Gaieties 2020

If you told me one year ago that I would be producing a show as a sophomore, I would have said “no way”. If you persisted and added on that I would be producing a show amid a global pandemic, I would have panicked and run the other direction. But if producing Gaieties 2020 has taught me anything, it is that art is adaptable as long as you have a mission. Nine months, one unused script, three versions of a production, and lots of coffee later, we have arrived at this moment. Welcome to Gaieties 2020, the very first virtual format of this 109-year tradition and the forerunner (and somewhat of a precedent) to many more student-run virtual productions. 

I only had my freshman year in Gaieties to reference, but it was a wonderful one. I thought that I would be reproducing those warm and enlightening moments and beaming with pride backstage as I watch freshmen heroes brighten up MemAud with their glorious talent. Instead, I sit in front of a computer probably longer than is good for my eyes, but here is what has impressed me the most: every single person in this company has risked the same for the larger mission of bringing this tradition to life once more. I will admit: I have never produced a show before, neither in-person nor virtual. Thus, it was really difficult to navigate role descriptions and the way that this production would be assembled. However, my team members made the most of their situation and formed a collaboration across departments, both cast and staff, for the greater good.

We are united by our mission of bringing forward underrepresented voices in the Stanford community. This production is a life form that survives off of the sense of community. It lives and breathes and grows. We've all done our part to nurture it and see it succeed. I adore and look up to every single member of this production, especially my amazing director, Justine Sombilon. This is the family that has supported me in the last nine months of the pandemic and the family that I will remember when I look back at 2020. We are here to reclaim OUR Stanford, the Stanford we know and love, and stand by the fact that our traditions will live on, even as our global climate and community evolve. 

As you watch this Gaieties, revel in the voices of this generation. This is just a slice of the amazing population of students here at Stanford who are ready to change the world, one song at a time.