Prefect Council hosted the first Coffeehouse of the year in Chalmers East after school Nov. 13. In the fall-themed event, students showcased their talents in music, dance, poetry and comedy.
Senior Prefect Elizabeth Johnstone ’24, who helped plan the event, said the coffeehouse provided an exciting opportunity for new performers to get started without a huge time commitment.
“I think they’re awesome because it’s a low-stakes performance environment,” Johnstone said. “Those opportunities are few and far if you don’t take performing arts classes or really invest yourself in that department. It’s kind of difficult to find a performance outlet where you can get supported by other people and share new work without a huge time commitment. There are tons of people in the community who still have talents that they’d like to share.”
Micah Parr ’25, who read his original poem “Look Into My Eyes,” said the coffeehouse inspired him to write and further express himself.
“I was actually having a conversation with one of my friends the other day about politics and it was a very understanding conversation,” Parr said. “It inspired me to get out of my comfort zone and tell my side of the story. I have a lot of stories to share, so the coffeehouse came at a convenient time. A lot of the poem was improvised since I only just finished, but it turned out well.”
Rheanna Vradiy ’25 performed “You Should Probably Leave” by Chris Stapleton and accompanied Amelia Chiarelli ’25 in “Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage The Elephant on the guitar. Vradiy said the friendly environment motivated her to perform.
“I am trying to beat my stage fright because for some reason I still have it after performing for a while,” Vradiy said. “It was really fun because I just like playing guitar and singing, even if I’m super nervous. I also really enjoyed being able to watch and see other people explore their talents.”
Johnstone said she was surprised at how supportive the audience was.
“Something I noticed this year that didn’t really happen last year is that everyone stayed [until] the end, even if their friend who was performing already went,” Johnstone said. “Everyone was cheering each other on and super supportive even if there were some technical difficulties. That’s an awesome environment to be in if you’re a new or even experienced performer.”
Prefect Council plans to host a winter-themed coffeehouse Dec. 11 and a spring version in March, according to Johnstone.