Would the Real MC please stand up?

What's the point of hosting a talent show fundraiser if you can't dress up? Multiple times...

At the second annual "Who Knew," featuring 12 parent and teacher acts ranging from country duet to stand-up comedy to seven desperate housewives doing things with irons that Mrs. Brady and Alice could never have imagined, I got to play several parts (not all planned).

First I opened the show as Billy Squire, singing the timeless 1981 classic The Stroke - "Stroke me, stroke me, give me the business all night long." Those tight shiny pants and curled-feathered hair soon gave way to a formal suit as I had the high honour of accompanying Patrick and Marissa's beautiful contact dance performance. For some friends, the biggest "Who knew?!" surprise was that I even own a suit (thanks mom, it didn't get me a job but did get a laugh.)

During break I was told to ramp up the energy a bit, so I started doing a striptease, removing one item between each act. When I caught myself seductively licking my own belt buckle in front of 130 community friends I wondered just how wild the night would get. But fortunately (for the audience), when down to just trousers and undies it was time to do a quick backstage change and come out as Cari's wife for her funny song. I explained to the disappointed audience that the grand finale of my striptease had been canceled now that I was a married lady.

For the second year in a row, we parents and faculty had the glorious chance to let our hair down and just enjoy ourselves as adults. If I as MC go a bit further than most others, it's just blazing a path so that others feel more free to express themselves however that comes out - fighting cats, boot-stompin' sex kittens, banjo-strummin' Kermit covers, clothes-pegged unmentionables, we had it all on stage and on the dancefloor till 1:30am, and all was gloriously received in the spirit of fun and cutting loose. Who Knew setting the tone could require so many costume changes?