Student Spotlight is a way for us to recognize our theatre and choral students who have shown exemplary dedication to the arts, academics, and the community.
Malcolm Gerlach grew up watching and looking up to his siblings while they performed in theatre productions at Hanover High School (many of you may remember his brother Ethan Gerlach’s chilling performance as the villainous Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Malcolm, a junior at HHS, is now the lead male tech dancer and routinely performs multiple, high-intensity roles during each production. He first discovered dance during an open stage audition preparation for Hunchback as a freshman. Soon after, he grew to love performing and dancing, specifically, and says he has learned a lot about dance through his peers, and Sarah Flynn, HHS Theatre Department’s choreographer and Artistic Director at Vibe Performing Arts in Gettysburg. Outside HHS, Malcolm has graced the stage as a featured tech dancer under the direction of our very own Rene Staub in both The Belmont Theatre’s West Side Story, and Acts of Kindness Theatre Company’s Newsies and The Addams Family, also choreographed by Sarah Flynn.
As a choral member at HHS under the direction of Olivia Schmidt, Malcolm expresses what he loves most about choir is being able to blend one’s voice with others, and how the finished pieces sound. Malcolm divides his time extensively among many departments, teams, and clubs on campus, participating in soccer, wrestling, and track; he is a member of the National Honor Society, HHS Diversity Alliance, and Key Club; and enjoys all of the responsibilities that come with being Secretary of the Class of 2021. On college, Malcolm told us “I would like to major in dance, psychology, or journalism. I hope to go to school on a sports scholarship.”
Malcolm is always willing to help his fellow students, teachers, and directors. He assists in leading choreography rehearsals with his fellow castmates and tech dancers. His positivity is contagious; he inspires others, especially the younger students and dancers who look up to him. Earlier this month, Malcolm showed us what it truly means to be a Nighthawk at a wrestling match during Biglerville’s Senior Night. Although not out of character, we are happy to share this touching moment in the video below. Malcolm, we are as proud of your humility offstage as we are of your electrifying performances onstage! Thank you for helping make #hpsdawesome