To read the other articles in this series, click here: Audition Season, Cast Reveal, and Rehearsals Have Begun!.

This year’s Drama Banquet was a success! Featuring performances from ILS’s very own drama club, thespian troupe, and band, the Banquet of Music was a night filled with endless entertainment. The purpose of the banquet was to help raise money for Immaculata-La Salle’s production of Sound of Music, as it is a very extravagant and costly show to put on! The main focus was to earn enough money to afford a live orchestra for the show. 

Throughout the night, silent auctions were held and paintings from ILS’s art classes were sold. Ms. Camille Wildenburg, the head of the ILS fine arts department, guided her students through the creation process and was delighted to help raise money for the Drama Club.

“We decided and thought it was important to help raise money for this drama production because here at ILS we believe in the concept of community and working together to help each other,” Wildenburg explained. “It’s beautiful to see the art students honoring and assisting the drama students so that the student body can see the importance of community and service!”

Through the sale of these artworks alone, roughly $200 was raised in order to help fund this ravishing show. In total, “the Drama Club was able to raise about half of their goal thanks to the generosity of the guests who were present!” proudly said Drama Club Director Mrs. Lianne Rodriguez. Keep in mind the goal was to raise $15,000, meaning roughly $7,500 was raised in only one night!

As donations poured in, guests were served authentic Austrian dishes and witnessed outstanding performances by ILS students. The first acts were performed by the thespian troupe (senior Nicole Musi, senior Agustina Coretti, and sophomore Danna Chalela), in which they showcased the acts they submitted to the Florida State Festival, scoring superiors in the district competition. These performances included monologues, duo scenes, and solos.

The next set of performances was an improv show put on by six ILS students. In this improv show, the group put together 17 plays to put on in approximately 34 minutes. One of the students involved in this improv group was junior Chiara Cannis, who currently plays Brigitta Von Trapp in ILS’s production of the Sound of Music. She described the rehearsal process to be “absolutely bonkers,” considering the group has to plan each play, write each script, and put together blocking. “I had written about five scripts,” further described Cannis. “The hardest part was probably trying to plan out a time and day in which everyone could meet up and rehearse the script together because everyone had a busy schedule and most of the time there was always one or two people missing.”

Despite how hectic the preparation process was, the improv group put on a successful show, evoking laughter and cheers from the audience. They did an outstanding job at keeping the audience engaged; in fact, their entire act was based on audience interaction. Each table was given a paper with a short description of each of the plays the group wrote and then the audience would yell out which one they wanted to see next.

As the night came to a close, the ILS band (lead by Mr. Armando Alicandu) performed a set of songs, including WALK THE MOON’s “Shut Up and Dance.” Following the band’s performances, the cast of Sound of Music performed a short medley to give the audience a sneak peek into what the cast has been rehearsing. This medley included the songs “Maria,” “I Have Confidence,” “The Sound of Music,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” and a violin performance of “Edelweiss,” performed by senior Alvaro Amat (who also plays Max Detweiler).

Overall, the Banquet of Music was a night full of fun and it greatly benefitted the ILS Drama Club. It gave students and parents alike a look into how hard the ILS art students work and how much time and effort they put into their craft. Keep an eye out for more updates on the Sound of Music and what you can do to help support the arts!