Music filled the halls of Marc Garneau CI on 19 December, 2014, as hordes of students lined up in the school’s galleria in anticipation of MGCI’s annual Christmas Show.
The Christmas Show, held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., marked the end of school for 2014. Classes will resume in January 2015. Over one hundred tickets were sold, though the exact number is currently unknown.
Spearheaded and organized by the members of the Spirit Committee, the whole process began at the start of November with auditions for hosts and performers held from 26 to 28 November. Four hosts and thirteen performances were accepted. Following this decision, six rehearsals were held after school throughout December.
The performances included renditions of Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie,” Imagine Dragons’ “Demons,” and Iggy Azalea’s “Black Widow,” among other songs, as well as spoken word, improv, dances and a sing-along initiated by the members of Student Council.
Muhammad Arif, a performer and Grade 9 student, found his first Christmas Show at MGCI to be worth it. “I loved the show, and my favourite performances were the improv and the choir. I really think that people should come because it’s a great time and an amazing experience,” he said.
This year’s Christmas Show was also defined by several new changes, the biggest of which was the addition of food. The food was distributed in the beginning of the show, comprising of chocolate chip and gingerbread cookies, cupcakes, brownies, sugar cookies, muffins, milk, and samosas.
Students participated in an egg-nog chugging contest. Photo: Khadija Jawwad
The addition of food, however, led to an increase of ticket prices to $4.50. Mara Gagiu, the Spirit Convenor and President of Spirit Committee, said, “Looking back, the prices of the tickets could have been lowered to get more people to join while still taking food costs into account.”
The audience was also involved in the Show through an eggnog chugging contest and an arm wrestling contest, as members of the crowd were chosen to participate.
Gloria Zhou, a member of SAC, said, “I think the show was very well organized by Mara. It was apparent that she had put a great deal of work into it, and the performances were phenomenal. I think the changes made this year made the show more interactive. The food addition was also better for the audience because they were more patient.”
EDIT: In previous versions of this article, Mara Gagiu was referred to as the Social Convenor, instead of Spirit Convenor, which is her correct position.
