Variety show provides healthy outlet for performers of all shapes, sizes
The stage lights shone brightly as audience members buzzed with excitement when musicians and actors all gathered to showcase their abilities at the Variety Show. The event, held Nov. 14-15, is an annual performance for students to display their talents for others. The first ever show was hosted in May 2019. For the past couple of years, the first half of the show has included the One Act Play and afterwards students could show off their fortes with small skits in between. This year, there were 16 acts and six skits. A majority of the acts were musical, ranging from singing to a sizzling electric guitar to a soothing piano.
photo by Novally Thao
Directors Lexi Novak and Logan Martilla are very grateful for all of the people who participated, and the community that came to support them.
“This was probably one of the biggest variety shows that we’ve had,” Martilla said.
Aside from the sheer number of acts in the show, Martilla was shocked at the massive crowd inside Alberta Kimball Auditorium. His long time passion for theater made him grateful for the encouraging audience that came to see the students perform and have fun.
“Seeing the community support for the arts is amazing,” he said. “We were astounded that there were so many people.”
The auditorium is known to hold up to around 1,400 people, making it the biggest high school auditorium in Wisconsin, and many people filled these seats up to watch the show.
“We had around 300-350 people during our opening night on Friday and 200-250 on Saturday,” Martilla said.
Freshman Gabby Dyer, one of the audience members who came to support her friends in the show, loved the atmosphere. She felt that the skits in between the acts were an added bonus.
“I really like the comedic aspects of some of the skits in between the acts,” she said.
While bringing great comedic relief, Novak was excited to see growth out of these students and cherishes the new opportunities this event brings to them. She continues to seize the chance to work with returning students and fresh faces alike, in order to ensure not only a spectacular show, but a newfound family.
“My favorite part is being able to work with new students,” she said.
Although on the more frantic side, the limited practice time for the event makes for less of a commitment. This doesn’t stop students from being dedicated and putting their all into weaving together the various acts into a dazzling performance.
“It’s a little more impromptu; we don’t have weeks of practice, we practiced maybe twice,” Novak said.
For returning students, like senior Sam Raybern, the Variety Show brings a sense of nostalgia and belonging. The excitement of being able to come back and perform each year since freshman year resonates.
“I’ve been a part of the Variety Show since my freshman year and I even ran it in my sophomore year,” they said.
This year, Raybern was thrilled to have the opportunity to kick off the talent portion of the show with a bang while bonding with someone they hold near and dear. Raybern was able to show off their newest passion of guitar in the show when kicking it off.
“I got to open with ‘Pork and Beans’ with my best friend, and it was incredible. It was my first time actually playing a song on the guitar since I had just picked it up,” they said.
Junior Isaac Considine-Buelow feels that the Variety Show strays away from the typical competitive talent show other schools might have, leading to a healthy environment to grow as a performer and human.
“It isn’t a competition. It doesn't matter how good you are or bad you are at whatever you are doing, as long as you are coming into it with confidence and the mindset to have fun, you will do well,” he said. “It’s a safe space to perform and have fun.”
Considine-Buelow, although not expecting a new family, loved spending time with the friends he made as a performer in the One Act and Variety Show. His fellow thespians are not just peers to him, they are a new community.
“The best part is getting to spend more time with the cast; they have become some of my best friends,” he said.
Overall, Novak and Martilla were in awe of the students’ courage in getting outside their comfort zone while participating and showing off their true, unique selves to the sea of people in front of them. Martilla especially was excited to see the students find their love for the stage.
“I love to see people performing things that they love and people finding their way onto the stage for an audience,” he said.
by Millie Kasubaski
Published December 1, 2025
Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue III