Gahanna Lincoln bids goodbye to theater with alumni performance

GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) -- Gahanna Lincoln High School is preparing for its first-ever, all-alumni show, a celebration of the final performance taking place in the Gahanna Lincoln auditorium before it is torn down.

The auditorium has been the home to shows by this theatre group for 40-plus years, but now they are gearing up to say goodbye. 

“I think the really unique part of this of this experience has been the fact that everybody's coming back to a place that they loved and renewing acquaintances, meeting others in a new, new setting, new situation in that we are down to the bare bones of the building in many ways,” Gahanna musical director Jeff Shellhammer said.

The school is being replaced by a new complex, ushering in a new era of Gahanna Lincoln High School Performing Arts, but an idea thought up by the theater department’s leadership was to bring decades of students together for one final show.  

“Being able to collaborate with the people who have been with me for 30 years and the students coming in, getting to see their growth from the students that we've had to the adults, who they are with families of their own,” Gahanna theater director Cindi Macioce said. 

Alumni of this theatre group spanning from 1964 to 2024 have come together for the production of “42nd Street.” These former students have taken time out of their adult lives, some even traveling from other states, to share in this performance, highlighting the lasting effect the program has had on them. 

All proceeds from the shows will go to the Gahanna Jefferson Education Foundation and Gahanna Residents in Need.

Macioce said that though they are excited and hopeful for the future of the department in the new space, the current theatre will always have a special place in their hearts.  

“It's served us well,” Macioce said. “It's been there for us in so many different moments in our lives. It's developed us as people. It's just something that as we come in here every night, we are so fortunate that we are together in this space one more time.”

The show runs from July 25-27. For showtimes, tickets and more information, click here.