Larry Zeiger, mastermind of 31 years of musical reviews at Point Loma High School (PLHS), started the annual end-of-school productions “Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance” as something different — “an opportunity to have the kids develop their own stories for musicals.” Now, “Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance” has its own Hall of Fame, celebrating 31 years of musical commentary by PLHS students. The grand opening of the Hall of Fame will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the PLHS media center/library. Zeiger retired from teaching in 2007 after 33 years at Point Loma High. He says the annual year-end production began as an English class for advanced students. “It was a program where I wanted to empower students as leaders in the arts, as actors, costumers, choreographers and writers and directors,” Zeiger said. “We would develop stories and integrate popular songs and songs from theatrical work, and occasionally, students would write songs to advance the plot and to develop a musical.” The resulting productions usually grew into fascinating hybrids featuring a complex storyline that often mixed world events and celebrity reports, tied together with songs and dance numbers. Take, for example, the 2003 show “Sticky Fingers.” The storyline begins in a missile site in North Korea and winds to Hollywood, where it focuses on the infamous Winona Ryder shoplifting incident. That production received tremendous worldwide publicity, covered by everyone from CNN and People Magazine to the New York Post and Rome’s La Republica. Whether or not the revues garnered worldwide attention, each of the 31 productions achieved its goal of empowering students and pleasing the audience. Most of those years, Zeiger took photographs of every song performed. Those pictures have been collected and will be displayed as part of the current exhibit. They will make up most of the open house exhibition on Oct. 11. Also running concurrently will be a multi-media presentation of the photos, accompanied by music. The latter was created by Anthony Palmiotto, media arts teacher, and student Ricardo Reyes. By Oct. 1, Zeiger had already received more than 100 RSVPs, mostly from former students, many of whom promise to attend dressed in costumes worn during the shows. That kind of enthusiasm is typical of Zeiger’s students. His approach to teaching always went far beyond today’s standardized testing, encouraging students to learn by active involvement in and enjoyment of his creative productions. Zeiger’s approach to education helped not only students who went into arts-related fields, but also those who have pursued more traditional careers such as law and medicine. Many past students credit Zeiger’s classes for their success in life. Preserving that kind of legacy is part of what Shannon Toyzan, PLHS’s library-media teacher, wanted to do when she offered space in the school library for the current Hall of Fame exhibition. “Larry has had such an impact on so many Point Loma seniors,” said Toyzan. “Over the years, students continue to stay in touch with him. And a lot of family history is here [in this exhibit], too. I’ve already had students coming in and saying, ‘That’s my mother,’ or ‘That’s my sister or brother’ when they see these pictures,” said Toyzan. “It would be such a shame if all that history disappeared.” She plans to leave the exhibit up indefinitely. Anyone who wants to see it can go to the school and stop by the office to sign in. “Larry Zeiger recognizes and brings out the best in everyone,” Toyzan said. Following the afternoon opening of the Hall of Fame on Oct. 11, a reception will take place at Tender Greens at Liberty Station from 4 to 6 p.m. Tender Greens, a new restaurant noted for fresh, organic ingredients, is run by two PLHS graduates, Rian Brandenberg and Pete Balisteiri. The “Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance” Hall of Fame exhibition is free and open to the public. The deadline to reserve tickets for the reception, however, has passed. But the $15 ticket includes $5 donation to the scholarship fund to honor the memory of several late “Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance” members.