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Show up, sign up, get up: Open Mics provide space for performance, self-expression, and fun
Hosted by the Interdisciplinary Arts Division, the informal events empower students of all majors to share new ideas, get audience reactions to works-in-progress, and showcase talents outside their artistic discipline.
Audiences watch a recent Open Mic performance.
Each year, Interlochen Arts Academy students stage hundreds of performances, presentations, and exhibitions. These events are the culminations of weeks, months, or even years of practice and preparation. But what if you want to see how an audience responds to a work that isn’t quite ready for a formal performance—or want to showcase a talent outside your major?
Enter Open Mics. Hosted by the Interdisciplinary Arts Division three to four times per semester, Open Mics offer a space for students of all majors to present work in an informal setting.
“We provide the sound system, we provide projections, and we provide a venue,” says Director of Interdisciplinary Arts Clyde Sheets. “All students have to do is show up, sign up, and get up there and do what they want to do.”
Interdisciplinary Arts students are involved in every aspect of each show—from promotion to production—which enables them to gain experience managing live events.
“Our students are the hosts for the evening,” Sheets says. “They greet people at the door, make the list of performers, and emcee the entire show. They do some of the production work with lights and sound. Students also learn about how to promote an event.”
Interlochen’s Open Mic nights are part of a global tradition of similar events. Sheets says that Open Mic events—whether at Interlochen or at venues across the world—celebrate the process of art-making and help artists fine-tune their works to ensure they’re received in the way the creator intended.
“Open Mics are a chance for our students to understand that polish isn’t always the outcome, and that it isn’t always required to put work in front of people,” Sheets says. “In the great history of Open Mics, they’re opportunities to try something out that you haven’t done before and see how an audience reacts. You can see what the reaction is, and you can make changes based on how the audience reacted.”
A student performs at a recent Open Mic event.
At Interlochen, Open Mics also serve a secondary purpose: Providing a platform for students to share works and talents that lie outside their major. Students of all majors are welcome—and encouraged—to participate. Past events have included a wide variety of performances, such as stand-up comedy, spoken word, original songs, karaoke, and short films.
“There’s really no limit to what can be done at Open Mic: You just have to keep it under five minutes,” Sheets says. “We’ve had a lot of examples of visual arts students performing songs or music students who will show a film that they’ve made or do a stand-up comedy routine. It really helps everyone put into perspective that we’re all multifaceted creators and aren’t just defined by our major.”
Most importantly, Open Mics are a welcoming space for performance, self-expression, and community. Sheets calls it “the safest audience on campus.”
“It’s always accepting, it’s always generous with its praise, and it’s always open to new things,” he says. “There’s a forgiving element to it: If you start a song and your guitar’s out of tune, you’re welcome to stop and tune. It’s a warm and friendly environment to take risks and have fun.”
