Every so often, the Black Box transforms from a theater classroom into a stage. Open Mic Nights are events where students and even teachers can come together to celebrate each other’s talents. While singing is most common, performers can also tell stories, do a monologue, play an instrument, or tell jokes.
Mrs. Beverly Pruzina is the advisor for Open Mic Nights and is in charge of the theater department. In 2021, when Pruzina joined the school’s staff, she and now-graduate Christian Blosser worked together to revive Open Mic after Covid. The Open Mic is run with the help of the International Thespian Society troupe here at Woodgrove. “We elect officers from that troupe, and one of their community services is to provide Woodgrove with some kind of opportunities for the whole school to perform,” commented Pruzina. She mentioned how instead of doing a one-time talent show, they decided to have a recurring Open Mic for students to enjoy.
Pruzina does not host and run Open Mic by herself—she has two co-hosts who help her. The two co-hosts of Open Mic Nights, junior Zoe Carter and senior Izzy Jewell, must work together to create a welcome and fun atmosphere for everyone attending to enjoy. As part of co-hosting, Jewell and Carter announce and introduce the next person who will be on the mic while maintaining the flow of the event and preventing awkward moments. “Improv is really really important. People might cancel last minute, so you might have to fill in for five minutes and just talk,” Carter mentioned.
Jewell has been attending Open Mic since she was in her freshman year and recalls her first one as super fun. “[At] my first open mic, it was a Valentine’s Day open mic and I remember seeing Christian Blosser, who was a senior when I was a freshman…He had a fake buff suit, and he looked like Cupid, and he had a bow, and he was shooting people,” Jewell recounted. Jewell and Carter try to keep this fun atmosphere when they are co-hosting together. For this year’s Halloween open mic, the duo walked on to the song “Ghostbusters.”
Carter and Jewell both agree that the community aspects of Open Mic are highly important to the people who attend. “It’s very welcoming, it feels like a home…and people are very welcoming there,” Carter expressed. While Pruzina does attend Open Mic, she does not perform, and rather monitors and can tell how important the atmosphere is at the event. “It’s not embarrassing. There’s no problem. It’s just a really wonderful and positive environment,” she commented.
Even students who are not hosts of Open Mic can tell that the welcoming atmosphere of Open Mic is important. Junior Kylie Sharpe has been attending Open Mic since her freshman year and said, “You get support no matter what you do, and it’s always fun to sit with your friends and laugh at someone’s comedy or celebrate someone’s singing.” Junior Desmond Hernandez spoke about the environment when he goes to Open Mic, saying, “Everyone who goes to Open Mic tends to be really supportive there.”
Open Mic is an important and integral part of the theater community here at Woodgrove and always has its doors open to anyone who wants to attend. If you speak to someone in theater about how you can get involved in Open Mic, there is a high chance they will just encourage you to come, plain and simple. “If you want to start participating in Open Mic or becoming an Open Mic host, the first step is going,” Jewell said.