ZCHS Performing Arts Takes the Stage this Holiday Season

November 2018

Writer // Janelle Morrison

Photography // Roger Manning, and Courtesy of Zionsville Show Choirs, Inc.

Kicking off the 2018 holiday season, the Zionsville Community High School (ZCHS) Performing Arts department and Zionsville Show Choirs are taking center stage throughout the holiday season to entertain their community and to raise awareness and support for the high school’s performing arts.

MAMMA MIA! 

November 15-17 at the Zionsville Performing Arts Center

ZCHS proudly presents “Mamma Mia!” this November. After a jaw dropping, tear jerking production of “Les Miserables” last fall, audiences can expect to be wowed and entertained once again by the students of ZCHS performing arts department.

“We chose ‘Mamma Mia’ because it added so much versatility for the amount of talent that is at the school,” Anne Beck, co-director said. “There’s an incredible amount of dance talent and a lot of upbeat choreography-driven movement in the show. There are many seniors this year that have also been in the Songbook Academy and we have amazing vocalists here. There was a huge pool of talent to choose from. The amount of kids at this school that can handle a principle role is quite large right now. So this musical is able to feature them in great ways. It is a perfect year to feature the amount of talent that’s here.”

Co-directing with Beck is MaryJayne (MJ) Waddell. Waddell’s career highlights include starring in the North American Tour of “Mamma Mia!” as Donna Sheridan.

“When I saw ZCHS’s production of “Les Mis” last year I was completely flabbergasted,” Waddell exclaimed. “If you closed your eyes you didn’t know that you were at a high school production. I was so impressed with the talent level at ZCHS. These kids are so talented and directable and they want to keep getting better. It is so rewarding and fulfilling. It has also been a lot of fun co-directing with Anne. It’s a like a dream job.”

For more information and more information, visit zvilleperformingarts.org. Shows are November 15, 16 & 17 at 7 PM and November 17 at 2 PM.

Carol of Homes Holiday Home Tour 

Saturday, December 1, 2018 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 

This year’s Carol of Homes Holiday Home Tour will feature six decorated homes in Zionsville and Zionsville Show Choirs, Inc. students who will be performing their favorite holiday songs. All proceeds benefit the Zionsville Show Choirs as they prepare the competition season.

“Zionsville Show Choirs, Inc. is a nonprofit that functions to raise funds and support the show choirs,” Ann Soards, fundraising co-chair for Zionsville Show Choirs, explained. “The Holiday Home Tour is one of our main fundraising events that we do to offset the costs of what families have to pay for their children to participate. This is our seventh year for the Holiday Home Tour and the participating homes on the tour are absolutely gorgeous. There are no requirements for the homeowners that we ask or have volunteered to be part of the tour. The homeowners are amazing and very generous to open their homes.”

Soards shared that the students sold over 1,100 tickets last year and have been actively selling tickets for this year’s Carol of Homes Holiday Home Tour since late October. A few local businesses are also selling tickets and supporting through sponsorships such as FiveThirty Home who is the title sponsor this year. 

Soards and her co-chair, Barb Thorp, received requests from homeowners to be a part of this year’s home tour which is a testament to the level of support that the Zionsville community gives to the ZCS arts programs. “Some of the homeowners are show choir parents and some are members of the community that really just want to support the show choirs,” Soards said. “Some have been opened their homes and have been a part of this tour more than once.”

Aaron Coates is one of two directors for the Zionsville Show Choirs. Coates shared his appreciation for the community’s support of the show choirs.

“We have a budget that is probably more extensive than people probably realize for the 118 students involved,” he shared. “We spend approximately $1500 per student. This fundraiser has grown into one of the primary funding sources for the activities and competitions that we do. This is a main pillar to prop everything up.”

Coates concluded, “This is my twentieth year at ZCHS and in all those years, I have always been struck by the fact that we are community of hosts and hostesses.  There is a culture here that is used to welcoming people into their homes and the Carol of homes has become an extension of that. It is really an imposition that people seem to be willing to endure on behalf of the show choirs which is just great. It [Carol of Homes] is a win for our budget but it is also a win for the students involved because they are given an opportunity to interact with the community in no-pressure and fun way. They get to present their own musical skills and talent in front of the public.”

For more information and ticket locations for the Carol of Homes Holiday Home Tour, visit holidayhometour.net.