How Graham Sutton Built a Strong Foundation (Literally) for Westfield Show Choir

Editor's Note: The below content is sponsored by StageRight Corp.

When Graham Sutton was hired as choir director at Westfield High School and embarked on leading the school’s first show choir in summer 2023, he had many choices to make.

One of the less-glamorous ones was how to support his ensemble with a set of show choir risers.

However, for Sutton, it really wasn’t that tough of a decision.

“When I was in high school, we had StageRight risers… there was no other choice in my mind,” he said, calling back to his time climbing under risers in his teenage years. “I knew that it was dependable, safe, and secure, so there was no one else I would rather pick.”

Once the choice was made, it was off to the races.

“We had ordered those risers and they came in very quick,” he said, allowing Westfield Illumination to start off with a proper rehearsal setup.

A sturdy set of risers was even more important for a group of performers that had never tackled this particular art form before, which made Sutton even more grateful.

“You know that there is grip, there is support, that you’re not going to slip and fall on these risers because there’s just solid traction,” he explained.

Westfield "Illumination" performs on a set of StageRight risers at the Brownsburg Bulldog Spectacular on Mar. 14.

StageRight’s familiarity in the show choir community provided an extra security blanket for rookie performers at competitions, according to Sutton.

“Whenever I see a set of StageRight risers [at a competition], I know they’re clamped in the middle. I don’t have to worry about security [for] my kids, because they’re dancing on something that’s secure.”

Under Sutton’s tutelage, Illumination qualified for the ISSMA State Finals in its inaugural season. Year two included a pair of treble finals appearances and another State Finals bid. In its third season, the group really made a name for itself, taking three division wins in 2026 and cracking a three-group finals at a very competitive Chesterton Trojan Classic.

Westfield’s set of StageRight risers has become a valuable part of the magic on stage.

“When you have a set of risers that will support you and sustain you for a whole year and for years to come, that’s not something I have to worry about,” remarked Sutton. “The setup for us is like a well-oiled machine at this point.”

Year four of Westfield show choir will include a debut mixed group, New Dimensions, and an Illumination group that is ready to grow even further. This may mean getting more creative with staging.

“As we look to continue to grow our program, what it means to add more risers and to add different extensions that they provide, that you can just say ‘okay, this is something I need, call my people at StageRight’, and they’re going to tell me exactly what I need.” Sutton explained. “I trust their judgement and I trust what they view as best for my program.”

However high Westfield show choir flies in the future, it is safe to say that they will remain steadily grounded on a set of StageRight risers.