Scenes, songs and orchestra pieces are just a few of what Green Hope High School had to offer at the Cabaret Night on Feb. 28. This event highlighted the fine arts programs at Green Hope. The Green Hope Theater Company kicked off the night with an encore of their award winning play “Anon(ymous).” “Anon(ymous)” is a play by Naimi Lizuka, and is a modern retelling of “The Odyssey” by Homer. The play tells the story of “Anon(ymous),” a young refugee and his journey in the United States. This was the last in-school performance of “Anon(ymous)” before they head off for their trip to nationals in March.
After the 45 minute show, an intermission followed that lasted around 15 minutes. During it, attendees were able to view the artwork that the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) created. The work of 28 student artists were put on display for the people in attendance to see, ranging from 3D sculptures to canvas paintings.
In an interview with the GH Falcon, NAHS President Maria Malgivecha (‘25) shared why the team decided to have the gallery. “It was a way to display the art that students make if they otherwise don’t get these opportunities,” she said. “We truly wanted people to see the vast amount of creativity and skill that we have.”
After the intermission, participants were invited back into the auditorium, where a wide range of performances from students across various disciplines were held.
“Tshotsholoza,” sung by Green Hope’s Voices of Hope, kicked off the post intermission performances. The song originated in Zimbabwe and was traditionally sung by migrant workers. This song highlighted the work that they did in the mines, where they were exploited. Even for its tragic background, it is now viewed as a song of hope and one that shows support for those who struggle.
It later became a song of protest and resistance seen when Nelson Mandela and his fellow prisoners sang the song throughout their prison sentence. The song was also part of the soundtrack of the 2009 Oscar nominated film “Invictus.” “Invictus” is a biographical sports film that covered South Africa’s role in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. In this movie, the song served as a slogan for hope and resistance.
After the Voices of Hope’s song, three students used violins to perform a popular K-pop song titled “Day 1.” Created by South Korean producer Hwang-Hyun (MonoTree) and performed by Red Velvet, it was released back in 2017 in their album entitled “The Red Summer.” Violin I Aronelle Chu (’28), Violin II Chelsea Xu (’28) and Violin III Amelia Wang (’28) played this song at Green Hope.
The song is one that is highly upbeat with a bright pop and tropical feel. Performing this song using a violin comes with some unique challenges, as it consists of a fast tempo. The ease that Chu, Xu and Wang speak to the skill that these violinists have.
Once the violinists finished performing their piece, INSAAN, a student led band at Green Hope, performed their rendition of “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic. The band decided to perform this song as “the song is about taking risks which they thought fit the theater’s upcoming journey to nationals,” lead singer Anam Siddiqi (’25) said. Siddiqi expressed how the band felt about the performance. “We knew that there were things that we wanted to do differently,” she said. “But overall, we’re extremely happy about the audience interaction and feedback we received.”
Concluding the group acts, the program shifted to solo performances. Danielle Sanchez (’26) sang “No One Else,” from the play, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.” The play follows the story of Natasha Rostova, a young woman experiencing love and heartbreak during the 1800s in Russia.
Brody Lyons (’25) also sang a song called, “Her Voice,” from the Broadway adaptation of “The Little Mermaid.” “Her Voice” is sung by Prince Eric (Sean Palmer), where he sings about his longings for Ariel. Lyons performed this highly emotional song, while communicating the themes of it.
Nic Andersen (’25) sang “Moments in the Woods,” from the musical “Into the Woods.” The musical occurs when a baker’s wife finds herself in a brief affair with the prince from “Cinderella.” The baker’s wife realizes that after the affair, it will be something that sticks with her for the rest of her life. An unrepeatable instance, but yet, it won’t change the course of her life. Andersen was able to communicate to the audience these ideas because of her singing.
Concluding the solo performances, the program shifted back to duos, featuring snippets from various songs and stage plays.
Zoë Phillips (’25) and Abigail “AJ” Bronstein (’25) performed a scene from the play “Between Mars and Me.” The play focuses on the complex relationship between the two main characters, and the events following the 9/11 terrorist attack.
The main character, played by Bronstein, withdraws into their apartment and in order to cope with this trauma believes that the outside world was ravaged by an alien invasion. The main character’s younger sister (Phillips) tries to help the main character heal, however they remain separated. Just as the title implies, there is a distant relationship between these two characters.
Following the monologue, Brian Pollard (’26) and Drew Nicholas (’25) gave the audience a sneak peak to the upcoming spring play “The Spongebob Squarepants Musical.” Spongebob Squarepants (Pollard) and Patrick Starfish (Nicholas) sang the hit song “BFF” from the musical. In “BFF,” the themes of unbreakable friendship, loyalty and support were present, further exemplifying what it means to be best friends forever.
Green Hope’s Cabaret Night showcased the various arts at Green Hope. It allowed student artists to share their work with teachers, faculty, parents, administrators and friends. Those who attended were also able to see the final showing of Anon(ymous) before it goes to nationals, as well as violinists performing a music piece. Actors performing scenes and various students singing songs that they have worked so hard on.
