Cadence Mimms, a Gate City Charter of the Arts student, sings stands next to her handiwork on display at Big Kahunas.

NASHUA – Students from Gate City Charter of the Arts gathered this week at Big Kahunas to showcase their talents for Open Mic Night. Performances ranged from drum solos to super hero duets to ukulele renditions of “Valerie” to a 10-year-old comedian drawing laughter from the crowd with a fast-paced reel of one-liners. While the kids stood at the front of the stage to give it their all, their families, friends and educators came out to cheer them on and encourage their passions.

“I think the open mic night gives kids a chance to practice, to share their passion and an opportunity to perform in front of people.” said Rich Boardman, the principal and executive director of Gate City Charter School of the Arts. “Performing tonight, we have musicians, vocalists, comedians and we’re also displaying the students’ visual art.”

Artwork by Gate City students were displayed all throughout the restaurant, including work from 9-year-old Cadence Mimms and 8-year-old Troy Frederickson.

“I painted a landscape similar to the ones I’ve done before,” Cadence said, standing next to her painting of a plane flying through a sky that touches the sea. Right below hers was Troy’s architectural painting.

Genevieve Gratton, a Gate City Charter of the Arts student, sings and plays the ukulele at an Open Mic night hosted at Big Kahunas. This event helps foster creativity, self-esteem and confidence.

Troy noted, “My favorite thing to paint is anything having to do with NASCAR, but for this assignment, I made a background using seven different kinds of lines. After that, I pasted on cut-outs of buildings.”

Most of the artwork surrounded the makeshift stage, a brightly lit corner of the restaurant equipped with chairs and mic stands. First to perform and take the spotlight was 7-year-old Josh Lambert, who belted out “True Colors” against a recording of the song’s instrumentation.

Josh commented, “I learned about the song in Trolls just when I was starting to take singing lessons. My music teacher taught me how to sing the Cyndi Lauper version, and I decided to perform it for the open mic night.”

This was Josh’s second time at the Gate City Charter School of the Arts Open Mic Night, and he anticipates performing again at the next one.

“This open mic night has been a great confidence booster and excellent for their self-esteem,” said Josh’s mom, Stacy Lambert.

Photo by Amy DeMien Josh Lambert, a Gate City Charter of the Arts student, sings ‘True Colors’ at Big Kahunas.

Fifteen student acts followed Josh’s, including a ukulele performance by 10-year-old Genevieve Gratton and a stand-up comedy routine by 9-year-old Maya Fredrickson.

“I started playing the ukulele two years ago, and my favorite songs are “Riptide” and “Valerie,” so I was excited to play them tonight.” Genevieve said. “I also play the flute and piano and I figure skate.”

Nine-year-old Maya Fredrickson said, “I came up with most of the jokes, but a couple I got from my dad’s joke book. I love being funny and crazy. Also, I like doing creative writing and art at the same time. I like telling crazy stories that are also inspirational.”

Usually, on the quiet side, Maya, along with the rest of her classmates, held nothing back as they shared their love of music, art and comedy with everyone who came out to enjoy the show including their parents, teachers and fellow peers.

The complete list of performers included Amber Simoneau, Josh Lambert, Charlotte Charest, Annie Charest, Eliza Blanchette, Lilly Souza, Emerson Blanchette, Briar Smith, Nevaeh Smith, Gabe Texeira, Maybelline Hitzeman, Sophia Denman, Maya Fredrickson, Sadie Clarke, Julia Hodsdon, Annabelle Hitzeman, Genevieve Gratton and Savanah McHugh.

“I know these kids in the classroom setting, and in class, they’re church-mouse quiet, but when they get a chance to perform you see a whole new side of them,” said Gate City art teacher Rebecca Fredrickson. “Also, as an art teacher, every opportunity to show off what the students can do and what they’ve learned is great.”

Though the Gate City Charter School Open Mic Night has been held previously at various locations around Nashua, it was the first time the event was at Big Kahuna’s.

“JP, the owner, has a connection to the community and a passion for the arts, so he allowed us to offer our students an open mic night to showcase their talents,” Boardman said.

Owner of Big Kahunas John-Paul Spooner said, “In general, we’ve tried to create an all-inclusive environment with consideration to everyone’s dietary needs and lifestyles. For us to offer this space for students to create and show their work is an honor for us.”

Gate City Charter School of the Arts plans to continue its tradition of providing a platform to showcase their students’ abilities with another Open Mic Night in the near future and hopes more people with come out to show their support.