Junior Upset Caps Off a SING! for the Ages

The juniors used signs to spell out “The Future Is Ours” during their alma mater. *Photo: Continental Studios*

By INÉS BARRAGÁN, ELISE BADMAEV, and BECCA GREENBERG

Shocked screams of joy resonated throughout the auditorium as the juniors officially reclaimed the SING! throne on February 11, following two back-to-back senior wins and months of demanding preparations.

“I am so beyond proud of the juniors for winning this year. They put so much time and effort into rehearsals, but they also had so much fun with it,” said Overall Commissioner Deborah Zeleny ‘23.

“There seems to be a lot of buzz around the seniors and juniors,” said Senior Commissioner Tiffany Parkhomenko. “I am personally really happy for the juniors. I really enjoyed watching their show and I thought they had a lot of creative elements and good comedic elements.”

“It felt amazing to win,” said Junior Chorus Director Madison Due. “There’s this ‘in the moment’ feeling that I experienced right after Elia [Gorelik, the school’s mayor] announced that the juniors had won and everyone was jumping up and down, smiling hard, and screaming. That type of energy is something I’ll never forget and something I hope we can achieve next year as well!”

Overall Commissioners Sabastian Senior ‘23 and Deborah Zeleny ‘23 introduce the show. *Photo: Melissa Pentangelo*

“My jaw fell to the ground and stayed there for the rest of the night,” said Cassandra Rivera, the juniors’ writing director. “I didn’t see it coming. All the grades put up a good fight. SoFresh had such a captivating plot and the seniors filled up the stage with entertaining jokes, which made this win even more valuable.”

SING!’s annual grand productions date back to 1947. Each year, the student body produces marvelous works of art with the help of its talented artists, actors, singers, musicians, stage crew members, dancers, and writers.

Each grade works tirelessly to produce a unique and creative play, which is then judged by faculty members and SING! alumni. As the oldest members of SING!, the seniors often win, but every year remains a surprise.

For this year’s 76th production, Overall Commissioners Sabastian Senior ‘23 and Zeleny chose the theme “History in the Future.”

The show started off with a bang as the Kpop Club gave an exciting performance of “Welcome” by IZ*ONE.

Next, SoFresh presented “When Apples Fall,” a play about Aimery Thorne (played by Ashley Chen ‘25, who took home the Best Actress award) who plans with her friends to steal Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity by going back in time to the year 1665. To their surprise, they encounter another group with similar aspirations.

“I loved working with everyone, being able to do a little bit of everything,” Chen said. “This experience helped me improve so much as a person. I'm forever grateful.”

SoFresh also received Best Band and Best Stage.

“Although they are considered the babies of SING!, I was so astonished by [SoFresh’s] maturity and excellent leadership,” said Senior.

SoFresh performs their alma mater. *Photo: Continental Studios*

The juniors presented “A Play for Time,” about two teens who discover a time machine in the middle of the apocalypse in the year 3001, then travel through the centuries with the hope of saving humanity. Along with their overall win, the juniors also took home Best Banner and Best Script.

“I'm so proud of my fellow co-directors and writers – Ren, Sonia, Trey, Mia, and Christina – because they were able to write past the criticism, molded the script into their own vision, and put out a message they felt was important,” said Rivera.

A crowd favorite was Eminem’s rap in the juniors’ alma mater, “Determinate” from the Disney movie Lemonade Mouth, sung by Daria Temir Bulat. Another highlight was the signs that spelled out “The Future Is Ours” while lead actress Kassidy Donald sang a heartwarming solo.

Lastly, the seniors presented “That 70s Junk,” about Daphne Becon, who tries to save her family's diner despite getting offered a million dollars to sell it. Stumbling out of a time machine/freezer, she travels to the 1970s where she meets her grandfather (the diner’s original owner) and spends a couple of days experiencing the groovy vibes of the decade.

“I was vibing with Senior SING!’s songs and excellently choreographed dances,” said Sabastian Senior. “They had such a fun theme, and the whole audience kept dancing along with them. Just watching their chemistry on stage and their goofy personalities shine through made their performance the most heartwarming.”

There were some online tensions after the show, with some seniors dissatisfied with the grading and the juniors’ acceptance speeches. But ultimately, the uneasiness dwindled.

The seniors did not leave empty-handed, however; they were awarded Best Chorus, Best Dance, and Best Props, the latter of which was accepted by art directors Imaan Malhi and Wendy Wei.

Senior Waldo Dilone portrays singer Elton John at a 1970s drive-in concert. *Photo: Michael Onysko*

“I just want to shout out my art crew,” said Tiffany Park, one of the senior commissioners. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people. They consistently showed up to every Saturday rehearsal and were always productive. Their hard work paid off."

The seniors’ singing and dance teams were undeniably among the crowd’s favorites. Frantz Hector Adule and Paola Valentin accepted the award for best singers. Valentin’s rendition of “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez brought the crowd into a state of euphoria, and Adule provided lead vocals in the seniors’ alma mater.

“Winning best singer with Hector was absolutely insane to me,” said Valentin. “Hector is one of the best singers I've ever heard in my life, so the fact that people thought I was good enough to be up there with him meant so much to me.”

Due to the decline in Covid-19 cases, this year’s production followed the pre-pandemic calendar and did not see any precautionary policies. The schedule shift posed a challenge for the performers, as they had less time to prepare than last year.

“Being students, homework, and extracurriculars would often get in the way and sometimes we'd have to push back deadlines,” said Junior Writing Director Ren Dzyuba.

Miscommunication between groups was also a challenge due to the limited rehearsals. “It was at times difficult communicating with other groups due to our rehearsal days,” said Due. “We also missed a bunch of practices due to breaks and other fests occurring at the school. Let’s just say that the journey was hard but well worth it.”

The crowd seemed to think so too. “It was great to see how well a production was put on in such a short time span,” said audience member Dasha Gornyachek ‘24. “Each group only had three hours a week to practice, which meant that they had to spend so much time outside of school memorizing their lines and musical numbers.”

“The juniors winning was well deserved,” she thought. “The plot was great and even tied into this time period. The overall message really showed the importance of today’s actions leading to consequences. It would’ve been nice for the seniors to win their last SING! in the school, but regardless, everyone should be proud of all their hard work.”

“I was bawling my eyes out at the end of the Saturday night performances because we just couldn’t believe it was over,” said Zeleny. “SING! has become a home for so many people at Midwood, and I’m so proud to become one of the thousands of people to say ‘I did SING! at Midwood.’”