Benji Boyd, Junior, Assistant Editor
The Marblehead Rotary Club is excited to host its sixteenth annual “Marblehead’s Got Talent,” a competition for student performers. All high school residents of Marblehead are invited to showcase their talents and compete for scholarships ranging from $500 to $6000. Whether they come prepared with a set list of songs, a dance routine, or an arsenal of magic tricks, every performer has a chance to win.
Auditions were held on Saturday, February 3, and will continue this Saturday, February 10. Thirty-two slots were opened on the ‘Marblehead’s Got Talent’ website for applicants, but the Rotary Club is happy to offer more depending on interest. David Deutsch, committee member at the Rotary Club, stressed the importance of providing a place for student performers to feel appreciated. “Like the field is a place for football players to shine,” he commented in an interview, “‘Marblehead’s Got Talent’ is for performers.”
Each performer will get fifteen minutes to showcase their talent, and recordings of each act will be passed on to the committee to sort through and decide which will continue to the semi-final round. Although not every performer will be chosen to move on, they won’t leave empty handed. “I think it’s important that if you’re gonna get up on stage in front of us, you should be rewarded for that,” said Deutsch. The Rotary club hopes to incentivize performers for being brave enough to get up on stage and show their talent by gifting T-shirts and prizes to all auditioners.
The semi-finals, featuring twenty acts selected by the committee, will be held at Marblehead High School. Anyone who attends to watch will be given a playbill and the opportunity to vote for their favorite acts. While the judges will choose who goes through to the final round, four fourth place winners will be decided by popular vote in the semi-finals. If the audience and the judges agree, it’s possible for a fourth-place winner to move on to the finals and win first, second, or third place as well. It’s also possible for a fourth-place winner to not be called to the final round, but still go home with $500 in their pocket.
For the final round, 8-12 performers will gather in the Cabot Theater in Beverly on March 27. Out of this group, the first, second, and third place winners will receive scholarships of $6000, $4000, and $2500 respectively. In the last “Marblehead’s Got Talent,” MHS senior Colby Kramer took first place, the duet Mona Gelfgatt and Charlie Smith second, and Brady Weed third.
As a piece of advice for those looking to audition, Deutsch said that the judges are looking for evidence of effort. Performers will be selected based on their talents, but if two candidates are neck and neck, the judges might go for whoever seems like they put more thought into their presentation and how they come across. Most of all, ‘Marblehead’s Got Talent’ is looking for anyone with a true passion for performing. If that sounds like you, and if you’re a teenager living in Marblehead, it’s absolutely worth it to put yourself out there for an audition and earn the chance to win.