photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Lawrence High choir students perform a practice run of the song "The Good Ones" during a "Showtime" dress rehearsal Monday night.

Students at Lawrence High School are in the thick of preparations to put on their annual variety show, “Showtime,” for the first time since 2019.

The last “Showtime” production was in April of 2019. Much like Free State High School’s variety show, which made a return of its own in late March, “Showtime” is returning from a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Performances are set for Thursday through Saturday; doors open at 7 p.m. each day, with the performance starting at 7:30 p.m.

Dwayne Dunn, Lawrence High’s director of choral activities, told the Journal-World “Showtime” has been around since the 1970s. It was first named the “Pop Hop” before taking on its current moniker in the second half of that decade.

The song “Showtime” became the opening number in 1996 and has been used ever since to open and close the show. Including that tune, this year’s show will feature 36 songs.

Dunn said the show is typically student-generated — they choose the music for their featured acts; rehearse, stage and choreograph it; then audition for judges. Those acts highlight junior and senior choir students who are a member of one of Lawrence High’s advanced choirs, and those choirs also prepare some additional selections for the show during their class time.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Lawrence High choir student Jackson Green performs a practice run of the song “Lily’s Eyes.”

Because of the two-year gap in performances, none of the current seniors has performed in “Showtime” before. That meant their choir instructors had to take a more active role than usual this year.

“Although we had a lot of willing students, there are no current students who have ever been in ‘Showtime’ before, so the directors were more hands-on this year and helped put together a few of the feature acts,” Dunn said.

A group of Lawrence High seniors spoke with the Journal-World during a dress rehearsal Monday evening. As of the beginning of the week, emotions among the group were running high.

“I think that there’s a lot of adrenaline, and it’s making everything super fun and scary at the same time,” said one senior, Sofia Thomas. “But also, it’s all worth it because we get to sing again in front of people in this way.”

Others, like fellow senior Sam Lopez, said they’re feeling more stressed than anything; Lopez in particular said this week might end up being the “most hectic week” of his life.

But the group also agreed that the gravity of the situation isn’t lost on them; they’re all less than a month away from Lawrence High’s graduation on May 25. Their senior song, “History,” is another reminder of that, as during the performance they all don apparel for the universities they plan to attend starting later this year.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Seniors in Lawrence High’s choir program — some wearing apparel for the colleges they plan to attend after the impending high school graduation — sing “History” during a Showtime dress rehearsal Monday night.

Knowing a change like that is on the horizon makes preparing for their performances this week feel bittersweet, Lopez said.

“It’s definitely sad, and it will definitely be emotional the last few nights running through ‘Showtime,'” another senior, Ashton Rapp, agreed. “Especially because I’m moving out of town (for college), so I won’t get to see all these lovely faces every day anymore.”

Nevertheless, the group agreed they’re looking forward to performing in “Showtime” for the first time — especially after going to past shows as spectators, either while growing up or during their first year at Lawrence High.

“We’re almost like doing it for the people that didn’t get to,” senior George Fletcher said, adding that it felt like they “were reviving something.”

Tickets for “Showtime” cost $10 and are available in advance at Hy-Vee, 3504 Clinton Parkway, or the Lawrence High finance office. They will also be available at the door on show nights.