The lights dim, the curtain rises, an expectant audience waits, and a spotlight falls as the hosts of the Dublin High School talent show step onto stage. The members of Improv the Nation hosted the talent show with their usual humor and charm. In addition to hosting, Improv the Nation kept the audience entertained between acts with various comedic activities that demanded audience participation.

Of course, the real stars of the show were the talented students of Dublin High School, who worked tirelessly to pass auditions and prepare for their performance in the show. Annika Hernandez, who performed an Ed Sheeran medley with Alexandra and Nadine Fangonil, mentioned before the show that although “the idea of performing in front of people makes [her] nervous”, she was “excited for participating in this program.” Fellow performers mentioned similar emotions before the show, expressing that although they were filled with nerves they were excited to have a place within the show. Their nerves were unwarranted given that the performances managed to keep the audience entertained from the very first act to the last. The talent show presented a wide variety of acts including original songs, dance, comedy, magic, and even martial arts.

Judging the student’s performances was an array of judges, pictured at the bottom.When asked what he was looking for in the acts, Mr. Kleinow, an English teacher at Dublin High, seriously remarked, “I’m hoping the performances have a really good point to them, supported by strong evidence, and of course astounding commentary. It’s what’s really going to draw in the high scores from me at least.”

During the fifteen minute intermission one of the parents in the audience mentioned that she was “simply blown away for all the talent DHS had to offer” and that though she walked in with low expectations, she was definitely “walking away impressed.” Sydney Price, an audience member, declared that the “talent show was a huge hit” and that she was “blown away by all of the talent.” When asked who she believed would win, Sydney explained that she was there in support of her neighbor Asia Posey and was hoping she would win.  

Madame Jacob-Bohart, one of Dublin High’s French teachers, remarked that she always felt “guilty after the show because [she] doesn’t know all of [her] students secret talents” and the the show reminds her that she “needs to take the time to have personal conversations with [her] students” even though she was limited in the time she spent with them.
After the intermission and the second set of acts two-time talent show winner Noah Mac stepped onto stage to deliver a guest performance. Noah performed an original song, that he not only wrote himself, but also produced and recorded himself. Noah’s passionate performance was the perfect end to the show.

Regardless of the wonderful talents presented by all performers, there could be only one winner at the end of the night. After recognizing the organizers beyond the show, and all those who supported the show, Madeline Nobida and Racheal and Jessaca Matheny were announced to have tied for second place. The Matheny sisters presented an Irish dance, and Madeline performed a dance to a mashup of several songs.

Finally, the moment that everyone was waiting for arrived, Noah Mac took a glance at his note card and announced the first place winner of the 2017 Dublin High School talent show to be – La La Land? Soon after, Noah corrected himself and announced the actual winner to be Asia Posey who performed Beyoncé’s “Listen.”

The winners of the talent show were then joined on stage by all of their fellow performers for a final bow.

Kaushikee Nayudu

After the show, the Dublin Shield reached out to Asia Posey to answer a few questions about her performance and win:

How did you prepare for your performance, and what made you settle on this song? Practice, practice, practice, right? And I was actually planning on doing a different song at first, but then my mother was like why don’t you do this one, and I love my mother, and I trust her decisions. So I decided to do “Listen” over “A Million Reasons” because I felt it would be more uplifting, and showcase my voice more.

How did you feel before your performance? Nervous? Excited? I was actually really excited. This is the first time I’ve performed in California since I moved here this June from Texas.

Were you expecting to win? Well, I was expecting to win something. I actually didn’t know it was a competition until yesterday. So, whoo yay for me!

So, how are you going to celebrate? I am going to sleep because I am tired.

Congratulations to all the winners of the talent show, and to all the performers for their dedication and hard work.

Though not without its hiccups, the talent show was ultimately a fun, and enjoyable end to a stressful quarter. At the end of the day, the talent show was a fun, enjoyable way for the participants to showcase their talents and for the audience to destress and be entertained. Again, thanks to all the performers, the judges, and thanks to all others who worked behind the scene, including Ms. Beck, Mr. Frazier, Mr. Evans, and the talent show committee. the 2017 Talent Show was a fantastic night.