By Kelsi Peace, Features Editor
Freshmen will ask “What’s Next?” in solo acts, hall acts and a large chorus at the Freshman Follies performances Friday and Saturday.
Performances, which will take place in Cullen Auditorium at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Friday and 1, 3 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, are expected to last about two hours with an intermission, said Kendall Massey, director of student productions.
Massey said tickets have been pre-sold and more will be purchased at the door; however, because Lectureship was last week, he did not have the estimated audience size.
The 28 acts, including solo acts, hall acts and large chorus, assembled for their first group rehearsal Wednesday, and a dress rehearsal took place Thursday to further prepare.
“It looks like a lot of the girls’ acts are really together,” Massey said.
Both Massey and Follies co-chair Sam Souder, freshman music education major from
Arlington, said the 15 solo acts display a lot of talent.
“This year is cool because there is a lot of original music,” Souder said. “These are songs that freshmen have written.”
In between the acts, Souder said a video will display interviews with freshmen as they follow the “What’s Next?” theme and discuss their futures in and after college.
Although Massey said the unusually busy fall made it difficult to get information about Follies out, Souder said this year’s chorus is one of the larger ones the production has had.
Participating students have been working hard, Souder said, spending anywhere from five to 15 hours preparing for the show.
The director of the Nelson First act, Emily Barnes, freshman theatre major from Gainesville, Ga., said her hall met four times during the month to plan and practice their act. The theme for Nelson First is Annie and Oliver Twist, Barnes said.
Getting the participants to cooperate was difficult sometimes, Barnes said, but “it’s been great to see people’s creativity come out.”
Jeremy Spradling, freshman music theatre major from Fort Worth, choreographed the Mabee Second act.
After around 10 hours of practice, Spradling said, “I think that for a guy’s act at least, we’re really prepared.”
Spradling said that although the men on his hall like to “goof off,” they focused and learned the routine.
Two backstage managers and 14 helpers are working together, Massey said, to make sure the show goes smoothly.
Souder said the audience will not be disappointed by the show.
“I think they’ll get to see a lot of talented people who are just coming to ACU and looking for a place to get plugged in,” he said.
Tickets to Follies can be purchased online at www.freshmanfollies.com, in the Campus Center ticket window or at the door.
