Behind the Scenes of SING! Part One: Setting Up Who, What, and Why

In the words of SophFrosh SING! Coordinator Liam Kronman, SING! is “25 clubs meshed into one, where people meet others who share similar interests [as well as] people who have wildly different interests.” An annual student-run production showcased in mid-March, SING! is known for being one of the most intense but exhilarating extracurricular activities in Stuyvesant. Each year, hundreds of students compete in either SophFrosh, Junior, or Senior SING!, combining their talents and creativity to cultivate a vibrant stage and intellectually humorous plot. What initiates such unity within the rehearsal rooms and on stage? It begins with the selection of the coordinator, producers, and writers that sprouts the beginning stages of SING!.

During the hours-long after-school rehearsals in the weeks leading up to show nights, the lower floors are filled with soprano riffs juxtaposed with bass harmonies, leftover strips of fabric accumulating in the costumes bins, pirouettes, and clickety-click tap shoes racing down the halls. In every room, there is laughter, the sound of young souls working together. In short, SING! is “a crazy conglomeration of the variety of talents found at Stuyvesant,” Junior SING! Producer Timothy Stansberry described.

Though rehearsals begin around early February, the very beginning of SING! dates back to mid-December. The Student Union (SU) makes the first move by sending out coordinator applications via e-mail. Article II, Section A of the SING! Charter states, "The Student Union President, [Vice President], the respective Caucuses and the [Coordinator of Student Affairs (COSA), Mr. Polazzo] are to interview and choose three SING! [coordinators], one senior, one junior, and one sophomore. The Student Union President, [Vice President], and the COSA each have one vote. The Caucuses have one vote together. A three-quarter vote is required to select a SING! [coordinator].”

Only sophomores, juniors, and seniors with previous SING! experience can apply for coordinator. Yet, the SU considers not only an applicant’s experience but also his or her sense of leadership and general knowledge on budget management and theater. “We look for someone who can understand the [wants] of their grade and make sure that everyone who we choose will comply with us,” SU President William Wang said.

One way the SU gauges each applicant’s ability is by raising difficult hypothetical situations. For instance, they asked, “The administration cuts back on three days of rehearsal because of logistical issues, and it’s very close to the show. How would you approach this issue?” Wang commented, “It’s a very hard question, especially since a lot of people don’t know how to work under pressure. A lot of these people who apply have good answers, except we always look for the best. Some of the best answers we got were probably from [Senior SING! Coordinator Ruby Gary], who has [had] a lot of experience with SING!.”

As in many other application processes, each candidate possesses unique attributes that encourage him or her to apply and influence interviewers’ decisions. For Kronman, it was his “skill set and passion for musical productions, specifically SING!, and extensive musical background,” he said, which he believed synchronized with the responsibilities the coordinator’s role entails. Kronman has worked on the SU as secretary of treasury and director of sponsorships for Freshman Caucus, was a producer in last year’s SophFrosh SING!, sings in the Stuyvesant Madrigal Choir, writes and composes songs, and plays in jazz and rock bands. “Ultimately, I don’t know what ran through the heads of the SU members who decided I would be coordinator, but I know all of these aspects were substantial in their decision,” he reflected.

The next step is choosing four producers who, along with the coordinator, form the Slate. To keep the applications for producers, as well as writers, who are selected afterward, as fair as possible, either only OSIS numbers were asked for, or the names were blacked out in the spreadsheet of responses. The notion that nepotism prevails throughout the school community, often seen through the line of succession in producers, motivated this move. “I won’t deny that there has been nepotism, but this year, we tried to cut it [...] down. [SU Vice President Vishwaa Sofat] and I had a campaign promising that corruption through the school would be minimized as much as possible,” Wang explained.

While it is mainly the job of the coordinator to conduct the application process, the coordinator may consult the respective caucus presidents, unless the presidents express interest in a role directly chosen by the producers (e.g. scriptwriter, songwriter, or director). “Amit Narang, the Senior Caucus President who helped me with the process, has no SING! experience. This was very helpful in providing me with an outsider’s perspective,” Gary recalled. “[Narang] encouraged me to take [some] time before the application process to concretely identify what I was looking for in the producers, which laid helpful groundwork as I made the final decision.”

According to Gary, this year’s producer application pool for Senior SING! consisted of the most qualified and thoughtful applications compared to the past two years when she was coordinator. In contrast, fewer juniors applied. “I sent my producer applications on the same day I made the [Junior SING!] Facebook group,” Junior Coordinator Debi Saha recalled. “Two days before the deadline, I had zero applicants. I was stressed so I extended the deadline and asked [Junior Caucus Co-Presidents] Eve [Wening] and Zeynep [Bromberg] to message people to encourage them to apply. Eventually, I had 11 applicants so I gave them all interviews.” On the other hand, there were 30 producer applicants for SophFrosh SING!, so only half of them were selected for an interview.

Regardless of the number of applicants, choosing a solid group of four producers was tough. “It’s very hard to make a [holistic] judgment of someone in 10 to 15 minutes,” Kronman pointed out. “I checked for qualifications and experience, and then personality and creativity. If a person had one but not the other, I would think that their ability to be a solid producer would be fairly limited.”

Gary, on the other hand, valued complementary leadership styles and skills. “I looked for diversity in experience. We have members [of Slate] who [were] in Slate before, participated in the writing process, directed an individual crew, [or] had no previous SING! experience at all. They vary on degrees of artistic and managerial expertise, but each have proved themselves more than able to step up and help with every aspect of the production,” she detailed.

Diversity in writing style is also an imperative attribute that the Slates seek for when choosing scriptwriters and songwriters. Writers are chosen based on their breadth of creativity, talents for writing, dedication toward SING!, as well as how well their writing styles and senses of humor complement one another. The latter, especially, makes the process difficult. “Most of the applicants were very talented but we needed the best of each ‘style.’ I use quotation marks because there are no definitive categories each writer falls into,” Kronman elaborated. Scriptwriter applicants, some of whom received an interview, were asked to detail their ideas for the selected theme and submit a three to four page-long script, while songwriter applicants were asked to elaborate on their ideas regarding songs and write two sample song parodies inspired by the theme.

Writers typically have a fair amount of creative writing experiences. For instance, SophFrosh Songwriter Irene Hao has written short stories, book and movie reviews, and poems, including one that is structured like a rap song. Despite all her previous exposure to writing, Hao’s experience as songwriter stands out to her. “I never wrote something meant to be performed, read, or sung by people other than me,” she said. While this process is exhilarating, it is also challenging. Songwriters must choose well-known songs from a variety of genres and decades to encapsulate the wide range of tastes in the audience. Though most of the writing is done at home, the lyrics must be clever and match that of the original song both syllabically and contextually. To Dexter Wells, another SophFrosh songwriter, songwriting allows him to “be an integral part of the process [of creating the show] in a very caring, not power-obsessive way,” he remarked. “Working [as songwriter] for SING! has introduced me to many new people, and I’ve really gained a sense of respect for the astounding independence of students at Stuyvesant.”

The Slates also focused on breadth of creativity when choosing the theme for their show. After compiling students’ theme ideas and gathering votes, they finalized the theme, making sure that it appealed to the most number of students, was expansive in visual and thematic ideas, and best invoked the spirit of their respective grade level. “We wanted something that represented us as juniors, something more serious than say, Candyland, but still fun! Mafia seemed like a perfect fit,” Junior SING! Producer Lena Farley said.

Senior Slate, on the other hand, chose the Renaissance as their theme because it paved way for “a large cast, eye-catching set pieces, classy costumes, more mature undertones, and a plot that supports moments that will stay with the audience far after they leave the Murray Khan Theatre,” Senior SING! Producer Elias Economou explained. “We’re very excited to watch our creative leaders translate this period of change and discovery onto the stage for our grade’s swan song,” added Marion Cassidy, another Senior SING! producer.

Aside from the central theme and storyline, the very participants of each crew are what make the show come alive. When asked what was personally the most exciting aspect of SING!, Junior Producer Tina Zheng responded, “SING! is the only thing that keeps me going at times. It’s so difficult to pinpoint one thing that I’m most excited for, [from] watching the opening scene for the millionth time to perfecting the spotlight cues to everything in between. But mostly, it’s the SING! spirit which blows me away as you can literally feel the passion and dedication of every member, no matter their crew.”

To reach all the hundreds of students in their respective grades to spread the collective SING! spirit, Slates sent out grade-wide e-mails and invited their peers to the SophFrosh, Junior, or Senior SING! Facebook groups. Junior SING! also has an Instagram page with over 300 followers. Yet, aside from their tremendous efforts in granting easy access to information about SING! through the electronic screen, Kronman has found word of mouth to be most effective in garnering interest. “We’re all in the same building, so social media helps but the physical interactions are even more helpful,” he said.

Even without the interpersonal and digital marketing efforts, SING! would have nonetheless garnered widespread interest. Those who have not participated in SING! before “can be convinced to ‘test the waters’ with a little persuasion,” Stansberry expressed. “SING! isn’t your everyday high school experience, and the peculiarity of it convinces many people to try it out while they can. It’s definitely an experience you’re going to be hard-pressed to replicate.”

“People may think of us as a math and [science] school, but SING! goes out and proves them dead wrong. There are opportunities for every skill set and interest. I love how there’s something for everyone. Though hectic, crazy, and extremely stressful at times, it’s all worth it in the end when everything is able to come together on stage and generally at the last possible minute,” Stansberry continued.

The SING! spirit does not waver, even for the seniors participating for their fourth year. “It has been such an honor to watch the show grow from a mere idea to reality,” reminisced senior Julia Arancio, who is producing SING! for her third consecutive year. In fact, many students were motivated to branch out toward different crews outside their niche. Senior Producer Il Kyu Lee believes that “more flexible schedules and a sense of nostalgia fostered increased risk-taking among peers this year. That kind of vulnerability and excitement about our production has energized Slate greatly.”

With over 400 students participating in Senior SING!, the graduating class of 2019 is seeing the largest number of people, compared to their previous years, partake in this tremendous production. While the selection of coordinators, producers, and writers is vital to establish strong beginning stages of SING!, it is ultimately the passions and dedications of contributing students that make this Stuyvesant experience memorable.