Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Glee club sings the night away

Monday, November 4, 2019
Graphic by Madison Stuerman

The Glee Club at Southeast is an organization that puts on performances through music and dance while fostering lasting friendships.

On Saturday, Nov. 2, members performed Broadway show tunes, using props and costumes to go along with each song’s theme.

Members of the Glee Club performed numerous songs including “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from the Broadway musical adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” “The Shuyler Sisters” from the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” “Hakuna Matata” from the popular film “The Lion King,” along with the song “World Burn” inspired by the film “Mean Girls” and the infamous “burn book.”

Members of the Glee Club performed solo songs as well as group numbers. One such member was Southeast junior Kara Lensmeyer, who performed “Dangerous Game.”

“I’m always nervous before my performances, whether my family is there or not,” Lensmeyer said. “It’s not just that I’m scared that something is going to go wrong; I’m excited to finally present something that I’ve been working on for months and months, sometimes years.”

In addition to performing a solo number, she also had the opportunity to perform with her best friend Adrienne Small and her boyfriend, Braden Johnston, both juniors.

“It’s awesome, especially because my boyfriend and I have such great chemistry on stage, and I think that’s how we clicked,” Lensmeyer said. “We were performing together before we got into a relationship. I think that it’s just awesome that he and I just have that chemistry and we know what the other is thinking when it comes to onstage. We know each other so ridiculously well and it’s so authentic.”

The majority of the audience included the family members of some of the Glee Club members who attended the event in the UC Ballroom A to show support.

Emcee Drew Poepping and other club members told jokes in between songs to keep the audience engaged.

Hailey Hampton, Glee Club president, said the camaraderie among members is her favorite part of being a Glee Club member.

“Glee Club is great, but these people are my best friends here,” Hampton said. “I love them. They’re wonderful, and I just like being able to share the love of music and performing with them.”

Hampton has been the president for the past three years and took over the role during her freshman year.

The Glee Club hoped attendees of the event would come out and have a good time.

“Whenever we do a show for people, we want people to come, have fun and come listen to us sing and dance and do what we love,” said Hampton.

Many of the members have been performing their whole lives. Hampton said she has been performing throughout junior high and high school and has been in a total of 18 shows, including 11 musicals and seven plays and was in choir when she was younger.

This proved to be true for other members, too. Lensmeyer said she is 20 years old and began performing when she was five. She has been in plays, musicals, dance groups, various choirs, and Glee Club. She has been in Glee Club since she was a freshman at Southeast.

The Glee Club does many activities to help the community outside of performing, including fundraising and charitable activities for the organization.

“We’ve been doing a lot of bake sales to raise money. Last year, we raised enough money to get a speaker for Homecoming parade so we could record and have it play us singing,” Hampton said.

The Glee Club will accept new members next semester for those interested in joining.

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