By Mary Katherine Brost

Every year, on the morning of Thanksgiving Eve, Middle and Upper School girls anxiously wait to discover the much anticipated theme of Brunch. In May, the Junior girls gathered and voted on the Brunch 2023 theme. They worked tirelessly throughout the summer to write the script, and then in the fall they worked on dances and practiced scenes. Co-Chairs Katherine O’Toole (‘25), Georgia Eastep (‘25), and Elle Mitchell (‘25) work with faculty advisers to make sure all the parts to Brunch get done. They are responsible for ensuring that each committee completes their set task and helping keep everyone on track. Faculty sponsors that spend countless extra hours at school working on Brunch include Upper School Spanish teacher Hannah Curley, Upper School French teacher Laurel Maughan, Upper School counselor Antenette Stokes, and Upper School biology teacher Caroline Riina, along with those who help in theater, including Director of Arts Mike Boyd, Theater Production Technician Ellie Wilder, and Technical Coordinator Gabe Yelanjian. 

5th Grade girls performing “12 Days of Christmas.”

Once all the 5th through 12th Grade girls arrived at school, the Junior girls ran through the halls and brought everyone back to Oates Theater. At the beginning of each Brunch, the 5th grade girls sing the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” Brunch then commenced with a scene from the popular TV dating show Too Hot To Handle. Characters from Hannah Montana, The Lorax, The Smurfs, Shrek, and Frozen all waited on stage to reveal who would be chosen to protect the Senior girls’ presents. One by one, each group was eliminated until The Lorax characters were the last ones standing. 

It was a shock to find out that the theme was The Lorax, as fake themes such as Disney’s Descendants were strong contenders. Many Senior boys tried to spoil the theme, thinking it would be Descendants. Senior Charlie Miller (‘24) said, “I was in Honors Gender and Society class and heard a classmate talking about Brunch and wanted to act like I knew the theme, so I told everyone it was Descendants.” The rumor of the theme immediately spread, and most Senior girls believed Miller was right. 

After the Junior girls heard that everyone thought the theme was Descendants, they added a scene the night before Brunch that included Descendants. When The Lorax was revealed, two Junior girls dressed as Descendants characters appeared from the curtains and made fun of the Senior girls for believing the Senior boys.

Brunch dance. 

Throughout the performance, The Lorax characters were played by Lawson Vaughan (‘25) (Audrey), Harper Murphy (‘25) (The Lorax), Catherine Rohr (‘25) (Ted), and Amelia Chen (‘25) (Grammy Norma). Their main job is to protect the Senior girls’ presents, but after leaving them unattended, the villains, played by Elle Domson (‘25) (O’Hare) and Bridgette Schutt (‘25) (the Onceler) stole them. 

One of the highlights every year is seeing what random pop culture references and stars will appear. Characters such as Trisha Paytas, Taylor Swift, DJ Khaled, St. Christopher’s lacrosse boys, Ice Spice, and Travis Kelce were all featured. Senior Chloe Miles (‘24) thinks “Madison Lewis (‘25) (who played Trisha Paytas) was one of the funniest feature characters in the whole Brunch.” Not only were several famous people included, but Collegiate administrators and teachers were both played by Junior girls, or they appeared on stage to play themselves. Mary Ann Zyglocke (‘24) played Head of Upper School Patrick Loach, and Upper School chemistry teacher Dr. Matt Togna appeared on stage as himself to explain a chemistry concept. 

Along with comedic scenes, Brunch featured five dances choreographed by certain junior girls. Molly Rolfe (‘25) and Olivia Bowman (‘25) were the dance co-chairs and, along with their committee, choreographed the dances. The songs included “Crazy in Love,” “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!,” “How Bad Can I Be,” “1, 2 Step,” and “Ready For It.”  

At the end of each Brunch, the Junior girls sit on the stage to sing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” along with an additional song that varies each year. This year, they sang Hannah Montana’s, “I’ll Always Remember You,” which caused tears among the exhausted Juniors and Seniors. 

The Brunch villains.

Overall, the class of 2025 did an amazing job putting together Brunch. Each scene, pop culture reference, and dance was so well done. Domson’s witty and entertaining portrayal of Aloysius O’Hare was truly the highlight of Brunch. Miles explained that, “Elle Domson put on the performance of a lifetime.”

All the traditions that come with Brunch, such as whistle morning Fleur Morning, bring the Senior and Junior girls together. Senior Meredith Lanning (‘24) said, “I felt like I got closer with my own class but especially closer with the Junior girls.” Junior Maddie Jewett (‘25) said Brunch was “The best day ever.”

All photos courtesy of Collegiate School.