Walking through the halls of Millennium Brooklyn High School, you might pass a choir singer, ballet dancer, or piano player. But it’s likely you’re unaware of your peers’ artistic gifts; these talents usually stay hidden due to the limited opportunities for performance at our school. To give these students an opportunity to shine, MBHS started its PHAME talent show back in 2015. This year’s installment unfurls today, May 10th.
The question on everyone’s minds every time this time of year seems to be, “Why the name PHAME?” Well, the name is not spelled in error, but was an intentional choice. The PH references the phoenix, the mythical creature featured in the Millennium Brooklyn school logo. The name also nods to the 1980 musical movie, Fame, where students dance and sing in the halls of their school. Ms. Male, one of the organizers of the talent show, noted that the intentional error allowed for “[Millennium Brooklyn], a new school, [to] kind of brand […] itself a little bit” when the talent show debuted.
The PHAME Talent Show began when MBHS was only four years old, when the school graduated its first senior class. Clubs were still in their infancy, and, up to that point, students had lacked outlets to perform and express themselves. Students who learned music or dance routines in clubs needed a showcase for what they accomplished. So PHAME was born, founded by then drama teacher Ms. Rogan. The event also offered a showcase for students who were not in performance classes to share their talents.
PHAME even managed to survive COVID-19. Millennium held an online talent show through YouTube. But students did not perform live. They sent in videos showing their talents which were then compiled together. “It was nice because you could do your video, like, 30 different times until it was perfect,” Ms. Male recalls. Last year, the talent show returned to a live and in person format for the first time since 2019. “[…W]hen you’re doing it live, there’s something exciting about it because it’s happening in the moment,” Male says. “And the experience is being shared with everybody.” The turnout last year was strong— not just among people wanting to support their friends, but also by people who wanted to see the talent show live for the first time.
The PHAME Talent Show holds auditions roughly a month before the actual performance. In this process, Ms. Male and Mr. Burd, the other faculty organizer of the talent show, look for students who are “[W]illing to put themselves out there […] Kids [who are] brave enough to go up on the stage and try it out.” They also value confidence; if a student is not confident in their act then they are not deemed to be prepared for the talent show. Mr. Burd recalls a time when two students were chosen to perform and kept changing their act. While the talent was there, their performance was not as refined as it might have been had they committed to a routine.
The step club, dance club, and music club do not have to audition for the show. Instead, the members of these groups spend their club time for a portion of the year preparing and perfecting their acts as the talent show serves as the major performance of the year. Though students may miss the seasoned chops of Dr. Rippeteau as emcee, two students are filling her very big shoes: juniors Jerry Chen and Matthew Pham.
If attending the talent show today in the John Jay auditorium, students can expect an afternoon filled with excitement. Many students have already cleared their schedules to watch the talent show, like sophomore Valentina Ferri, who is looking forward to “experience [and enjoy] the interesting talents from my fellow classmates.” Rebecca Yevdayev, also a tenth grader, shares the same sentiment. She plans to attend the talent show after having a blast at the event last year. “I hope the talent show will be just as great, if not better, ” says Yevdayev.
Students like Rebecca will not be disappointed, as some of the crowd favorite performers are coming back. Among the returning performers is sophomore Oumar Brown-Newball, who performed a dance to Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” in 2023. When he started dancing, the audience erupted in applause and cheers. “I’ve always loved being a performer […] and this gave me an opportunity to do that so I jumped at the chance last year… I just loved it, so I wanted to do it again,” says Oumar. And do not fear, his performance this year will also feature Michael Jackson.
This year’s show will not lack new talent, drawing in students who have not yet shared their gifts with the school. Yareli Miranda-Garcia is making her MBHS debut, singing “Think of Me” from The Phantom of the Opera. She decided to audition on a whim.“I was like, ‘If I don’t audition, then I’ll just regret it,’ so I gave it a shot,” she says. This brave decision earned Yareli a spot in the show.
