2018 Writers’ Showcase was a night full of hilarity, emotion and dozens of ETHS and pop culture references.

     Junior Olivia Nicholson and senior Sam Bailey opened the night with an amusing musical piece; it was just the start of many more jokes to come.

     There were a few pieces mixed into the comedy-based show that spotlighted the drudge of school and the emotional struggles teens go through. It brought the show back down to earth with the skits shifting between light-hearted comedy to hard-hitting, thought-provoking pieces.  It was a rush of many different emotions for me, personally, and others in the audience.

     Chloe Harris performed an impactful piece called “The Things I Carry” written by Emma Estberg which focused on the perspective of one struggling from cancer and its effects on the mind and body.  The audience was captivated by the sadness, truth, and raw emotion Harris captured in her performance.

Harris was also in some of the comical skits, and it takes skill to be able to change between roles that are nearly complete opposites.

     On the lighter side of things, there were many references to ETHS rumors and myths. Hannah Schoen’s outgoing personality made her performance of “Teachers of the Night” by Kathryn Campbell even funnier when she explained her thoughts on where teachers go at night.

     Matt Hunt and Charlie Fies were a memorable combination. They each tried their luck with clever attempts of wooing girls which didn’t always end up the way they had hoped.

The scenes Hunt and Fies were in were my personal favorite. They seemed to have a chemistry that really helped their performances. With Hunt being the larger of the two, it added to the already funny jokes because of their size difference. In “Hues” written by Mobolatan Henry, Hunt and Fies used that to their advantage, and it had the theater bubbling with amusement.

    Abby Osterlund’s “Feeble Bottle” brought heavy-hitting emotion to the table when Olive Cantor talks about alcoholism and how it impacts people and the lives of those around them. The seriousness of this skit shows how even though the people writing and performing are young, they are still mature enough to understand the potential effects of addiction.

   The show had a great balance of comical skits and tear-jerking monologues that kept the audience wondering what was next. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire night.

All of the pieces performed were student written and performed. It just goes to show how creativity has no limits when you’re passionate about what you do and how you do it.  The energetic and skilled personalities of all the performers made it easy for them to keep the audience entertained.

  Boisterous applause and cheering came from the tightly packed Little Theater, signs that showed a successful and joyous night for everyone participating and watching. What one of the most impressive things these actors and actresses can do is memorize entire scripts and remember all their cues. That was deserving of a round of applause by itself.

For only five dollars, it’s a night I won’t forget. There’s just something about seeing people you know on stage making you laugh that makes you feel happy for them and proud of what they do.

    I was blown away by the talent of my fellow students. If you want a lot of jokes from brilliant actors and actresses in a quick show, this was the one to go to. I was impressed with all the actors and actresses being able to shift their roles from scene to scene even when the mood was changing so drastically.