Eric L. Holland, Superintendent Rome City School District | http://www.rcs.rome.ga.us/
Eric L. Holland, Superintendent Rome City School District | http://www.rcs.rome.ga.us/
Grand Finale, the award-winning show choir from Rome High School, has brought a classic board game to life with their 2025 competition show "Whodunit." The production is inspired by the popular game Clue and features students portraying iconic characters like Colonel Mustard, Professor Peacock, and Mrs. Scarlet. This week, the show was staged for elementary school students as part of preparations for the upcoming competition season.
Dr. Cody Goss, Director of Grand Finale, shared that the idea for this season's theme came from the students themselves. "The kids came up with it," he said. "The students started advocating for a Clue-themed show... I loved this idea." Students even presented PowerPoints to pitch their concept before collaborating with a designer in Chicago to bring it to fruition.
Preparation for the competition began last April and continued through in-service training in July. Dr. Goss noted, "We've had a good five to six-month run working on it so far."
Grand Finale will kick off their competition season at the Diamond Classic in Albertville, Alabama this weekend and will also compete in Nashville and Tift County. A notable change this year is that Rome High will host its first-ever show choir competition on February 22nd, featuring 16 different choirs.
"We hope a lot of people come to our contest," Goss said. "We have 16 show choirs coming in... There's a lot of good stuff happening." Both Grand Finale and Rome Middle School's Grand Illusion will perform but not compete since they are hosting.
During performances for school children, audience reactions were enthusiastic, reflecting both enjoyment and energy from performers on stage. Dr. Goss emphasized that showing excitement is crucial: “We tell them all the time that part of the show is to look like you're having a great time.”
A unique aspect of "Whodunit" is that each performance reveals a different cast member as the murderer, requiring cast members to learn additional songs while offering audiences varied experiences each time they attend.
Grand Finale plans one final performance on March 13 at Rome's city auditorium.
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