By Kelline Linton, Staff Writer
Two days were left before show time, and one 2008 Sing Song co-chair was jittery. A castle prop from the senior class act had fallen during practice, ripped the stage curtain and created an unexpected $5,000 expense. To add to the stress, the Galaxy act, one of the largest on stage, was still trying to place all its props on time.
“I was freaking out,” said Matt Greenberg, the upstage cochair and manager of the club and mixed voice acts.
Greenberg applied last year for a Sing Song 2008 co-chair position because he was confident in his ability to understand rules and enforce them fairly across the board. He thought his time was well spent.
“It was an encouraging experience, and I would do it again. I love Sing Song, and it was a great honor to be in charge,” said Greenberg, senior English major from Grand Prairie.
The Sing Song co-chair roles take a big time commitment, said Tom Craig, director of Sing Song.
Sing Song 2009 co-chair applications are now available, and students can apply by e-mailing singsong@acu. edu for an application or by picking one up in McKinzie Room 127. The one-page form is due Friday, but interviews have already started. The new co-chair will be announced by the end of next week.
Only students with junior or senior hours can apply for Sing Song co-chair; they must also have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and be in good standing with ACU.
“You need to love Sing Song before you apply; you have to want to do it because nothing else can keep you going,” Greenberg said.
Although the work varies according to the role, co-chairs are still very busy.
“They live Sing Song,” Craig said.
Even though the 2009 co-chair job descriptions are the same as last year’s; each role will be tailored to fit the person individually, Craig said.
“We look at the goals of the individual people and try to place them in a role that would be advantageous to them,” he said.
Sing Song co-chairs must exhibit certain characteristics.
“We look for people who are good people-persons, organized, thorough, able to multitask and think strategically,” Craig said. “In a nutshell, the main role of the co-chair is to create a cohesive element for the show from start to finish,” he said. “Co-chairs should integrate all elements in a positive productive manner to create a great show.”
Fourteen students applied for the co-chair positions last year, and 12 have already applied for the 2009 roles. “I expect 12-18 applications this year,” Craig said.
The number of co-chair positions has fluctuated each year. Although four co-chair managed the Sing Song 2008, only three existed the prior year.
“We’ll probably have three to four co-chair this year,” Craig said.
Last year’s co-chairs included the upstage, downstage, marketing and house management positions. The house management role was newly created to handle the physical setting and all venue related activities.
“The 2008 co-chairs were an exceptional team that complimented each other at an unprecedented level,” Craig said.
All four 2008 co-chairs personally knew each other before they were selected. “We were more like brothers and sisters than co-chairs,” said Greenberg, upstage co-chair.
Sing Song 2008 also saw a first in co-chair history when Jana Atchley, senior accounting major from Grapevine, served as a co-chair for two consecutive years. She managed marketing coordination and enjoyed it so much that she did it again, Craig said. The 2009 co-chair will begin working on the next Sing Song show immediately and will hold several meetings before the semester ends.
