Grand Night started with just one faculty member and five students. Twenty-one years later, it has become one of the biggest weekends for music theatre students.
Grand Night XXI gave students the opportunity to display their talents and celebrate their program. This year, it flourished with more than 80 students and an hour-and-a-half-long spectacle to show it all off.
The event was a celebration for the department, a recognition of the old and an acceptance of the new. This was particularly prominent in the Friday night show, where old and new collided.
According to tradition, the cast closed out the show with the song “I Will Turn to You,” written by 2009 alum Daniel Gibson and 2010 alum Christopher Staskel. Meanwhile, a young student committed to the Class of 2017 music theater program watched from the audience.
The gala took on other meanings for the performers.
For some, it epitomized the opportunity to try something new. In the case of junior Chris McNiff, he was able to arrange a medley of “Journey to the Past” and “Out There” from the films “Anastasia” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” respectively, for his class’ performance.
Senior Sean Ronayne performed with his classmates for one of his last times on Elon’s stage. He sang “Happy Days/Get Happy” with his friend, junior Lucy Werner. Ronayne said, from a senior’s perspective, he thinks Grand Night celebrates how his class has come into its own during its time at Elon.
“It is just fun to be a senior doing this and see how far everyone I know has come and just see how the seniors’ roles in the department have shifted over time,” Ronayne said.
Members of the Class of 2016, like Lizzie Markson, had the chance to perform on stage for the Freshman Showcase, but Grand Night XXI provided the opportunity to work with upperclass peers and see what lies ahead.
“It shows us what we are working toward and affirms in us why we came to this school and this program,” Markson said. “It also gives us another opportunity to be an active part of this program and perform alongside all of our peers.”
The collective student effort that went into Grand Night was extensive. They auditioned in front of faculty, who had the final say on which numbers made the show, and then students organized when and where they would practice.
Ronayne said the senior class had to rehearse its number during College Coffee, the only available time for all of them to meet.
Grand Night has turned into a reflection of the extensive program that Catherine McNeela, professor of performing arts, built from the ground up. Ronayne said it gives the department as a whole a chance to show others what they’re passionate about.
“I think Grand Night is one of the best opportunities [music theatre students] at Elon get to really play around on stage and figure out who we are as performers,” Ronayne said. “One of the best things about this program is that they embrace how different we all are, and Grand Night is one of the best places where you can see people’s unique personalities and stage energies show.”