SHANNON URTNOWSKI
News Editor
This year’s Songfest theme, “Stay Tuned,” says it all. The event has caused televisions campus-wide to go unwatched while those in the community focus on the “glamorous, bright and shiny” annual variety show, according to executive director Sam Parmelee.
“I think this overall theme lends itself to really good, funny performances,” said junior Christina Ingram, the student director of one of the six groups, Survivor of the Singest.
With the first two nights of Songfest completed, tonight marks the first show by the six groups to be judged. The upcoming Songfest performances will continue through Saturday and be judged by various entertainment-industry officials and Pepperdine community members. They show in Smother’s Theatre at 8 o’clock each night, with an additional matinee performance on Saturday at 2 p.m. The team with the most accumulated points from each night will win the Songfest Sweepstakes Award.
This year marks the largest-ever student participation in Songfest, according to music director Chris Stivers, with about 400 students taking the stage throughout the show.
“It’s an opportunity for people who never thought they would be on stage and may never be on stage again to have that opportunity to put a lot of time and effort into the production of the show,” Stivers said. “The show’s purpose is to entertain and uplift an audience. For some, this experience is something they’ve never done before and never thought they’d do before.”
The show, which will feature a live orchestra, is comprised of six performances lasting 8 to 12 minutes and various skits by the Songfest hosts to bridge the others together. The groups based their performances around different television themes, such as reality television and “American Idol.”
Stivers has been working with the music since October and said the sound is balanced.
“I’d say it has a lot of variety,” Stivers said. “There’s some groups that tend to pick more pop, there’s some groups that tend to pick more Broadway.”
Each performance features singing, dancing, vibrant sets, unique costumes and original scripts. They are limited to 12 minutes, and only two minutes within this period can be dialogue.
“This, in turn, makes it more fun for everybody because you can spend more time rehearsing and everybody’s involved,” Parmelee said.
And, according to Parmelee, the heart of Songfest lies within the students who participate.
“I think with Songfest, when students participate in that, they tend to remember it forever,” Parmelee said. “Some of people’s biggest memories of college come from their Songfest experience, which is crazy because it’s singing and dancing in the middle of the night. But, it brings people together and they have this experience that they really take with them for a long time. It’s amazing how many relationships are formed.”
As Songfest is open for all to participate, of which many have not often been aware, and has such a positive impact on the lives of many students, according to Parmelee, he said he hopes to see participation increase even more next year.
“Anybody can do Songfest,” Parmelee said. “If you step forward and you have a group or you’ve created a group, you are a group.”
Friendships and life-long memories form through Songfest, according to Parmelee.
“It’s not so much about the arts and performing, nearly as much as it is about community, involvement and enjoying each others’ company,” Parmelee said.
Many performing in the show spent much time anticipating the show Sunday.
“I think we’re gunna focus on doing our best and see how that stacks up,” said freshman Will Aldridge.
Many participants said they believe their hard work has paid off.
“We’re feeling really confident,” Ingram said, who directs a group of more than 100 participants, Survivor of the Singest. “We’ve had a lot of fun, and I think everybody really enjoys the songs we’re doing. The … script is really sarcastic and funny, so the whole thing is just hilarious.”
Survivor of the Singest is the biggest group in Songfest this year, with students taking part from the Greek organizations Alpha Tao Omega, Delta Delta Delta and Kappa Alpha Theta. Students of all types of campus involvement are participating in this year’s Songfest.
“This brings the whole school together,” said Songfest host Kailey Fullerton. “It’s one thing we have that everybody can do.”
The entire Songfest effort has been in the works for the past 10 months, and the groups have been practicing from 10 p.m. to midnight every night over the span of a few weeks.
“Songfest is a huge production effort that requires a lot of work from the day school starts pretty much,” said Carly Pippin, a Songfest producer and 2007 alumna who took part in the show during two years as a student.
And, with all the time, effort and participation that goes into the show, Parmelee said “Songfest is one of the most uniquely Pepperdine things you can do.”
03-20-2008