Dinner and a show

Bringing local residents dinner and a show has been a fall tradition for Shawano Community High School’s music programs for many years.

The tradition continues next weekend as the annual Dinner Dance Revue returns to the high school auditorium with familiar tunes performed by the school’s jazz band and the Showstoppers show choir. The directors for the groups, Christopher and Jonathon Kent, respectively, believe the show gives the students a chance to go above and beyond regular school concerts and see how performers work in the real world.

“We want to put them in as professional an environment as possible,” Christopher Kent said. “My kids are playing 12 tunes. In the real world, that’s almost two sets in a three- or four-hour gig.”

The Showstoppers will perform a medley of songs from “Jersey Boys,” not only singing but also performing choreographed group dances, with the jazz band providing musical accompaniment. The choir will also perform, among other things, a number of songs made famous by Kool and the Gang, including “Celebration,” and the girls in the group will perform Taylor Swift’s “Red.”

The jazz band will perform a swing version of “Jericho,” as well as “Uptown Funk,” the love theme from “Tarzan” and several Stevie Wonder songs, along with a few big band and techno surprises.

“We try to paint with a pretty broad brush,” Jonathon Kent said. “The wide range of music is integral to the show.”

The two musical groups have been bringing the show jointly to residents since 2005, but each had its own fundraising performances for close to 25 years. The jazz band performed a spaghetti dinner show; the choir performed and served dessert.

“We did two separate shows within three weeks of each other,” Jonathon Kent said. “Then we decided to do this together.”

People who have attended the Dinner Dance in previous years will see a different show next weekend, according to Jonathon Kent.

“These groups, they dynamically change from year to year,” he said. “You don’t always have the same kids coming back. We’ve gotten pretty sophisticated with it.”

While the students are the main attraction, parent volunteers have worked behind the scenes to help ensure the show goes off without a hitch. Mary Lou Kugel started volunteering with the group two years ago, when her daughter was in the jazz band as a sophomore.

“It’s been a wonderful experience for me,” Kugel said. “Of course, I enjoy this type of stuff anyway, but I have a great group of parents who are always willing to volunteer.”

The SCHS music programs have always had strong community support, Kugel said, which encourages the programs to continually improve and bring stronger shows to the community.

“This area is known for its music and arts moreso than other communities, and there’s a great deal of talent, which I think stems from parents working with their children at a young age, getting them into music and arts,” Kugel said. “The students know it doesn’t come easy, though, and they have to practice. It’s a combination of things that brings out that talent.”

Christoper and Jonathon Kent emphasized the importance of getting tickets in advance, as none will be sold at the door. Once the high school office closes Friday, no more tickets can be purchased.

The reason for advance tickets is so the caterer, Sue Moede, knows how many meals to prepare for each night.

“People have to understand that there’s a dinner attached to this,” Christopher Kent said. “We’re not a dinner theater, so we can’t do this last minute.”