The Palo Alto High School theater department will honor its graduating seniors, as well as reveal next year’s shows, in the annual senior showcase from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday in the Haymarket Theater.

According to senior Caroline Johnson, who has participated in theater since her freshman year, the night will include an introduction of each senior by an underclassman.

“Underclassmen will present each senior individually,” Johnson said. “They get up on stage and talk about one anonymous senior and how great they are.”

Each senior is then revealed at the end of each underclassman’s speech and he or she is given an award and a gift, Johnson said.

“They give them a rose and there are some tears and some hugging,” Johnson said. “[Theater teacher] Kathleen Woods gives awards and presents to all the seniors, typically a theater-related book. There is a slideshow sort of like honoring the seniors. It’s just like a bunch of photos of the seniors throughout their four years here and it’s very cute and everyone cries.”

The final component of the night involves the announcement of next year’s shows.

“At the very end the shows for the next season are announced,” Johnson said. “That’s like the big moment that everyone waits for.”

As a whole, the purpose of the night is to acknowledge the accomplishments of the seniors, according to Johnson.

“Senior showcase is meant to recognize, honor and say goodbye to the outgoing seniors,” Johnson said.

Johnson said she is eager to be on the receiving end of the senior showcase, despite it marking the end of her time with the Paly theater department.

“I announced seniors my past two years as a sophomore and a junior so I’m really excited to have an underclassman who loves me say nice things about me in front of everyone,” Johnson said. “And I’m excited to get an award from Kathleen Woods because she is like my mother. It’ll be sad because it means I have to leave but I think it’ll be a lot of fun because the night is just about you and how great you are.”