Saturday Night Live is coming to Mitchell.
Well, not exactly. It's actually the Mitchell Choir Department hosting a talent show, called Friday Night Live, to the community and will feature students and teachers of the Mitchell School District. The event boasts a Saturday Night Live theme, and between each talent competitor, skits will be performed by the high school's choir students.
The event will be hosted at 7 p.m. this Friday at the recently completed performing arts center. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door. All of the money raised for the talent show - which will be the first choral event in the performing arts center - will go to the Kernel Choirs, to pay for camps, scholarships and other related expenses.
The event will feature eight competitive acts, ranging from singing, a DJ, dancers and comedians, according to Jen Randall, the school's choir director. Auditions took place earlier this week, narrowing it all down to eight.
While the event will bring sweet voices of high schoolers along with laughs from a few student comedians, the purpose is to fundraise for the MHS choir department.
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And instead of selling items or trying to raise money that way, Randall looked to the talents of her students.
"When we look to do fundraisers, I prefer to raise money by doing what we do best, which is performing," Randall said. "If we can raise money by singing, dancing and performing, that's the dream."
Randall came up with the idea because it was a fundraiser she had completed with students at her job prior to joining the Mitchell School District this year.
But she also saw it as an opportunity to recruit more students to the fine arts in Mitchell, especially with the addition and expansion of the band and choir programs thanks to the new $15.3 million performing arts center.
"Also, it's a great way for us to find kids who may enjoy being a part of the fine arts at Mitchell High School, but for whatever reason haven't had a chance to join yet," Randal said.
The event will give the choir department a chance to show off the new digs, and hopefully garner more students and community members to support fine arts.
There will be three judges for the competition, all who are MHS teachers who are not in the fine arts. The grand champion will win a $50 cash prize, Randall said, along with a trophy and bragging rights. Second and third will also receive prizes.
On top of the skits and talent competition, the MHS drumline will perform, as well as Friend de Coup, the school's show choir, in exhibition, Randall said.
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And the hope, Randall said, is to make this an annual affair for Kernel Choirs, allowing for even more students to get involved as the years go by.
"It'll be a good show ... " Randall said. "It's very much like America's Got Talent and fun like that."
If the weather causes school to be canceled Friday, Randall said the event will be postponed until Friday, April 7.
