By Sarah Carlson, Arts Editor

Will Smyth sat on the tailgate of his pickup truck, staring at his cell phone and praying it wouldn’t ring.

Smyth, senior youth and family ministry major from Fort Worth, had heard if you receive a phone call, it means you didn’t make it as a Sing Song host or hostess.

So he sat on his truck in the late hours last Wednesday night, until about 1:30 a.m. when a car pulled up outside his house. People jumped out of the car, screaming at him and then kidnapping him.

Smyth had been chosen as a host, along with two other men and three women, for Sing Song 2006, titled “The 50th Show” and was off to meet his fellow hosts.

“I was shocked,” Smyth said.

The other hosts and hostesses are Crystal Hughes, junior human communication major from Frisco; Jenna Lucado, senior integrated marketing and communication major from San Antonio; Ragan Rhodes, junior interdisciplinary major from Fort Worth; Shannon Bailey, senior management major from Corsicana; and Josh Castle, junior music teaching major from Overland Park, Kan.

Sing Song will be Feb. 17-18, with one show at 8 p.m. Friday and shows at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets for the first two shows range from $14-18, while Saturday’s tickets are $20.

Smyth said auditions for host last week went well, and he is excited to be working with the other hosts.

“I went into it to just sing from my heart and have fun with it, and it was a great experience,” Smyth said. “I love singing, and I love using what God has given me. I knew if I didn’t get it, the Lord had something better for me.”

Smyth was in his freshman and sophomore class acts and said he is excited about having a larger role in Sing Song and in any university event, for that matter. He said he is looking forward to bringing his family to campus next spring, so they can see what the university is about and learn about one of its biggest traditions.

Rehearsals begin next week for the hosts and hostesses, and although Smyth said he isn’t sure what the show will be like, he said it will center on the 50-year tradition of the show, using songs the audience can relate to and adding a twist to familiar songs.

Tickets for the show can be purchased online at www.acusingsong.com.