The Wheaton Warrenville South Variety Show has been canceled due to COVID-19, leaving students shocked and upset.

The Variety Show is a South Theater tradition held every March and features many talented South students. Singer, dancers, bands, comedians, kung fu fighters and many other participants who were scheduled to perform their act in front of a packed auditorium on Thursday, Mar. 19, Friday, Mar. 20 and Saturday, Mar. 21, but due to school closing because of COVID-19 the show has been called off. 

Auditions for the show had already taken place and even the line-up of acts was finalized. All the pieces were in place for another great South Variety Show. The news of school and all school-related activities closing for the two weeks before spring break, however, left the performers, the producers and the tech crew for the variety show stunned, especially senior Jimmy Muff. 

Muff, who was the guitarist for one of the bands in the show, was devastated by the cancelation. It would have been his first time performing in front of a large audience since 8th grade band and the Talent Show was an opportunity he had been looking forward to for months. It would have been the perfect ending to Muff’s four years at South. 

Muff and friends thought it would be a very enjoyable experience to start a small band and possibly perform in the variety show since it was their last year at South. Through many hours of practice, his band was selected to participate in the show.

“I saw the Variety Show as a final opportunity to pick up my guitar and perform with my friends in front of the whole school,” said Muff. 

After the shocking news, however, Muff was left speechless.

“All those hours of practice with the band were such a fun experience and I knew performing live in the auditorium would have been even better,” said Muff, “I am most sad about the missed opportunity because it was possibly my last chance to perform in front of a crowd”.

While this pandemic took the final chance away for Muff to perform in front of a crowd, junior, JJ Whiteside, also expressed his frustration about the cancelation. 

Whiteside, also, a very talented guitarist for the other band in the Variety show was disappointed with his band’s missed opportunity to perform this year. Having performed in pubs, Whiteband’s band wasn’t new to performing in front of people and saw it as another opportunity to show their musical talent to the public. 

“My band saw it as a chance to attract some attention from fellow South students who enjoy classic rock music,” said Whiteside.

While upset himself, he feels even worse for the many seniors who unfortunately won’t have a next year to perform like him.

“I wish there was a chance to reschedule the show and give the seniors a chance to perform one last time in front of family, friends and all of South,” said Whiteside. 

South students, parents and teachers are also disheartened by the idea of not being able to see the plethora of talent South has to offer. Everyone at South is now hoping that this pandemic ends soon and that they have the opportunity to see the last South Theater production, the Spring Musical.