As one of this year’s Sing Song student directors, a class act director and a fraternity act participant, involvement in Sing Song is definitely keeping me busy this semester.

This is my fourth Sing Song. I’ve been looking forward to this year specifically because I knew it would be my turn to participate in some of the long-standing senior Sing Song act traditions but also because I knew it would be the year Moody Coliseum reopened and the show was reimagined.

After the changes made to last year’s show, I was looking forward to a completely normal year. Naturally, when the other student directors and I were told in December that Moody wouldn’t be available for us to use, we were very disappointed. However, if this process has taught me anything in the last two years, it’s been how to lead people through difficult and last-minute changes with grace and understanding and that’s been one of the most important aspects for everyone involved.

Looking back to that moment, I think that disappointment was a knee-jerk reaction I had because of the ways the last-minute changes to last year’s show stressed me out.

The Offices of Student Productions and Student Life quickly adapted and booked us the Taylor County Expo Center and we all began to realize that the show wouldn’t look as different as we originally thought. I’m thankful for the leaders that have helped us step through that process.

Having Sing Song in the Expo Center certainly presents some logistical challenges but the student and audience experience will remain the same as it always has. In a space designed for concerts and traveling shows, hosting a large-scale production becomes even easier.

In fact, the Expo Center is far larger than Moody Coliseum and provides a unique opportunity to the students performing in the show this year.

There’s still more than enough room for students to spread out and celebrate the winning acts during the finale each night. The hosts and hostesses will have the same stage to perform on, accompanied by the jazz band. There’s still room for members of class, fraternity and sorority acts to squeeze onto the stage and make their families and friends smile.

I encourage students who are hesitant to participate this year to consider these facts before rejecting the idea of joining an act. Regardless of location, this year offers a return to normalcy that anyone who participated last year will crave.

Yes, it’s unfortunate that Sing Song has to spend another year off-campus. But, what’s more important is that the traditions so many have loved for the last 65 years will continue and will make an even bigger impact when they return to campus in 2023.

For more information about joining a Sing Song act, visit acustupro.com/join.