Palo Alto High School’s theater community will recognize its seniors in the Senior Showcase, which will take place on Saturday evening, May 30, in the Haymarket Theater.

The senior showcase provides seniors with the opportunity to perform pieces they would not be able to perform otherwise on the Paly stage. Some seniors will perform student-written pieces and others will perform published theater pieces.

Junior Zoe Levine-Sporer, one of the event’s emcees, described Senior Showcase as an annual commemoration of seniors who have participated in Paly theater.

“It’s a tradition, ceremony-type thing,” Levine-Sporer said. “The ‘not-seniors’ that do theater honor that seniors that are leaving.”

According to junior Hannah Crown, the event’s other emcee, the seniors keep their acts secret before the performance.

“We’re not allowed to release that info [what seniors are performing],” Crown said. “The seniors like to keep that on the down low.”

Crown said that this year’s acts will differ from those of other years.

“It’s going to be a little different this year because people are doing non-theater related things,” Crown said.

Senior Kelsey Swezey will perform at the event and is eager to see the other seniors’ performances, as she has never attended Senior Showcase before.

“I’m excited to see what my fellow classmates do,” Swezey said.

Levine-Sporer is impressed with the creativity seniors bring to this event.

“The performances are really fun,” Levine-Sporer said. “They come up with cool stuff.”

Theater teacher Kathleen Woods will announce the 2009-2010 Paly productions at the end of the celebration.

Crown is eager to learn what plays Paly will produce next year.

“It’s really exciting to hear the new season,” Crown said.

Traditionally, a theater student who is not a senior, will give a speech commemorating each senior’s contribution to Paly theater.

Swezey is waiting eagerly to hear what these people say about her classmates.

“I really want to hear all of the honors,” Swezey said.

Levine-Sporer finds these speeches a highlight of the event.

“It’s nice to be able to recognize them [the seniors] for what they’ve done,” Levine-Sporer said.

The showcase will begin at 7:30 p.m. and no admission will be charged.