Freshman Follies will return to campus once again this weekend for Family Weekend. 

The event began in 1970 as an informal freshman skit and showcase during Homecoming weekend. Today, Freshman Follies is a freshman-only lip-sync competition featuring residence hall acts and student talent acts.

This year’s production will feature 12 hall acts and six talent acts. Courtney McGaha, director of student productions, said that Follies just continues to grow. 

“We’ve actually had two of the biggest Follies we’ve had in the past two years,” she said. “These freshman classes are coming in with not just more people, but more enthusiasm and more excitement to get involved with the college experience.”

This year’s show includes 10 women’s hall acts and two men’s hall acts, along with six student talent acts. McGaha said what stands out about this year’s Follies is the originality. 

“We have so many fresh ideas,” said McGaha. “In the talent acts, we have people doing original music, and we have people that met during Follies and decided to form a little band. We have all kinds of really interesting talent acts and really interesting hall acts.”

While the performances provide entertainment for students and families, McGaha has seen the deeper impact that Follies has on students.

“I have legitimately seen people be like, ‘I met my best friend doing Freshman Follies,'” McGaha said. “Four years later, they’re graduating, and they’re still best friends.”

In addition to performing in hall and talent acts, freshmen can also serve on the Follies leadership team, helping organize the event alongside Student Productions staff and student directors. McGaha said that Follies can encourage students to pursue leadership opportunities in the future. 

“After Follies, you can say, ‘I can put myself out there and do other things,” said McGaha. “I can audition for other stuff. I can join other organizations. I can lead other things because I randomly led my Follies hall act.”

For freshman musical theatre major Julien Little, that sense of community was one of the main reasons for joining.

“I’ve heard that it’s such a great opportunity to get connected with your dorm hall, meet new friends, and have a fun, friendly competition,” Little said.

Although Little came into Follies with dance experience, she said the competition is made for everyone.

“Everyone should do it, regardless of if they have dance experience or not, because it is just fun,” Little said. “It’s a lip-sync battle, so there’s no pressure to be perfect.”

McGaha said she hopes both first-time and returning audience members will experience the tradition

“If you’ve never seen it, go,” McGaha said. “If you have seen it, go back, because Follies deserves repeat audiences.

Freshman Follies begins at 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. on  Saturday in Moody Coliseum. Tickets can be found here.