The latest victim of defunding the arts is New Trier High School’s beloved 85-year tradition, Lagniappe-Potpourri, the school’s student-written musical variety show, styled as a parody of the school. Over strong objection, the administration recently said the production would be canceled.
Lagniappe is a core part of what makes New Trier, New Trier. Canceling it is a mistake that speaks to a broader trend in society.
As a current student and Lagniappe cast member for the past two years, I recently circulated a petition to save the show, which already has over 1,800 signatures. The comments are incredible, describing how the Lagniappe experience changed lives, teaching critical lessons that cannot be taught in the classroom. New Trier alumna, renowned film critic Nell Minow, explains: “These shows are a vital part of the culture and education at New Trier — the only student-written and composed shows, an enormous opportunity to think critically and wittily about current events at school, in the community, and in the world. The friendships there are made for life.”
New Trier has noted various challenges with Lagniappe. For one, it is difficult to write satire today that is funny yet doesn’t offend. Even SNL sometimes falls flat, and care needs to be taken not to bully. But satire serves an important purpose, using humor to draw attention to important issues. And Lagniappe has always built community, particularly in divided times. Involving upperclassmen in running the underclassmen musical, New Trier’s current proposal, does not accomplish the same goal.
There are also resource challenges. But this is how the arts slowly die off–when schools don’t commit to continuing them in the face of challenges. In Chicago, in the aftermath of the pandemic, funding for the performing arts dropped by 22% between 2019 and 2022. New Trier has an opportunity to lead by example in supporting the arts.
The school has also noted that students aren’t likely to work in sketch comedy. But even so, students are not likely to become professional athletes, yet we aren’t canceling sports.
Additional concerns are reduced student participation (although more than 70 students participated last year) and declining audience attendance. But schools should teach students to fight for what we love, rather than give up when times get tough. New Trier has an opportunity, still, to do the right thing—to signal that the arts are an integral part of who we are as a society.
Ethan Epstein
Glencoe
