaint — from a mother of three who also works full time — Belkind loves volunteering for the variety show. “I think it is such a big community-building experience for parents,” Belkind said. She has participated in the show for four years after discovering it was the perfect outlet. “For a working parent it was difficult for me to get to know other people,” she said. But when Belkind joined the variety show, she found a community of friends, as well as a way to give back to the school.
Christi Harrison, who is producing the show with Jeff Goldman, couldn’t agree more. “I think the biggest thing it adds is adult relationships outside of children,” she said. While it can take years to make connections in many schools, Harrison said she thinks the variety show is a game changer. “Once I did the variety show I realized you are in. You’ve met 100 people,” she said.
Like Harrison and Belkind, Goldman finds the variety show a perfect way to meet friends. “It is a nice way to be involved in the community and be involved on a more social level,” he said. For instance, at the first cast meeting Goldman met a new parent who had just moved to Wilmette. “By the time the show is over he is going to have all these friends he didn’t have before,” Goldman remarked.
The variety show truly is unique. Instead of a traditional student talent show, this show is created, directed, produced and performed entirely by parents. On any given year, audiences are entertained by a dedicated group of volunteers who dress up in silly costumes and sing popular tunes.
That said, parents have to be willing to let their guards down a little bit. “You really have to become vulnerable to do the show,” Harrison said. While it may take some risk, in the end most parents find the experience rewarding. “It creates a warm community of acceptance. It is all about the kids and having fun,” Belkind said. “When you are backstage there is a lot of camaraderie. You are surrounded in positivity throughout the whole experience,” she added.
The process begins the previous spring when the director and producers meet with other parent volunteers to choose a theme for the show. Every year, the show has a different theme that ties together each of the 20 or so acts. The theme is a coveted secret that is revealed to the students two weeks before the performances on a school bulletin board.
While it’s too early to reveal the theme, Belkind said this year her focus is on connecting with everyone. “I wanted an all- encompassing theme that was going to resonate with the kids and the community,” she said. Most of the acts include current songs the kids will recognize, with a few golden oldies.
Once the theme is chosen, parents spend the summer writing new lyrics to popular songs. Following tradition, the show will include a teacher number, as well as a tap dancing and hip hop act. While this year marks Dr. Denise Welter’s last as school principal before she retires, Dr. Welter will still participate as she has every year. “(Dr. Welter) is a big part of it. It is a great way for her to be involved with the community,” Goldman said. He appreciates the teachers and staff who take part in the show. “The administration is very open-minded to supporting the show,” Goldman noted.
This year about 120 parents are volunteering for the production, which includes includes many roles beyond the cast such as set production, business management and a social committee. The social committee organizes events at local restaurants each week after rehearsal.
The parents put on a total of eight shows — beginning with an alumnae night where only alumnae are invited to attend the performance — and then a show each night of the week with a finale of two shows on Saturday, one that is light and sound sensitive for kids with special needs.
Every year all of the shows are sold out, with the proceeds donated to the McKenzie PTA. Organizers anticipate raising approximately $22,000. Those funds are used for field trips, speakers and other programming for students, but ultimately the variety show is much more than just a fundraiser.
“I think what is really important is that this isn’t just about fundraising, it is really about community building,” Goldman said.
The McKenzie school play director Elizabeth Belkind, center, is flanked by co-producers Christi Harrison and Jeff Goldman. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER/JWC MEDIA
The cast of the 2017 Talent Show at McKenzie Elementary School in Wilmette. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER/JWC MEDIA