STUNTS–which, according to club sponsor Mr. Chodoroff, “doesn’t actually stand for anything,” is a tradition that has hailed the Highland Park halls for years. Originally, STUNTS was a student-written and run musical, up until this year. STUNTS 2025 has taken on a new format. It now mirrors a showcase or variety show, with singing, dancing, and skits all wrapped up into one performance. Mr. Chodoroff says the change occurred to “try to create a way for more students from HPHS to be a part of the production! This format provides students with a more inclusive way for anyone to get involved.” Students who feel very confident in certain performance disciplines, such as singing and acting, but are insecure about others, like dancing, now have an opportunity to feel completely comfortable and encouraged to participate in theatre.
Additionally, the STUNTS theme this year is “STUNTS: in Retrograde” where there will be specific pieces dedicated to each decade from the 1910s to the 2010s. This theme will create abilities for variety and fun, highlighting students’ skills. This year, there will be possible involvement from other clubs like Latin Dance, and there will be a dedicated senior dance, which will be student-choreographed. Other choreographies will still be student-choreographed, and the skits are still student-written and directed. Songs will continue to be rewritten from musicals, as they have been in the past, and model parodies. Moreover, an original song will be composed by the vocal directors, a tradition that has been maintained for the last few years. There will not be any changes to the pit’s involvement, as they are still composing and playing music for the show, and the show is still fully student-produced. All in all, the fact that the show is student-run remains unchanged, but the overall structure and product have been significantly altered.
Because major changes have been made to the product of the show, students have some opinions. Some feel that because of the separation of the performance disciplines, there is less of a community within the cast, which is what many of the upperclassmen treasured about STUNTS. An anonymous junior said, “I preferred the structure last year, but I am open to this year’s idea. I feel there is less time for rehearsal and less connection to peers. That’s why STUNTS was so special.”
Furthermore, some underclassmen had been hoping for an opportunity for a musical, as freshman Emily Newman said, “I wish it were a musical,” but that “this style really shows off our director’s creativity and it’s great that it gives everyone an opportunity to show just their top skills.”
However, some have a more favorable opinion and see it as a completely positive change. Kavan Walker, a senior who is serving as one of the directors this year, says, “I do like parts of the new format, such as the lower amount of stress on the directors specifically. The drastically different-styled scenes let each piece have its own flair.” While opinions may differ, STUNTS continues to be a beacon of student creativity, innovation, and fun within theater.
