RBHS show choir will host its 16th annual Show Choir Benefit on Feb. 6 in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at 7 p.m. Tickets are five dollars and available at the door. On top of RBHS show choir’s attendance, Battle High School and Stephens College will perform their shows respectively.
The concert, “Voices with a Cause,” hosts different performances from different productions across Columbia. The Stephens Lake CEC will preview a snippet from their production of “Legally Blonde,” and the Battle Battalion show choir will perform their own show choir performance.
Show choir director Mike Pierson said proceeds are donated to different charities each year. This year, all profits will go to the non-profit organization, The Thirst Project. To increase donations, Pierson said both there will be a variety of performances..
“[Satin n’ Lace and City Lights,] along with the Battle show choir Battle Battalion and a couple between-act performances by Stephens College students and a CEC [Columbia Entertainment Community] cast member of their production of “Legally Blonde,” Pierson said. “This will be the 16th year for this program.”
The charity benefits those in Columbia, too. Junior Addy Lockett said during previous years proceeds have gone to charities that help in Mid-Missouri areas, and it’s a collective effort from different schools to make the concert succeed.
“We often give to local charities. This year we are giving all of the profits to The Thirst Project,” Lockett said. “[The Thirst Project] is an organization that provides clean water to 3rd world countries and cities that don’t have sustainable water wells”
In 2019, the proceeds went to City of Refuge, which aims to help refugees and immigrants in Mid-Missouri. On top of watching other productions perform, freshman Michael Ray said the show is a great way to boost team morale, as a benefit is a great way to give back to the community.
“The Charity Benefit is a way for us to perform for people as well as give back to the community,” Ray said. “[Before a performance], we stand in a circle and share one word that reflects on the show.”
Pierson said along with the benefit being a great team bonding experience for RBHS show choir, is a great way to help those in need. The Thirst Project is one of many charities that aim to help bring more water to countries in need.
“The Thirst Project is a non-profit organization whose aim is to bring safe drinking water to communities around the world where it is not immediately available,” said Pierson. “It collects money and builds wells all across the continent of Africa where villages do not have immediate drinking water.”
