On Saturday, February 20, 2016, Huzzah, ISW’s student-run production company, elected our first President, Rebecca Balcom. We share with you the speech she delivered. It outlines Becca’s vision for our new organization and is an outstanding example of everything ISW believes about progressive education.
Fellow students and adults, I’m so glad to be able to share with you today my credentials and my vision for our Huzzah Theater Board. I am Becca Balcom, a junior in high school, and I would like to become president, but will very willingly play any role in this group. I’m a 17 year old who was lucky enough to find my passion for performing at the young age of three, so I’ve been able to gain a lot of experience since then. I have strong leadership skills, honed by my experience in assisting directors, working as a choreographer and teacher, and taking a very active role in my school’s student council. I have gratefully gleaned years of information and received so much from this wonderful community to eternally appreciate. It is time for me to stop looking into my past and turn towards the future, to giving back to a community, and a world, that has given so much to me.
My vision for Huzzah transcends just the group of us sitting here. I desire to begin the laying down of a legacy that will last for years to come, through various forms of outreach. There is the traditional community theater outreach we all know; I’d love to do as many plays and musicals as we can so everyone in our community can participate! In specific projects, I’m particularly interested in honoring our community with such productions as a musical review of Shenandoah, or something that relates to our history and local area.
Once we have these shows together, comes my next level of outreach. Rather than waiting for our audience to come to us, we could come to them! Utilizing our multitude of connections in the area and our skills of communication we could get venues to perform at like a performing theater troupe–whether the venue be a real theater or a school or an old folks’ home! Coming to those who may not be able to come to us will open their eyes to the world of theater and inspire them to become a part of it, perhaps even to become a part of Huzzah itself in the future. As we develop, we could potentially begin to host free or low cost classes in our areas of expertise to give the next generation of performers an extra boost!
My plan of outreach stretches to even another level, one that many of us here today are familiar with–social media. Huzzah Theater Board is one of, if not the only non-college student run theater companies. This makes us special- we are trendsetters, innovators. Through the use of Youtube and a website, we would be able reach out even further than our connections can go to enthrall and inspire even individuals we have never even met! This new form of communication to the world could be used to showcase each of our individual skills and talents–whether videos of original skits, performances of songs, or conversation-starting articles about individual passions. This would be a place that ensures that each and every one of us could shine.
Now I am aware that all of this is a large task to take on. The idea of putting on performances in not just one venue but throughout our area, teaching and inspiring young performers, and tackling the world of social media may seem daunting. But we are the leaders in all of this; we are the very first, and we need to make it count. I certainly do not expect all of this to happen at once or even while I am still a local member of Huzzah. But my desire, as I stated at the beginning of my speech, is to begin a legacy that lasts beyond me and that lasts in each and every one of you, and every one you know. For why should we be called “Huzzah!” if we are not something to be triumphant about? Together, I believe we can build a strong group, and a legacy that lasts a lifetime. I hope you will choose me wherever you think my ideas could be best put to use. Thank you.
Huzzah’s membership includes 15 high school students from schools and homeschools all over the Northern Shenandoah Valley. They are planning three major community productions for the 2016-17 season. Stay tuned!