Students Showcase Talents at Annual Open Mic Night

The annual Open Mic Night, hosted by the Student Council (StuCo), reeled in a large crowd on Saturday evening in Agora. Lasting from 9 p.m. to 10:45 p.m., the event featured more than twenty student performances, ranging from music to slam poetry.

Audience members and performers alike enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the event. Many audience members came with friends and appreciated the opportunity to simply unwind, sit back and listen to their peers’ works.

Performers felt that the less formal setting of Agora alleviated the pressures of performing in front of a large audience. Senior Kyle Xia, who sang “Live High” by Jason Mraz, remarked that “[performing] felt pretty natural. It [was] quite an informal atmosphere and [was] not really intimidating.”

Many also noted that the audience was supportive and encouraging, which made performing easier and more fun. Lower Maria Heeter, who kicked off the night with her own original slam poetry piece, said, “I loved that when my name was announced, everyone shouted and whistled. That moment, plus the applause at the end, made my night. The audience was very supportive during my piece. There were lots of snaps and shouts and no interruptions or talking.”

Music department chair Peter Schultz, who attended the event, also praised the audience’s enthusiasm. At the event, students came together and cheered on all their peers, regardless of their level of acquaintance and despite the technical difficulties.

“The thing that impressed me the most was that the environment was supportive and that the performers felt comfortable performing for their friends. The spirit was amazing,” Schultz said.

Many were thrill by the diversity of talent amongst the student body. As StuCo Recreational (Rec) Committee head and senior Lucy Weiler described, “Open Mic Night allows everyone to see people’s talents and creativity they may not have been able to see otherwise.”

Schultz echoed Weiler’s comments, describing how pleasantly surprised he was by the students’ dedication and levels of talent. “I was really impressed by the quality and variety of the performances,” Schultz said. “Almost all of them were well prepared and done with great commitment and emotion.”

While many thought that the event was a major success overall, a few complaints were raised. Some performers mentioned that there were several technical issues throughout the night. Xia said that the sound system was “poorly managed” and equipment such as the microphones often malfunctioned.

Furthermore, while performers were supposed to sign up with StuCo before the event, many people requested to perform at the night of the event, causing a lot of disorganization to the point that some who wanted to perform were unable to. “We needed people to sign up in advance so that we could make sure everyone who wants to go has the opportunity. Sign-ups the night of make that very difficult,” Weiler said.

Some students commented that there was a lot of chatter in and out of Agora during a few performances, which was both disrespectful and distracting to the performers and audience members. Upper Zea Eanet said, “Some people were being rude and talking all the time.” Xia expressed a similar concern, saying that the audience was “pretty rowdy.”

However, several people also argued that the noise was inevitable in such a social setting like Agora. “I don’t think there’s really much you can do about people talking in that sort of setting. It’s going to happen and you just have to deal with it,” lower Katherine Parker said.

Overall, the event provided just what the students needed: a fun, relaxing Saturday night. StuCo was very happy with the turnout. Music, readings, chatter, cheering and snapping poured out of Agora all night long. “This event was a great way to kick off our list of scheduled events this year, with so many people wanting to get involved,” StuCo Rec committee head and upper Jena Yun said.