Crowds will fill Moody Coliseum for Sing Song 2012, which will feature 14 social club and class acts.

The 56th annual performance of the university tradition will attract large crowds from around the state and throughout the country. Tom Craig, director of student productions, said the event will again fill up Moody more than once.

“Most of our guests come in from out of town on Friday,” Craig said. “Over the course of three shows, we’ll have more than 8,000 people in the audience. Early in the week we knew the Saturday night show will be at capacity.”

Hunter Turner, sophomore information technology major from Trophy Club, said his family had been planning on coming for Sing Song since last semester.

“My sister told me she was going to come all the way from Austin just for Sing Song.” Turner said.

Craig said he’s pleased to see how well the upstage acts balance out the performances downstage by the hosts and hostesses, jazz and percussion bands, and four dance groups.

“The jazz band will be playing in the pit in the middle of the downstage and the percussion band will be on the floor,” Craig said. “In addition to that and the hosts and hostesses, Shades, Santify, Omega and Swing Cats will also perform throughout the show.”

Preparation for the concert-like performances began during the middle of last semester and has run smoothly on-schedule through the past week leading up to the shows. Craig said it was tricky to keep all the different components of the shows on schedule.

“We had to coordinate the upstage and downstage performances,” he said. “At the same time of all the different performances coming together, you’ve got people on the other side working to turn Moody into a concert venue. It takes about 36 hours of work to establish concert lights, concert sound, concert setup, and it all comes together to make one creative event.”

Kendyl Cooper, sophomore convergence journalism major from Mineral Wells, said the practices have been tiring but it will all be worth it this weekend.

“I feel like all of our hard work has paid off and I have loved gaining friends thoughout it all,” Cooper said. “I’m excited about being a part of my first Sing Song.”

Craig remembered his experience in Sing Song as a student and from what he’s observed as director, it’s an experience that creates memories and forms relationships that will last.

“It’s all about the process of developing relationships through working together, and that’s what makes Sing Song such a great experience,” Craig said. “The relationships you develop along the way are the tangible things you get to take away from it, regardless of who wins.”

The winners of the men’s voice, women’s voice and mixed voice categories will be announced at the end of the final show on Saturday. Each winning club will receive $1,000 for the charity they chose prior to the shows.

“The clubs get to help others with their efforts,” Craig said. “This is the third year we’ve had that student-created element. It gives the show more depth of meaning.”

Three Sing Song performances are scheduled this weekend in Moody. Tickets for the Friday show, beginning at 8 p.m., cost $16. The Saturday afternoon show will begin at 2 p.m. and tickets are $18, and the Saturday night show and awards presentation starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $24.

Students with a valid ACU ID were able to see a preview show Thursday night for $5.

For more information on Sing Song, visit www.acu.edu/singsong.