Our own Santiago Advanced Theatre Department put on their first show of the year from October 25 to 27 – the fifth annual Santiago Night Live. What’s special about this show is that no script is provided – the Advanced Theatre students are responsible for writing the entire show. They write, choreograph, and produce the entire show themselves on an impressively low budget.

This low-budget production not only serves as a fundraiser to accumulate a reserve for the upcoming major productions with typically grand sets, props, and costumes but also an introductory show to acquaint the loyal audience of the theatre shows with the new cast for the season. The viewers can see the actors and actresses in a relaxed and friendly show where they can naturally portray characters and situations that were developed by themselves and their peers.

This show, while often less extravagant than the upcoming productions, never fails to make a personal connection with the audience. Both the audience and performers get to feel more at ease with comedic skits that reference pop culture and relatable high school happenings. The personalities of the performers and, now, officially, writers, brightly shone through their creative concepts for the show, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the multiple choreographed musical numbers, as well as skits where they watched a high school-themed game show, met a family who conversed in lyrics, found themselves immersed in spooky Halloween vibes with numerous seasonal bits, and witnessed a demonstration of how much props make a difference in an identical conversation onstage. All of these components were performed with smartly implemented props and simple, yet fitting, costumes in order to emphasize the focus on the scenes the Advanced Theatre students penned themselves, which consistently provoked laughs.

After the truly all-around enjoyment, the audience saw with this production, one can only wait to see what these talented Sharks will achieve throughout their performances for the rest of the year!