By Sarah Carrillo
Staff Writer
Songfest.
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It’s an invaluable part of the college experience for many Pepperdine students. And for four days this week, six groups of students will perform for sell-out crowds in Smothers Theatre.
Although the end result is a spectacular, energetic show, what precedes requires a big commitment from those involved.
“It’s very fun and very challenging and a lot of work and time. But the end result and the relationships that are made in the process make it worth it,” Songfest host Joe Obermueller said.
Involving more than 300 people, Songfest participants work for two weeks to put together a six-minute show with a budget of $400.
“It’s fun to see all my guys … putting effort into putting themselves out there,” Sigma Nu Philip Johnson said.
The production has been a Pepperdine tradition since 1973. The theme of this year’s Songfest, presented by Campus Life, is “City Limits.” Each group’s performance is centered on the life and culture of a different city.
There will be judges at each of the five shows, including some celebrity judges. In the past, celebrity judges have included Dick Van Dyke and Ben Stein. This year Dr. Laura Schlessinger will be one of the celebrities. The judges will score the performances and at the end the points will be tallied up and a winner will be announced. The winner receives a trophy, but the main award is the prestige that the group gains.
“I think (my group) has got as good a chance as anybody,” said Alpha Phi Jen Thomas. “We’ve worked really hard,”.
Corey Greenan, Monica Schneider, Chris Ragland, Lisa Dunn, Joe Obermueller and Elizabeth Walters will host the show.
Throughout the show, the hosts not only present each group, but they also perform musical numbers as well. This year’s songs include “City of Strangers,” “Working Nine to Five,” “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?” and “Smooth Criminal.”
The hosts also sing “You Walk With Me” and “Let There Be Peace” with the rest of the cast.
“It is my third year doing it (hosting),” Greenan said. “It’s a unique experience … you have to be on the ball.”
Most of the groups consist of sororities and fraternities working together. Sigma Nu, Kappa Alpha Theta and Gamma Phi Beta have teamed up and chosen Las Vegas as their city. One of the group’s directors Lane Baker said that the story centers on Elvis, who is trying find a female lead for his new show. The musical numbers include “She Works Hard for the Money” and “Lady Marmalade.”
“The number one purpose of Songfest, above the competition and stress, is to come together with others and have fun and show the work we have put into it,” Baker said.
Sigma Chi, Kappa Kappa Gamma and the Pi Beta Phi have also teamed up. The title of their show is “Not Quite Famous,” an endeavor that showcases people and things from Seattle that are well-known, like Starbucks, Bill Gates and the show “Frasier,” before they were famous.
The group uses parodies of songs from the alternative band Nirvana and rapper P. Diddy.
“(Songfest) gives non-theater people the opportunity to be in a professional performance and have the feeling to performing,” director Christy Carr said.
Delta Gamma, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Alpha Phi have chosen the city of New Orleans as the setting for their performance. According to director Julieanne Leupold, the story takes place during Mardi Gras and has a plot line similar to Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” with the Blues Brothers as characters. The group uses a few pop songs in their performance, including “You Drive Me Crazy” and “No Scrubs.”
“This is the most challenging show I have ever done,” Leupold said. “We have a tap number, a jazz number, a ballroom dancing number and a host of songs from rock and roll to folk music.”
Another all-Greek group is Delta Delta Delta and Beta Theta Pi. This group chose the city of Troy, the only ancient city in Songfest. According to directors Jonathan Gold and Nicole Ashlock, the story is a satire of the Iliad and Helen of Troy, complete with a Trojan horse. The group’s performance begins and ends with the song “Come Sail Away.”
“Having never directed before, it’s all new to me … it was difficult in the beginning but it worked really well,” Ashlock said.
Gold agreed that the hard work does pay off.
“As stressful as it’s been, it’s worth it,” Gold said.
Not everyone that participates in Songfest is in a sorority or fraternity, however. This year there are two groups that include non-Greek students. One is Gamma GHKKKKKET Sigma and friends, led by Jack Parmelee. The group’s city is Rome, and despite some setbacks, including one member of the group dropping out, another getting sick and still another on crutches, the group has pulled together.
“There are always problems and you have to work through them,” Parmalee said. “(However,) it’s been an overall really good experience.”
The plot of Gamma GHKKKKKET’s performance includes a bicycle race between Californian surfers and the Italian mafia. The race is highlighted by Queen’s song “Bicycle Race.”
The final group participating in Songfest is United Colors, Psi Upsilon and friends. Directors Chris Collins and Jeremy Johnson have chosen to take a slightly different approach to their performance than the rest of the groups.
“(Our performance) is not just pop culture but it has meaning,” Collins said. “We wrote the script a year ago and applied it to the theme.”
According to Collins, the plot takes place in Chicago during prohibition and is focused on the working people trying to uplift themselves. The group opens with the opening number from “The Lion King” and also includes a stomp routine.
Participating Groups
GROUP: Sigma Nu, Kappa Alpha Theta and
Gamma Phi Beta
CITY: Las Vegas
PLOT: Elvis needs a female lead for his show
GROUP: Sigma Chi, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Pi Beta Phi
CITY: Seattle
PLOT: Starbucks, Bill Gates, “Frasier” show before they were famous
GROUP: United Colors, Psi Upsilon and friends
CITY: Chicago
PLOT: Working people try to uplift themselves during prohibition
GROUP: Delta Delta Delta and Beta Theta Pi
CITY: ancient Troy
PLOT: Satire of the Homer’s “Iliad” and the story of Helen of Troy
GROUP: Gamma GHKKKKKET Sigma and friends
CITY: Rome
PLOT: A bicycle race between California surfers and the Italian mafia
GROUP: Delta Gamma. Sigma Phi Epsilon and Alpha Phi
CITY: New Orleans
PLOT: Parallel to Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”
March 14, 2002