Music fills the air as students rehearse the different dances they’ll perform at the annual Dinner Theatre. Soon enough, these dances will be performed under the stadium lights and in front of parents and siblings alike.
The performances in Dinner Theatre are a collaborative effort among students, as the show is entirely choreographed by members of the student council.
“Dinner Theatre is a combination of skits and lip syncs and dances done by the students,” student council sponsor Susan Waldrep said. “[It’s] choreographed by the students, and it’s a time of just fun and bonding.”
Although Waldrep does all of the planning for Dinner Theatre and the students perform their original choreography, Waldrep also sometimes helps with the dances and puts her signature touch on them.
“Mrs. Waldrep always just throws stuff at us and we just roll with the punches and it’s super fun,” student body president Elle Floyd said. “Right now I’m just choreographing a few dances and then, obviously, learning my own.”
Dinner Theatre proves to be a fun time for everyone involved, but there are also specific reasons that our school holds this event, such as raising money so that the student council can volunteer for more events.
“Dinner Theatre is a fundraiser for student council,” Waldrep said. “But the [real] reason why we do it is because of the bonding.”
In addition to raising tons of money, Dinner Theatre serves as a bonding opportunity for the students, consequently connecting students across the different grade levels.
“I think it brings us closer together as grades, and then also connects the grades,” Floyd said. “It’s a fun bonding experience to learn silly dances with your friends.”
This event poses a great opportunity to make fun memories, and the students remember Dinner Theatre as an integral part of their high school career.
“When you look back on high school, you remember all those extracurricular things that happened,” Waldrep said. “It’s just one of those things where you get to bond with your age group, and you get to meet kids that are older or younger than you are that you wouldn’t probably [meet] .”
Tiger Stadium at Grim Park will host a dinner theater on Saturday, March 22, 2025, starting at 6:30 p.m. At 5:30, the gates will open. For adults, admission costs $10.00, while student and TISD employee admission costs $5.00. To receive cheap tickets, employees must have a badge. Waldrep or any Leadership student can sell tickets in advance, and for convenience, tickets can also be purchased at the entrance.
