Talent Show Theme Ideas

Talent show coordinators can help performers gain fresh inspiration and stretch their creative wings a bit by choosing a theme for the show. Depending on where your show takes place, talent show themes can simply add to the fun or have an educational element. If you want to make sure your next talent show goes beyond ho-hum, blah, same-old schtick, try one of these theme ideas.

A school talent show might offer students the opportunity to explore the fun side of specific historical periods they have studied by allowing them to dance, sing or tell jokes in a fashion that reflects that era. Teachers can offer information on how the people of that epoch entertained themselves -- whether it's the Big Band Era swing dancing of the 1940s or the traveling minstrels of the European Renaissance. For a family reunion or gathering of old friends, choose an era most attendees remember fondly, perhaps the 1960s. Performers can wear vintage costumes, tell 1960s anti-establishment jokes, or imitate entertainers like Sonny and Cher or John and Yoko.

Celebrate the ways the rest of the world plays. The performances might include African dancing or Irish music, storytelling reflecting the traditions of Indian culture or a flamenco performance. Give performers some advance notice so they can choose a culture, do a little research and prepare a brief, beginner-level performance art from their chosen country, region or ethnic group.

For a grownup talent show, challenge participants to think outside their usual gender roles. Everyone can perform in drag, letting loose a hidden side of their personality. A woman might dress as a tuxedoed magician with her husband as the beautiful assistant in sequins. Some acts could involve traditional drag performances, such as a bewigged and bejeweled man performing Streisand songs. Other acts might involve a more unusual rethinking of gender stereotypes.