Students congregate in the auditorium after taking final exams. Some warm up their voices while circled around the piano, and others, attempting to stand completely still, perfect their poses for the “mannequin challenge.” Solo and small groups of performers then take the stage to rehearse various acts, including dances and songs.

These students performed in the After Prom Dinner and a Show fundraiser on Friday, November 18th at Revere High School. Guests ate dinner in the cafeteria before viewing the show in the auditorium. Old Carolina Barbeque served barbequed pork and chicken, sides, dessert and drinks for dinner, and students from all four Revere buildings performed at the event. Eight emcees, two from each high school grade level, introduced the many performing acts. The emcees included seniors Jake Kahoe and Emily Brock, juniors Angie Mills and Conor Head, sophomores Margaux Miller and Josh Devora, and freshmen William Marchetta and Jess Raimondo. The crew and lightin team consisted of Lexi Abou-Ghalioum, Ana Hair, Matt Lerner, Nate Mullaly, Susie Post, Charlie Wise, Tyler Zimmerman, and Jacob Zimmerman. The student entertainment acts included the Energy Talent Commitment (ETC) show choir, a magician and various types of musicians and dancers. The fundraiser also incorporated a fashion show of models displaying formal attire from Prom Girl and American Commodore Tuxedo Company. The funds raised by the Dinner and a Show event will benefit the seniors’ After Prom.

This year was the After Prom Dinner and a Show fundraiser’s first year. Bunny Oldham, a Revere parent and event coordinator, saw similar fundraisers at other schools and wanted to debut the concept at Revere since last year. Oldham described a switch in fundraising methods that she hopes will increase the efficiency of the fundraising.

“Instead of doing a whole bunch of small fundraisers throughout the year, we thought we could do one big event and make enough for one or two years,” Oldham said.

As the parent of a former senior at Revere, Oldham acknowledges the accumulating costs associated with the prom and After Prom festivities. Oldham indicated that the After Prom fundraiser will lower the price of After Prom and explained the benefit that the fundraiser will provide.

“[The fundraiser] will pay for the After Prom in terms of all the food, for the location, and for prizes. We won’t have to depend so much on asking the parents for more donations because obviously, prom is already expensive,” Oldham said.

Oldham described why she chose to do a fundraiser of this type. She also explained how the After Prom Dinner and a Show fundraiser gave students a chance to showcase hidden talents.

“I think that there is a lot of talent within Revere — and not all necessarily things that people know about because some of these groups, some of these dancers, and some of these musicians actually do things outside of school,” Oldham said.

Oldham noted that Revere has both older, experienced performers and younger, newer performers. She stated that the After Prom fundraiser provided younger students with an opportunity to gain experience as well as learn from the seasoned performers.

“There will be some Revere Players that are going to sing as well — some students who are used to being on stage, but we thought that this would be a good community event to have some of the younger kids come and see some of the older kids perform and [to give] some of the younger kids a chance to be on the stage,” Oldham said.

Senior Kathryn Mason, one of the twenty models, heard about the modeling opportunity and the fundraiser from a friend. Despite not knowing if she would enjoy modeling or not, Mason decided to participate in her first fashion show. Mason modeled one of the twenty prom dresses during the fashion show portion of the fundraiser. She described the Dinner and a Show fundraiser’s appeal to the Revere community.

“People like food, and I think people like supporting the school,” Mason said.

Freshman Lilly Oldham performed with the ETC show choir at the event. Although the After Prom Dinner and a Show event marked her first performance in a Revere fundraiser, she has gained experience as a performer through seven years of singing with the ETC show choir. Oldham described her experience performing with the show choir.

“I love it. We’re with all of our friends. It’s a lot of fun to be on stage with everyone and let out our energy,” she said.

Oldham expressed her appreciation for the other talented performers in the show and elaborated on her favorite parts of the show, including other singing acts.

“We had a lot of really amazing soloists this year, so the crowd always seems to love them. They’re . . . belting out amazing notes,” she said.

Oldham elaborated on the talent found at Revere. She noted that some people have not fully discovered their own talent.

“I know a lot of people at Revere like to sing and dance with Players. . . . I think a lot of people at Revere have a lot of talent that they don’t realize,” she said.

A variety of performers and models, some experienced and some new, received the chance to show off their talents at Revere’s After Prom Dinner and a Show fundraiser. The debut of the fundraiser showcased the plethora of talents at Revere while simultaneously raising funds to support After Prom for the senior class.