Show’s over for Lagniappe-Potpourri — New Trier’s 86-year-old music and sketch tradition

It’s curtains for a beloved 86-year-old show at New Trier High School.

Lagniappe-Potpourri, a student-led variety show, is no more, according to school officials, who decided in December to cancel the fall program that dates back to 1939.

New Trier’s Winnetka campus Principal Denise Dubravec told The Record that participation in Lagniappe continues to decline, making it difficult to maintain the show’s student-led format.

“Over the last five years, kids are doing different things in their lives and we’ve seen fewer and fewer students participate,” she said. “More adults have had to step into roles (leading the program) because of the lack of interest.”

Lagniappe began as a talent show and fundraiser for New Trier’s Tri-Ship club. It evolved into a performance of sketches, skits and musical numbers written and directed by students. When in 1965 the school split into New Trier East and New Trier West, East ran Lagniappe and West ran a similar show called Potpourri. When the schools became one again in 1981, they combined the shows’ titles, according to a history of the program published by the New Trier News.

In recent iterations, as many as 90 students participated in Lagniappe, whether on the leadership board, in the cast, in the pit band or on the tech crew. They are guided by a group of about 10 staff mentors each year. The most recent Lagniappe ran in September 2024.

Dubravec said the decision to cancel had nothing to do with the cost and resources necessary to produce the show. The cancellation was also not related to the impending retirement of Nina Lynn, the program’s longtime staff sponsor and producer.

In lieu of Lagniappe, New Trier reportedly is creating a student board that will be responsible for the production of the school’s annual freshman-sophomore musical, including set design, choreography, costume design, direction, tech and more.

Many in the community, however, believe it is not the right time to give up on Lagniappe.

An online petition titled “Save Lagniappe Potpourri” has close to 2,000 signatures (1,972 as of press time) and dozens of comments from former cast members praising the program’s importance and criticizing the decision to cancel.

New Trier junior Ethan Epstein initiated the petition and has participated in Lagniappe twice. He said that it’s clear the program has encountered recent difficulties but canceling it is an overreaction.

“A lot of challenges (administration) mentioned are absolutely challenges … but I think a lot of the challenges can be fixed,” he told The Record. “Give students the agency to fix these challenges. They can be overcome.”

Then there’s the community connection. Epstein said he heard from numerous alumni who were shocked by the cancellation and asked how they could help.

With an 85-year history, and 75 or more participants each year, Lagniappe weaves a web through New Trier’s alumni network all the way back to its current student population.

Numerous comments on the petition detail how the Lagniappe experience has positively impacted the commenter’s life, whether along a career path or life’s journey in general.

According to one user, Jennifer, “As the child of a New Trier alum, one of the greatest connections with my dad was participating in Lagniappe/Potpourri when I attended New Trier. The camaraderie with my fellow Lag/Pot team has kept our friendships through the years (I graduated in 1988), and the leadership and cooperative work ethic served me well through college and life.”

For Glencoe resident Dan Ponce, a musician and WGN-TV anchor, Lagniappe’s impact is indisputable.

He told The Record that Lagniappe was his first go as a writer and kickstarted a musical career that led to the creation of Straight No Chaser, a renowned a cappella group, in 1996 on the campus of Indiana University.

“I say this sincerely: My love for music goes back to New Trier and especially to Lagniappe,” said Ponce, who wrote much of the show’s music his junior and senior years. “Lagniappe gave me the idea to write songs. … When I heard they were canceling Lagniappe, I was really, really disappointed. I always thought it was a great space for kids to find confidence as writers and creators.”

The far-reaching impact of Lagniappe is not lost on Dubravec and New Trier. The principal said the school is proud of how Lagniappe and other productions have prepared and inspired New Trier students into their futures.

And while the show has evolved and it’s time for change, she said, performing arts are “alive and well” and remain a hallmark of the high school.

“We are committed to the performing arts and care very deeply about students having connection and belonging to the school,” she said. “It’s a very important place for students and we know that. We want to do what can to support our programs and continue to evolve.” 

The in-development student board for the frosh-soph musical covers the student-leadership piece that Lagniappe heralded, but it cannot replace all the benefits of the program.

The frosh-soph musical is a completed work. It needs no writing. Dubravec said for starters New Trier offers sketch comedy classes and clubs to help enable young creators. And moving forward she said administrators plan to meet with students to identify where the school can bolster its offerings to meet student needs.

“This is what we’re trying to do, here is what we have: What’s missing, what can be enhanced, where are the gaps,” she said about how the school will work with students. “They’ll be working with us in February and beyond to look at opportunities we have and what else we can explore.”

While Epstein and others understand how Lagniappe has changed through the years, its benefits and originality make it too special to cut, he said.

As an intro to the online petition, Epstein wrote that he and other performing arts students have ideas on how to breathe new life into Lagniappe and he hopes the school’s administration will give them a chance.

“Lagniappe Potpourri is more than a tradition—it is a rite of passage,” he wrote. “It would be a great disservice to the New Trier community for Lagniappe to be canceled.”

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