Sketch Comedy Showcase is one of 2 programs set up to replace New Trier’s storied Lagniappe variety show

In past years, and for decades, September has been crunch time for New Trier High School’s longtime flagship performance Lagniappe-Potpourri.

The student-run sketch and variety show, however, notably exited stage left from New Trier’s fine arts catalogue last year.

While this will be the first New Trier school year without Lagniappe since 1939, administrators believe they have a pair of alternatives to fill the void — both of which will culminate with performances in the spring of 2026.

As previously reported, New Trier has launched a student leadership board to produce the frosh-soph musical “Willy Wonka.”

New Trier Communications Director Niki Dizon said that 19 students were selected for the leadership board and they will serve as the show’s producers, directors, choreographers, pit conductors and more.

Dizon said the board “gives students a chance to run a production with the guidance of adult mentors.” She called it a “unique opportunity” for high school students, adding that the show will be the focus of the performing arts department in the fall.

“We had an enthusiastic response to this new leadership opportunity, with more applications than positions available, even with the department expanding the number of leadership roles,” Dizon wrote to The Record in an email.

Dizon said, however, that school officials heard from students that the leadership board was not enough, and there was “one missing element”:

Writing and performing sketch comedy, a backbone of Lagniappe.

With that feedback in mind, the school has created a new program, a Sketch Comedy Showcase, that will debut on March 19, 2026, in Hayes-McCausland Theatre at New Trier’s Winnetka campus.

New Trier’s comedy club, a new extracurricular offering, will produce the showcase and all interested students can join the club, Dizon said. The club’s meetings will be purposefully flexible to enable “as many students as possible” to participate, she said.

The showcase will include original sketches that students write and perform and may also include improv, parody songs and more, Dizon said.

“Since this is a student-led club, we will have more details about the performance closer to the date,” she said. “We are excited to promote this new production next spring.” 

Lagniappe began in the mid-1900s 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.

The program was canceled, according to school officials, primarily because of decreasing attendance and participation. Students, parents and alumni fought the decision and urged administrators to reconsider.

New Trier alumna Meredith Wheeler in early 2025 rallied nearly 300 NTHS alumni to sign her open letter to school officials in opposition of Lagniappe’s cancellation.

Wheeler was “delighted” to learn of the school’s decision to bring back student-run performances.

“I am delighted that New Trier and the School Board listened to the wider New Trier community — including alumni — and paid attention to the widespread community support for Lagniappe,” she wrote to The Record. “This feels even more important these days. … It cannot be good to block avenues of creative expression for teenagers — and any moves that appear to be shutting down that ability to speak out are unwelcome.”

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