Jordan Chan
Editor in Chief
After a three-year hiatus, Los Gatos High School’s annual teacher variety show, Fractured Follies, has returned. This beloved tradition, spearheaded by AP English Literature teacher Paris De Soto, features 30 to 40 LGHS faculty members who put away their teacher personas for two consecutive evenings to don colorful costumes and show off a multitude of talents — twirling, singing, playing instruments, and more — for their students. The show opened on Thursday, May 25.
Fractured Follies traditionally sells out, with profits from each 15-dollar ticket going towards charity. This year, the charity is The Health Trust, a local non-profit organization that aims “to build health equity in Silicon Valley” through a few major focuses, particularly one that increases people’s access to healthy food.
Highlights of Fractured Follies’ first showing included the LGHS Teacher Band, the opening number — a dance to Footloose — and the closing number to Pink’s Never Gonna Not Dance Again. At the end of the show, all of the teachers came together on stage wearing matching Fractured Follies t-shirts.
This year, fellow teachers Kurt Kroesche and Kevin Rogers acted as masters of ceremonies, and Christine Chiodo — whom De Soto emphatically claimed to be “an organizational goddess” — joined the team as a producer. Countless hours went into the planning and execution of the event by both the main team and the performers; starting after spring break, dancers practiced during lunches and after school, members of skits organized separate rehearsals, and the teacher band prepared their repertoire on weekends.
Despite the many stressful hours of planning, De Soto expressed that it was all worth it. “I just love watching everyone have a good time,” she explained, “[and] instead of having all these divisions, [the community can] all have fun together.” She also mentioned that the audience’s enthusiastic reactions — as well as the buzz of excitement on campus after opening night — are some of her favorite parts of Fractured Follies: “I tell the people in the show, ‘You can do anything, and they will freak out and applaud…the best audience ever.’” Teacher Band member Matt Holm, who played a song dedicated to the student community, echoed this sentiment, “The best part of the night by far is the crowd because they’re so positive and encouraging and eager to clap, sing, and dance along. They really just make the night.”
Holm also alluded to how the return of the show following the pandemic made it more meaningful. “The last few years have been challenging…so it does feel extra special this year.” Reflecting on why Fractured Follies is so wonderful, he continued, “Teachers and students have spent so much time in these defined roles, and to have a night where you get to just be humans is very freeing and delightful. And it releases a lot of the anxiety and tension that has a tendency to build up over the course of a long year.”
To see the last performance of Fractured Follies on May 26, you can buy your ticket for 15 dollars on GoFan or follow the instructions on the pink posters around campus — as long as seats haven’t sold out.