Fedora. Glasses. Mustache. Clenched shoulders. A mythic character touts into the spotlight with precise steps, his sleeves rolled up beyond the elbow to display an appropriate amount of the gun show that is his arms.
And then, he speaks:
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Mr. Donahue squeaks out to the gathering audience in the Lecture Hall, pronouncing ‘gentlemen’ not so gently, “We will be having a show tonight, and I expect all of you to enjoy yourselves.” Even when he’s supposed to be relaxed, he’s still commanding, occasionally pumping up those shoulders to get all the recruits to respect his authority.
Suddenly, he points a finger at a student, the crowd reacting as if he just shot a colt .45. “You, button your top button.” A kid rushes to check it, panicking because he let himself grow too comfortable with the notion that he was safe from him.
The crowd is left bewildered. Questions arise. Why is Donahue commanding us to laugh? How did he even track us here?
In the end, we realize that the man behind the mustache is none other than Paul Kolker, “Kooker,” or “The Mighty Kolk,” as he is known among his students. This was only the opening act to Jesuit’s first Hilarity for Charity that premiered May 8th to open the Film Festival. Mr. McGhee, Mr. Hornsby, Mr. Luisi, Mr. Dondis, and of course Mr. Kolker are the brave teachers who trail blazed that night.
After a packed semester of sending the infamous “Faculty All emails”, getting the project approved, handling logistics with donations, deciding on the venue, getting acts made, and even setting practice rehearsals, the show finally proved successful. In this event, Jesuit raised over $200 for the HeartGift foundation, not too shabby for a few teachers being themselves and gathering volunteered donations, not shabby at all.
Here’s what the show looked like:
Act 1: Introduction and Donahue impression
Act 2: From the News Desk with Mr. Dondis
Act 3: Mr. Kolker’s Improv Birthday Party
Act 4: The Very Bad Essay
Act 5: Cheat Sheet Answers
Reflecting on the work we’ve done this year, I’d say the team performed very well and definitely made enough of a show to return for many years to come. I’d like to say thank you Mr. Kolker, “Coach,” as he is known among his students, for his amazing work in keeping in touch with Stetson, Parker, and I throughout this semester. As well as for his great work as he pulled through at the end, organizing practice sessions, and of course, for hitting the send button for the mythic “Faculty-All” emails.
I’d like to also say thank you to Mr. Mattachione for helping us get the project together in the first place, as well as helping us choose an organization to support, and giving us that initial flare of optimism we needed to get anywhere with this project. To add to the list of supporters, I’d like to say thank you to Mr. Joe Howard and Patrick Joseph, for providing our team with a stylish logo, as well as Mr. Myers, for being open in letting us work together to get both of our new projects out there, together and successfully. And finally, all the teachers who participated including Mr. Hanley, for giving us the name “Hilarity for Charity.”
Lastly, I’d like to say it was a great show boys, and I’m super excited to return next year to see what you (Parker Allen, Beomhak Lee, and Mr. Kolker, “Mr. Playa,” as he is known among his students) have done!
Also, consider donating here:
http://www.giveforward.com/dashboard/fundraiser/262785/team/add
