The Hearts of Showtime

By: Liha Smith

Edited by: Daysha Campbell

A student choreographed dance performance at Showtime.

A line of students hangs out of the gym door and wraps around the Augusta Savage Sculpture Garden. Hundreds of students carelessly trip over one another; unraveling shoestrings and tripping over them once more that it became a finite cycle for just a few more moments. They didn’t mind it though, for the performance today would lift their spirits. Excited, they parade into the gym, toppling over one another as excitement turns them into something more than students, it turns them into people. They scream amongst themselves as the first Showtime of the year is about to begin. Newcomers, more eager than all of us, sit upright in their spot, anticipation wavering over their body. Douglas Anderson’s principal, Timothy Feagins, strides into the center of the gym, microphone clutched in his hand. Knowing what's about to happen, students silence and gave the floor to Feagins.  

“Without further ado, here are your new Showtime hosts of the 2025-2026 school year!” Mr. Feagins announced ecstatically raising his hands to students on the bleachers and on the floor. 

RJ Glover and Alesia Mayo dashes in from around the stage and the gathering of students' belt, “RJ!” and “Go Alesia!”  

What is Showtime? 

One day out of the quarter, students from different art areas gather in the gym where we watch a series of assorted performances. Showtime is substantial for students because it is a way for students to celebrate our art areas and soak in performing. This year, Showtime took place on September 17^th, 2025. Showtime is like our pep rally. We don’t offer sports at DA, but our art is our sport. It’s what we’re primarily known for, and it’s our greatest strength as it closes in the gap of art and academics. This means that we, as students, are well supported and successful in academics, just as we are artistically. We can easily integrate arts into our academic and academic into our art. Both sides work together, rather than against one another. Showtime offers a space of freedom and unison in the DA community as it allows us to appreciate the different variations of art that brings Douglas Anderson together as a whole.  

While the entire DA community wouldn’t fit into the gym solely at one time, there are two separate halves of Showtime. These two separate halves successfully allow the entire DA community to experience the performance, and to also receive updates about what’s going on inside of their art areas. During the first, a selection of art areas, for example, Creative Writing, Visual Art and Vocal, get to watch the performance first half. Then, during the second half, they go to their art area classroom for an art area meeting. This allows students to get updates about their art area. This is convenient for students and art area teachers because they are granted the time to bond and unite every grade level in that art area.  

Showtime Hosts 

Showtime hosts have the biggest impact on the audience; their job is to keep the crowd engaged and in touch with performances. While the entire point of Showtime is to highlight our artistic ability and to unite the DA community, back-to-back performances can get overwhelming for the audience. That is where RJ and Alesia come in to help set the tone for the rest of the show. You could call them the “hearts” of Showtime.  

RJ Glover is a senior at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, where he majors in Vocal. As one of the hosts for the school’s “Showtime,” RJ brings charisma, energy, and humor to the role. He is grateful to be a part of this tradition.  

Alesia Mayo is also a senior at Douglas Anderson School of the arts, where she is a performance theatre major. As the co-host for the school’s “Showtime,” Alesia offers her empowerment, softness, and love of performing to the role. She is the first hostess at Douglas Anderson!  

Hosting is an art form. Showtime hosts not only have to balance their timing, mostly, they also improvise. Improvisation is essential during Showtime because a live performance is truly never predictable. In an interview with RJ Glover, he expresses how most of his deliverance of being a Showtime co-host was off the top of his head but felt natural having a bond with his co-host: “It was a struggle figuring out how to keep the audience entertained. During Showtime, so many things were changed at once. This being my first Showtime set the tone for how the others may go. Luckily, with Alesia changes felt like they weren’t the challenge.” Hosts need to be flexible, for there aren’t any set formats for the show. 

A host’s ability to improvise keeps the energy flowing and prevents silence or awkwardness from breaking the momentum of the show. It transforms mishaps into opportunities for laughter and connection. In that sense, Showtime hosts aren’t just presenters, they are performers, choreographing attention and ensuring that while some things may be unexpected, they are purposeful. In an article titled, “Mastering the Art of Emceeing,” by Speakers Inc. The author goes into thorough detail about mastering the art of hosting. “Establishing a connection with the audience is key to being a great emcee. Interact with the guests, acknowledge their presence, and create a sense of camaraderie. Addressing individuals by name, recognizing achievements, and incorporating personal touches in your hosting can make the audience feel valued and enhance their overall experience.” While Showtime showcases Douglas Anderson’s art areas, hosting is still a major component to the running of the show. Hosts bring us all together. 

Their Chemistry 

While a major part of hosting is being able to uplift and have control of the crowd, it’s important to have strong improvisation skills behind all of this. Improvisation will come naturally if the bond between the co-hosts feels like they are inseparable. Not only that, but the effort also to include the crowd with their tone is effortless, as it invites the crowd to their friendship as well. Chemistry can’t be scripted – it’s earned moment by moment and when it clicks the entire room feels connected. In an article titled, “Double Acts. Dynamic Duos. Co-hosts,” By Elena Guthrie, she talks about having human connection even whilst hosting. “Human beings are hardwired for authenticity and connection; it’s why audio is such a powerful medium. And if you’ve got a co-hosted show that gets that chemistry right, it’s a no-brainer for the listener. Co-hosts also tend to mirror the natural rhythms of a normal conversation, which can make it easier to listen to and digest information.” When things feel natural, like people, we tend to be drawn to that because we feel included and relaxed. With formality, we tense up. We feel as if we have to be on our toes. But, with our current showtime hosts, their bond and friendliness to each other makes everything feel that much more comfortable. 

When the last performance concludes, the hosts meet in acceptance at the end. The final bell rings to end the school day, dozens of students waltz slowly out of door, way less energy than they had walking into the gym. The series of performances left them wondering in anticipation – they had never thought they’d leave with a wave of appreciation.  Showtime hosts bring the audience together, they made us feel like more than students, like humans taking in the nature of art. Showtime hosts remind us that our art makes up a community, Douglas Anderson. Without each other, DA loses its value in a way because one makes up the other, we help build each other up. To understand the importance of Showtime is to recognize the hosts—not as supporting players, but as the centerpieces who make the entire performance possible.  

About the Author

Liha Smith is a guest contributor for The Artisan. She is a sophomore in Creative Writing at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and a WordPress Certified Editor. She has previously been published in Poetry Out Loud Gets Original (2025) and is a Scholastic Gold Key winner (2025). She is the Assistant Director of Black Art Creative Writing.