NICOLE ALBERTSON
Staff Writer
JOHN TOCCI/Assistant Photo Editor
Students, faculty and alumni are gathering this week to celebrate and join in a longstanding Pepperdine tradition. Songfest is celebrating its 34th year in production with a “Caught in a Tale Spin” theme reliving and revamping tall tales and legends. Musical stories about Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, Blackbeard the Pirate, the Blarney Stone, Pecos Bill and others will leave the audience laughing and humming along as each of the five student and Greek groups interpret their tall tales.
Junior Chai Collins said she is looking forward to seeing the production, which began Tuesday night.
“I plan on going Thursday night,” Collins said. “The theme sounds interesting this year and a lot of my friends are attending and encouraging me to go.”
Collins will be enjoying the show along with the 450 other ticket holders. As the show is already sold-out for the finale performance Saturday night, people are buying up show tickets for Friday night and the Saturday matinee, which are quickly selling-out.
This year, Songfest brought together more than 315 students to produce a joint production in three weeks. Five student groups will grace the Smothers stage this year: Alpha Phi, Sigma Chi and Kappa Kappa Gamma; Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon; Delta Gamma and Psi Upsilon; Kappa Alpha Theta, Alpha Tau Omega and Delta Delta Delta; and Gamma Ghkkkkket Sigma, non-Greek group. Each of these groups gathered for two-hour long practices every night for three weeks before the opening night.
Each 12-minute sketch must be written, directed and produced by group members within the three-week span. The performers are allowed only two minutes of speaking within the sketch and are judged on their performance.
JOHN TOCCI/Assistant Photo Editor
“You are judged on singing, dancing and the plot,” said Shelby Nirk, a freshman performer for Pi Beta Phi. “If you go seconds over the time you get points off. You also get more points if you show a lot of energy and excitement.”
Senior producer for Tri Delta, Carolyn Simpson said she felt the strain and stress of Songfest this year while trying to balance her already hectic school schedule.
“Songfest has taken over my life this semester,” Simpson said. “I love it, but I will be so happy when it is over and I can get a semblance of a social life back, have time to sleep, and have time to write my senior thesis. Everything else gets put on the back burner because the show needs your full attention for that limited amount of time.”
A newcomer to the production, Nirk said she also experienced the pressure that Songfest brings to a student’s life.
“You have to rearrange everything around Songfest,” Nirk said. “Normally you come home and do homework at night, but with Songfest you can’t do that. You have to change everything you do. You really learn patience.”
Nirk said despite the hectic schedule created by Songfest she still plans to participate next year and wants to be a director.
JOHN TOCCI/Assistant Photo Editor
Even with the added stress and pressure placed on the participants, the end result of bonding with other students and friendships draws students back to Songfest each year.
“I think a lot of people participate in Songfest as a way to grow closer to the other members of their Greek group,” Simpson said. “You meet so many people within your group by the end, people you may have never noticed before, and you make some great friends from the experience.”
Katie Ebeling, campus programs manager for the Student Activities office, is a Songfest producer and host choreographer for the show. Each year she works with the students in Student Activities as Songfest is one of her annual productions.
“Songfest draws a large number of participants because it is such a unique opportunity and is open to the entire student body,” Ebeling said. “Anyone can start a Songfest group and you don’t need to have music or dance experience, but you get the chance to perform to sold-out crowds in a professional theatre. It is a wonderful way to meet people and an excellent leadership opportunity for the leaders of each group.”
Songfest is one of the oldest traditions at Pepperdine and the production’s popularity is evident in its sold-out shows each year. Drawing in not just students, but family, friends, members of the community and Songfest alumni, the Songfest thread allows multiple generations to connect and share a common experience.
“At the end of each show, Songfest alumni are invited onstage,” Ebeling said. “It is really special to see years and years of Songfest participants singing together to close each show.”
This year participants have been working hard to turn out a better show than ever, hoping to make a lasting impression for the audience. Including difficult dance moves, complicated songs and amusing plots, participants as well as audience members are excited to see the end performance.
JOHN TOCCI/Assistant Photo Editor
“There are more technical moves that people haven’t seen in Songfest before,” said senior Katie Struble, who serves as a production assistant. “People will be surprised we learned such hard choreography in such a short period of time.”
The Songfest hosts add even more wow factor to the show, but they have a huge responsibility as well, that is, keeping the audience entertained between each group’s musical set. Student hosts Brooks Asher, Joey DeSota, Kailey Fullerton, Micah Hardt, Jillian Stout and Tiffany Williams will introduce and conduct the pace of the show.
“The hosts are definitely the main draw,” Struble said. “They are hilarious.”
In the end, Songfest gives a glimpse into student life on campus, Nirk said.
“It is the creation, the fun, and the drama of Pepperdine,” she said. “It opens the door to see what we are really about. It will be a blast.”
For a complete photo synopsis of Songfest 2007, please visit John Tocci’s website.
03-22-2007