Recently, LOHS students have been encountering problems scheduling and setting up Friday Break Live performances. While the exact reasons for these issues are unclear, some students assume that miscommunication between performers and stage managers is the main culprit.

Earlier this year, freshmen Juliet Bohn and Madeline Heder were scheduled to perform a medley of songs accompanied by guitar and ukulele, including all-time hits “Hey There Delilah” and “Be True to Your School.”  “At the beginning of the year, I saw the Friday Break Live performances. I really wanted to get up on the stage,” she said. Bohn consulted choir teacher Tara Bamford, who recommended getting in touch with a student in charge of scheduling these performances. After reaching out to this student, Bohn and Heder’s performance was scheduled for Sept. 16.

However, when the two arrived on the scheduled date in the main lobby, the stage had not been set up. Bohn and Heder decided to reschedule another performance for Oct. 15. 

This performance was marred, however, by a lack of speakers, despite the stage being otherwise prepared. Bohn and Heder attempted to perform a few songs without the speakers, but without success, as there was lots of background noise and it was difficult to hear them underneath their masks.  

“We think that the reason we weren’t able to perform both times was that the person who was supposed to set up the stage didn’t show up. Perhaps they had a schedule conflict with a class? We were frustrated because we spent time preparing outside of school before both performances,” Bohn said. 

“We have had a couple hiccups with learning about the equipment setup and understanding how this has been done in the past. This is because we don’t have people in leadership who have done this in past years due to Covid,” said ASB president Logan Ducker. “Jerome, Mrs. Bamford, and Mr. Hill have been really helpful with teaching us how to get it going. We are going to involve leadership students from all grades in the planning process throughout the year to prepare for a very smooth transition to whoever takes the lead of it next year,” he said. 

“We are thrilled to have student performers and appreciate that they want to participate. We are happy to communicate with them and help them showcase their amazing talent!” Ducker said. 

While not yet perfected, new solutions for the process have been suggested. “Before initially confirming with performers that they are going to perform, I think it would be best to also confirm the availability of the people who are setting up the stage [and] speakers. I think there may be a communication breakdown in the performer, stage crew, [and] scheduler triangle,” Bohn said. “I am very thankful though, to all the students who sacrifice their time for events like this. It makes high school such a fun place!”