What was supposed to be an end of the year event turned into an online extravaganza for the Alameda High School (AHS) drama department. On May 22, the drama department livestreamed The Living Room Cabaret. The event was a variety-talent show hybrid, featuring talented actors and singers from AHS. More than 250 people tuned in for the live event and, as of May 23, the show had more than 520 views.

A significant amount of work went into planning the night.

“A huge challenge was editing multiple videos together for group songs,” said Megan McKinley, AHS drama director. “Right now there are not any video-conferencing apps that enable groups of people to sing together without an audio delay, so in order to do ensemble numbers, you must record each student individually and then put the videos together in post production.”

The hard work and dedication of the students was apparent throughout the 26 acts. The night began with an amazing cover of “Only Us” from Dear Evan Hansen, sung by Mia Bazo and Dennis Mullen. There were some great performances from Addy Chaney, who sang “See I’m Smiling” from The Last Five Years, as well as Molly Cha, who sang “One Perfect Moment” from Bring It On: The Musical. Chaney’s and Cha’s high notes were beyond breathtaking.

The night included some laughter as well. One performance that definitely got me laughing was the male ensemble’s rendition of “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan. You could really see the joy and energy coming through in their performance.

Julian Hensley had a very moving cover of “This is the Moment” from Jekyll and Hyde. He said he picked the song because it’s a reminder of how he has grown the past few years. 

Being more on the shy side, performing came into his life and opened him up into a whole new aspect of himself. Hensley belting his song into a water bottle added some levity.

However, one of the most comical and blow-out performances of the night would have to be the Saturday Night Live-esque “Zoom Call” by the Drama 3 class. Lucas Johnson and Kylee Kelley are amazing acting talents who really brought the struggle of zoom calls alive. 

“Overall, it was a crazy process, but it was amazing to see an audience and the students come together in a virtual theater setting and live chat in real time together during the show,” said McKinely. “It does not replace being able to be together physically, but it showed the amazing talent our students have. I could not be more proud of them.”