Written and Photographed by:

Isla Dawahare

Artist Development Program Student

Scroll for full photo gallery

There isn't a day in the ADP calendar more special than the ADP Spring Showcase. If you have the privilege of being in the audience, you'll watch diverse groups of talented kids doing what they love—performing. And if you get the privilege of being backstage, you'll experience friendship, community, laughter, and joy. You'll see a little bit of nerves and a lot of excitement on every student's face. You'll watch friends cheering each other on, you'll see teachers guiding each student to their full potential, and you'll see moments that you never forget. This is the ADP Spring Showcase.

My name is Isla Dawahare, and I'm an eighth grade Creator. I've been part of the Artist Development Program at The Lex since they first started it, online, in 2020. I currently take private voice, acting, dance, and Story Cycle, the songwriting class that was recently opened to middle schoolers. This is my fourth showcase with ADP, and it was such a special experience.

The ADP Artists. *Isla Dawahare Photography*

This experience didn't just begin showcase week—we commenced the second semester of classes working on our showcase pieces, then we spent the next two months rehearsing, finalizing, and fine-tuning those pieces. Practice videos were shared, to give students all the tools they needed to put in work outside of the weekly classes to make their pieces the best they can be. After months of hard work and endless fun, the week of showcase arrived. There were now daily rehearsals, and it almost felt like preparing for a Mainstage show. These rehearsals were spent getting comfortable in the space, and making sure each individual felt safe and confident. Showcase is such an amazing learning experience for all ages and experience levels. It's an opportunity for every student, from Explorers to Trailblazers, to expand and practice life skills beyond performing arts including empathy, confidence, teamwork, resilience, and more.

And then, before we knew it, all the hard work paid off. It was time for the shows. There's something so special about the showcase backstage, and the best word I can think to describe it is community. The feeling of walking offstage after singing a solo and having a group of friends all waiting backstage to cheer for you is a feeling that will stay with you forever. Getting out on stage to perform can be so hard, but during showcase, you're never alone. There's always a friend or teacher there to support, encourage, and cheer for you.

There were so many special moments this year. One of the sweetest was how kids getting ready to make their entrance would line up in the wings and give high fives to all the kids exiting. Another favorite moment was when the Trailblazers were practicing in the hall, a group of Creators and Artists came over to cheer them on and dance with them. It was such a beautiful reminder of The Lex's mission of lifelong learning—when you go backstage, you see three-year-old Explorers who hope to one day be Artists, and you see Artists who will one day be Trailblazers.

The ADP Trailblazers. *Isla Dawahare Photography*

Showcase isn't just about what happens onstage. Any ADP student can tell you—yes, nailing that high kick and hitting your double pirouette is absolutely something to be proud of. Of course, getting a big laugh from the audience when you say your favorite line is something you want to remember. And certainly, singing a solo the best you've ever sung it is an amazing feeling. But when I think of showcase, the first thing I think of is the people waiting in the wings to cheer me on. I think about laughing with friends, and of always having someone there to support me. I think of dancing backstage, surrounded by some of my favorite people, of preshow traditions, however big or small. I remember meeting new friends from different classes, and post-showcase celebrations at the closest ice cream shop. This shared community, the LexFam, is the heart and soul of ADP showcase.

Speaking of LexFam, this year was especially meaningful for some of us as The Lex always invites a Broadway veteran to guest star during showcase, and this year it was none other than the wonderful Joy Lynn Jacobs. Joy performed as Mother Abbess in The Lex's production of The Sound of Music the summer of 2023, and several of the von Trapp children (myself included) take ADP classes. It was such a sweet reunion to get to share the stage again with Joy, who's so kind and talented.

Joy Lynn Jacobs. *Isla Dawahare Photography*

The Spring Showcase tradition is closing the show by singing "Happiness" from Charlie Brown (of course it's Charlie Brown—Education Director Brance Cornelius is slightly obsessed with all things “Peanuts”). Singing about how "Happiness is morning and evening, daytime and nighttime too, for happiness is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you!" is the sweetest tradition, but I think there's an even truer line in that closing song—Happiness is ADP!

The Artist Development Program Spring Showcase

“God Bless Them, Every Single One”