Though I don’t perform formally, I have had a knack for musical theater for as long as I can remember. I learned tap and jazz dance from the age of 5 to 18, and was in choir for years before joining band instead. The release of the Les Miserables film (2012) turned into a two-year obsession, followed then by a love for Hamilton — maybe revolution-themed musicals are just … my thing?
Fast forward to January 2023 — the Undergraduate Accounting Society at UCSB had just announced their annual “UAS Got Talent” Show, with the grand prize being $1,000. I reached out to my friends and fellow Gaucho Creative members, and we got to work.
After racking our brains for the perfect show-stopping number, we decided on performing an economics-themed parody to the opening number from the Book of Mormon, “Hello”. Two weeks after creating our initial tryout video in 30-minutes in the campus practice rooms, we were extended an offer to perform and compete among 9 other acts! Approaching the show, we rehearsed during lunch breaks, after GC meetings, and our practice recording replaced my previous bike-to-school songs.
Show day came around, and despite the pouring rain (which is a big deal in Santa Barbara), over 20 of our friends came to support our performance. To be honest, I was not sure what to expect. Not only was our act the “sore thumb” of sorts compared to the other piano players, dancers, and singer-songwriters, but this was actually the first broadway-esque performance I had done in my life despite my background.
Not only did we win, but I got to live out my broadway dream and have a “getting handed a big check” moment. While we did have to split the check three ways, our celebration included a dinner at Chili’s and tickets to see the Book of Mormon at the Granada Theater in Santa Barbara. This was, without a doubt, a highlight of my undergraduate career!
PS: Our team name A = B + E is a play on the basic accounting principle that states assets are equal to the sum of liabilities and equity, A = L + E. Given that we already had two of the three correct letter-initials in our trio, that was the winning name!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0YJlDeZfi4
