Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

PAO showcases top numbers of last decade

Shendi Katro
Journal Contributor

paoStudents and their parents flocked to this year’s  Fall Fest, witnessing Suffolk’s community spirit through music, dance, and other acts. Taking place on October 14, 15, and 16 in the C. Walsh Theater, the Fall Fest was  hosted by seniors Kelsey Trenti and Mitch Vieira. Students celebrated the talent within the Suffolk community, allowing for parents as well as students to join the audience as part of Suffolk’s Family Weekend.  Trenti and Vieira hosted the two-hour-long event, introducing individual acts and group performances.

Fall Fest is an annual production by the Performing Arts Office.  The theme of the show, “Top ’10”, was picked to celebrate the Performing Arts Office’s 10th anniversary. The show included the top 10 performances picked from the last 10 years of the Fall Fest, performed by current students, including independent acts from individuals and performances from groups, some of which did not attend Suffolk University.

Every performer had a short time period to prepare for the show, with preparation starting at the beginning of the semester.

“There are new members every year. Anyone can audition,” said Mitch Viera, host and SGA President.  Viera also told The Journal that dozens auditioned this year.

An ensemble of all the cast members performed before and after every independent act, which included Laura Altenor, EXPO, and The Motivated Sequence among others.  Each one performed musical numbers.  Laura Altenor gave a wonderful performance singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, first popularized by Judy Garland in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939, MGM).  EXPO sang a song called No Weapon Needed, an original written about his stance on gun violence. The Motivated Sequence also performed an original song called Machine to hype up the audience.

According to Vice President Nancy Stoll, a humanities professor organized an event 37 years ago for students to show their creative talents.  Over the years, what once started as Spring Fest became Fall Fest, as it was changed from the spring semester to the fall semester.  This change allowed for Fall Fest to be part of Suffolk’s Family Weekend festivities.

Organizers of the Fall Fest included Performing Arts Office staff Kristen Baker, Ben Janey, Kathy Maloney, and Lea Wandelmaier.  April Douguette was also part of this fantastic group as the choreographer of many performances.

Fall Fest was a night filled with music, dancing, and many laughs from the audience. The ensemble performed a dance competition, showcasing the moves of Prince versus the late Michael Jackson.  Bryan Pytka and Elizabeth Alden sang Celine Deon’s My Heart Will Go On, giving a hilarious performance of Jack Dawson and Rose from the film Titanic (1997, 20th Century Fox).  The Suffolk University Step Team, among many others, performed at the end of the show.

A gala reception filled with refreshments and snacks was held in the Donahue Café immediately following the show, where guests mingled with the performers.

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PAO showcases top numbers of last decade