A disembodied pair of legs are attached to a window overlooking the quad. Bats, enmeshed in cobwebs, decorate a cardboard chandelier and red LED lights wrap around the School Within A School (SWS) lounge. The theme: Halloween.
The lounge was hosting the October Halloween lounge show, the second lounge show of a monthly series that would span the school year. A double postponement meant that the show could not take place until November 6, but that did not deter participants from showing up in costumes. At 6pm the show kicked off a night diverse in its acts and behind the scenes efforts.
A group of pirates got the ball rolling by performing fall-themed songs “Sweater Weather” by The Neighborhood and “We fell in love in October” by girl in red. Another band continued the theme, singing “Season of the Witch” by Lana Del Rey. Students shared other songs, karaoke, original stories and poems over the course of the night. The cozy, relaxed ambiance was attributed to the hard work of the SWS Lounge Show Committee.
Sophomore and SWS Lounge Show Committee member Theo Stokes typically arrives half an hour prior to the show to help set up couches, amps, microphones, drum sets, the PA and lighting. However, Stokes says they don’t mind the extra work.
“It’s not too big of a commitment being on the committee. I like getting there early because I get to hang out and spend more time in the lounge,” Stokes said.
All students in SWS must participate on at least one committee. According to Stokes, these relationships foster community, one of the core values of the program.
“Having to be on a committee is about really being part of the community in a very substantial way, where you have to help plan things as a part of the program. It’s community building,” Stokes said. “Seeing people outside of just advisory, coming to the lounge show and performing, you get to know them better.”
Stokes was looking forward to their band debuting with the song “Season of the Witch,” at the lounge show. They were not the only ones. Thanks to its supportive environment, the lounge show attracts artists with a wide range of experiences, according to Stokes. They explained that as a new band, some members were nervous, however, their talent flourished in the show.
“In general, public speaking and performing in public is very tough to do. I’ve done it a lot in my life, but there are people who really don’t like to do that,” Stokes said. “The show allows people to do things they wouldn’t normally do and express themselves.”
Stokes said that, although almost all of the lounge shows aren’t mandatory, they always attract a considerable crowd.
SWS English teacher and drummer Keira Flynn-Carson supervises the Lounge Show Committee. Ever since her first year in SWS, Flynn-Carson said that the number of musicians in SWS has always stood out to her. As a result, she created the lounge shows as an outlet for students who were in bands, but didn’t have many opportunities to perform. A local band would headline the show and student bands would open for them.
“Growing up in the punk rock scene, it was teenagers who were releasing music, booking tours, putting on shows with their bands. They were doing it and they were just 17,18 years old,” Flynn-Carson said. “I started the lounge shows as a way to initiate that empowering experience for students too.”
Around the time the format of the lounge shows were shifting, Flynn-Carson remembers how the performance was relocated from the Black Box to the SWS lounge in room 402. Flynn-Carson and the committee raised funds to buy equipment, and she trained the lounge show committee members on how to use it.
Flynn-Carson said that after the location change, fewer main school kids attended. To avoid possible substance abuse, SWS students had to carefully consider who they invited outside of SWS.
“These are completely substance free situations. So if someone came under the influence, the kid in SWS bears the consequences of the behavior,” Flynn-Carson said. “Any SWS student can invite any person to come to the lounge show, but that kid can’t perform by themself. This is because we are trying to highlight mostly SWS voices at this point.”
Flynn-Carson said that, for some, the lounge show experience doesn’t end with BHS graduation. She said that she knows many students who were involved on the Lounge Show Committee who went on to start similar performances at their own colleges.
“They figure out a space on campus where they will let them have shows and put the word out for other musicians and artists,” Flynn-Carson said. “I think it’s been empowering for the kids who participate in it. It’s taught them [that] if you want to do something, just start it.”
Junior Ingrid Aumiller, another member of the Lounge Show Committee and an aspiring musician and songwriter, said that she is currently recording a song about her late grandmother with the Brookline Teen Center. Aumiller said that her song is called “Current” and that its music video is set to be released this December.
“I’m really excited because I played it at a lounge show and I had people who really liked it. I’m hoping to play more music and record music,” Aumiller said.
Aumiller said that the lounge shows encourage her to perform more original songs, especially when she can get everyone to sing along.
“People have told me ‘Oh Ingrid, I’m totally going to listen to your music when it comes out!’ Aumiller said. “They really give me a platform.”
While the lounge may not be equipped with a literal stage, students like Stokes say it embodies all other aspects of a real show, achieving the balance between low stakes and high reward for those who choose to put themselves out there.
“You wouldn’t go to a lounge show if you weren’t going to be super excited about going to that lounge show,” Stokes said. “There’s a great vibe in there.”
The lounge show stresses the importance of supporting new and old performances. Over the course of her teaching career, Flynn-Carson said she had witnessed many nervous and timid students find their voice as artists under the lounge spotlight.
“If someone really messes up and wants to start again, everyone claps extra hard for them,” Flynn-Carson said. “The crowd is just so happy that that person is taking that brave step to share their art and building community by doing it.”
