Setting the stage: Students and advisers prepare for the Senior Show

The Wayland High School senior class stepped into the spotlight on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12, as they took the stage for the annual Senior Show. For the past two years, the WHS senior classes have been unable to put on this production due to coronavirus protocols. However, the long wait has finally ended, as the Class of 2022 was finally able to showcase their talents before everyone’s eyes.

The Senior Show kicks off the beginning of the end for each senior class. The show lets everyone know that there are a flood of activities headed their way as senior spring amps up, ultimately leading to the big finale: graduation.

“We’re kind of bringing everyone together for their last hoorah,” senior co-class adviser Scott Parseghian said. “We got the senior show, we have a prom that got postponed junior year, class night, cruise night and then graduation. We have five pretty big things coming up, and this is the real start of it all.”

This year, the senior class worked with an improv and comedy company, Improv Boston, to enhance their skits. The advisers considered themselves lucky as they were provided with a handful of good resources by the company. Improv Boston’s services included a singer, comedians, dancers and proofreaders for each group’s skit to ensure the production was appropriate and enjoyable.

“Boston Improv received a grant to work with local communities, and they were able to give us 10 hours of their time for free,” Parseghian said. “Each student had someone to go over their script and help them tweak them to make them look better or sound funnier.”

In addition, the seniors themselves expressed their gratitude towards this opportunity, as they felt it enhanced their overall performance in the skits.

“We worked with Improv Boston, which was pretty cool getting to work with professionals who are doing stand-up comedy and writing sketches in real life,” senior emcee and dance director Sammy Janoff said.

In addition to the skits that attract many to the theater, the group dances are a highlight for many. This year, the seniors put on three dances: a girls dance, a boys dance and a co-ed dance. These dances were entirely student-led and were choreographed by Wayland High School’s very own Window Dance Ensemble directors Sammy Janoff, Sarah Liszewski and Taylor McGuire.

“It’s really cool to be able to do the dances and teach the dances to people who don’t necessarily dance and don’t consider themselves dancers,” Janoff said. “It’s really fun and collaborative.”

After the writing process is complete, the scripts are then passed on to the advisers and administrators to ensure that they are deemed appropriate to perform at the show.

“All scripts are submitted to [Parseghian and I] where we read through them and give suggestions for things that might not seem appropriate,” senior co-class adviser Jennifer Reed said. “They are then edited, and we pass them on to the administration who does another check.”

This year, both advisers made it clear that even if in past years people were able to sneak in jokes targeting other students, that would not be allowed this year. After the numerous coronavirus restrictions enforced during the past two years, the advisers wanted to ensure that everyone felt welcome and happy to be watching the show.

“I’ve seen Senior Shows in the past, and they have been great, but we really want to make sure no one is targeted,” Reed said. “This is meant for showing the values we have as a class as well as showing what talents we have as a class.”

Although it is assumed that the majority of responsibility is placed on the shoulders of the advisers, Parseghian and Reed concur that collaboration with the students has been crucial for the success of the show.

“We have really great officers who have been really upfront about telling us when things aren’t great, or when we should take certain things out,” Reed said. “We have a really great support system, and everyone is making sure it is all okay.”

The turnout of this year’s Senior Show was deemed a success by many, and the students have expressed their contentment with the end result.

“Everyone’s been putting in a lot of good effort for [the show], and they’ve been trying their hardest,” Janoff said. “It’s been really awesome seeing it all come together.”

The show has been a staple for many through countless different generations of classes. The performance is a key event that embodies one of the numerous memories each senior has gained throughout their past four years at the school.

“This is one of the things that I really truly remember about my senior year,” Parseghian said. “I think this is a special time to bring everyone together to just have fun.”