On Saturday night, I arrived at the WHS Mainstage along with students, faculty and parents to watch the Senior Show, and I was not disappointed. But what really makes a good Senior Show? No matter what, every show is bound to get a few laughs, but here are my top five criteria for what makes a perfect Senior Show.

Remain Universally Appealing
A perfect Senior Show has to be universally appealing. It shouldn’t matter whether someone is a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior; he or she should still be able to understand the jokes and what’s going on in the show. But with that said, it’s still understandable from time to time if someone outside of the WHS community doesn’t understand a punchline or two because most of the skits are written by students, for students.

This year’s Senior Show consisted of 29 scenes. Most of these scenes were relevant to all students and faculty, but there were still some completely random ones that could have been funnier if they had been tied back to Wayland. One of my favorite scenes was “Fresh Prince of Wayland,” a remake of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song with a new Wayland twist. Some other scenes such as “Swag Syndrome” and “Tim Tebow” might have been better if there had been a local angle.

Play to Your Strengths
Next, to add some pizazz to a Senior Show, it’s necessary to incorporate the talents and abilities of different class members into skits. For example, let’s say some members of a grade can juggle. By all means, let them juggle in the show; Senior Show provides a unique and interesting opportunity for seniors to showcase their abilities.

This year, I loved the talent snippets like Luke Boudreau’s showcase of his gymnastics in the boys dance and the use of Jakub Buczek’s realistic animal calls. Casey Donlan’s version of the song “Hallelujah” was a great way to bring the Senior Show to a close. Two thumbs up for the class of 2012 on fulfilling this requirement.

Be Creative
Third, it is absolutely necessary for the Senior Show to incorporate alternate scene formats. This year’s show did a great job with that as well. All the videos were very well done. “‘Stuff’ Freshmen Say,” “Swag Syndrome” and “Tutoring Video” were especially funny. Furthermore, it was unique for this year’s show to use Siri messages as transitions although the responses by Siri could have been funnier. Playing recorded voice audio and having a senior act out their recorded lines was a great idea as well. Something that I would like to see soon in the Senior Show is an interactive scene where volunteers can be chosen from the audience. Maybe next year?

Don’t Get Too Crazy
Another key factor to a great Senior Show is finding a balance of humor and comfort in the skits. Over the years, the appropriateness of Senior Show has been an issue of debate between the administration and students. Although I’m not an advocate of placing regulations on Senior Show, I do think that Senior Show can be a huge failure if it makes the audience uncomfortable. I thought the class of 2012 did well with their options and limitations.

Maintain the Traditions
Last but not least, the Senior Show needs to be traditional in its dances but find new skits. Whether it’s the “Dressing Down Dance” or the “Coed Dance,” dances play a key role in Senior Shows, providing quick humor and entertainment. Shout out to all the choreographers: you all did a great job with finding new moves for this year’s dancers.

This year, the seniors had a lot to work with in terms of new skit ideas because of the move to the new school. Apart from the new school, one especially creative idea was the “Boy Band Dance.” This scene was absolutely perfect. From the casting, to the choreography, to the fans placed in the audience, to having the boys run out into the audience, this scene was hilarious and entertaining.

This year’s show matched up well against my requirements for a great Senior Show, leaving me satisfied and happy that I had come. Now that my guidelines are out, I’ll just have to wait and see how the class of 2013’s Senior Show fits.