As soon as the buzz of excitement and nervousness starts, it stops. The crowd goes silent as senior MC Victoria Romano makes her way to the outdoor stage. The performance is about to start.

     The second annual Miscast Cabaret was held on Wednesday, Sept. 7, outside of the auditorium. Miscast is a performance where students are able to perform songs from roles they normally wouldn’t be cast in. 

     “The original goal of Miscast was to have another performance opportunity for students to show off their skills,” Drama Club director Rachel Giles said. 

     A Miscast Cabaret is a popular performance activity to put on in many professional theater groups. Broadway is hosting their own Miscast Cabaret at the Manhattan Class Company (MCC) Theater. Professional actors and actresses come together to play parts they wouldn’t get to professionally play on stage. This allows professionals to have creative freedom. Giles wanted the students to be able to have a creative outlet. She chose to have the Drama Club host a Miscast of their own.

     “For years, students have wanted to do some sort of showcase, so we decided to make it a fundraising event where we could raise money and highlight our talented students,” Giles said. 

     There are a lot of different kinds of performance activities for students to participate in, such as the annual talent show in the spring. So, why would they need another activity? Miscast gives the students the opportunity to experience different roles and for them to step outside of their comfort zone. 

     “It’s always awesome to see what students pick to sing or how they interpret a role,” Giles said.  “This event is totally student run, so I really enjoy seeing what everyone comes up with.” 

     One of the senior performers, Mya McIntire, performed “My Petersburg” from Anastasia. She had a few things on her mind before performing. 

     “I’m a little nervous. It’s not exactly stage fright because I’ve done it so many times, but I’m not used to performing as myself in front of people,” McIntire said. 

     Miscast was a fundraising opportunity for the Drama Club. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go towards funding for this season’s shows. The Drama Club ended up raising $140.

     Aside from the money, the main goal of the Miscast Cabaret is to have a performance activity that shows off the creativity of the students.

     “I definitely think we met that goal this year,” Giles said.