The second annual Evening of the Arts was Yokota High School's student-run showcase of music, theater and visual art at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 16, 2025. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — High school students at this airlift hub in western Tokyo recently transformed their school into a gallery and a stage for a night celebrating creativity, resilience and the arts.
On May 16, students at Yokota High School, part of the Department of Defense Education Activity, welcomed about 100 guests to the campus’ second annual Evening of the Arts, a student-run showcase of music, theater and visual art.
“This was our second year doing this, and it’s the biggest one so far,” Jenny Gaume, a music and physical education teacher, told Stars and Stripes that evening.
The event, held in the school’s Black Box Theater and surrounding atrium, served as the spring concert for Yokota High’s band and choir, as well as a culminating exhibition for students in the arts.
Guests viewed student photographs, paintings and sculptures before taking their seats for a performance of “Persephone,” followed by selected scenes from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and “Romeo and Juliet.” Students managed every element of the productions — from set design to costumes.
Later, visitors returned to the atrium for live music, including solos, duets and a few songs by a student rock band called Donuts of Infinity.
Guests viewed student photographs, paintings and sculptures during the second annual Evening of the Arts at Yokota High School on Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 16, 2025. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)
The second annual Evening of the Arts was Yokota High School's student-run showcase of music, theater and visual art at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 16, 2025. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)
Donuts of Infinity performs during the second annual Evening of the Arts at Yokota High School on Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 16, 2025. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)
The second annual Evening of the Arts was Yokota High School's student-run showcase of music, theater and visual art at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 16, 2025. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)
Student actors perform a scene from "Hamlet" during the second annual Evening of the Arts at Yokota High School on Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 16, 2025. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)
Organizing the music portion of the event was not without difficulty, Gaume told the guests that night. Yokota’s music program struggled to find enough performers to cover the material, she said. To make it work, teachers recruited middle school musicians and student volunteers from outside the program.
Despite those obstacles, the evening brought students together in celebration — especially seniors, for whom the showcase was a final performance before graduation on June 5.
“It was really fun — one of my favorite parts was the first song we did, ‘Green Eggs and Funk,’” senior Spencer Pratt, a flautist, said after the performance. “We were just vibing, it’s fun when it’s like that.”
For some, the event was a launchpad. Senior Emma Smathers, a violinist, said she hopes to pursue music beyond high school.
“I’m ready to graduate and hope to bring my music to college,” she said.
