“All Hands on Deck,” directed by Morgan Mathis, was announced Saturday night as winner of the sweepstakes competition for the 49th annual Singarama.
After winning the music contest Friday night and the staging contest Saturday afternoon, “All Hands on Deck” also won the sweepstakes title for accumulating the most total points throughout the four Singarama performances.
The cast was comprised of social clubs Phi Sigma, Tau Phi, Gamma Xi and friends.
“We were all really excited,” said Brennan McNeil, sailor in the show. “We are really happy- we put a lot of work in. Winning doesn’t mean it’s the best show; it just reflects all the work we put in.”
McNeil’s love interest in the show, Kelly Dean, also said the group’s hard work was what pushed them over the top.
“We literally worked day and night on the show,” Dean said. “The hard work and effort paid off because we got the big win.”
Some of the show’s songs included “Hard Knock Life,” “I Can Transform Ya,” “Mercy” and “Happy Days.”
The group told the story of sailors called upon to rescue a missing ship, but there was a catch – most of the crew had never set sail before. From backwoods country folks to Italian gangsters, the diverse cast kept the audience laughing. There was even a line of dialogue referencing High Rise’s water problems.
“The Land of Dreams,” directed by Cayla Cleaver, won Thursday night’s theme contest during the 49th annual Singarama kickoff performance.
Cleaver, said she was “extremely surprised” when she found out that her cast won.
“My knees almost gave out actually,” she said. “I was so excited and just wanted to hug every single person in my show. I was just so happy seeing all of the hard work that we put into it finally pay off.”
She acknowledged that all three groups worked hard and performed well during opening night. “Every group has amazing shows, and they’re all so different,” she said. “My entire cast was completely shocked.”
“The Land of Dreams” tells the story of a reunion of the beloved Disney characters who return to Disney Land for Sleeping Beauty’s wedding. After a 30-year slumber, Sleeping Beauty awakens and notifies her old friends about the ceremony. To honor their friend, the classic characters take a comical, inspiring journey back to the place where dreams come true.
Cleaver said she enjoyed watching her cast, which includes members of Delta Nu, Delta Omega, Delta Sigma, Delta Tau and friends, react to their victory.
“They were running around, chest bumping each other, hugging each other,” she said. “They were just so proud of themselves, and it was so good to see them so happy with all of the work they had put in.”
Each of Singarama’s four performances are judged on specific criteria, and the respective winners are announced immediately after each show. Friday night’s winner will receive an award for music. Saturday’s matinee performance will be judged on staging, which consists of costumes, sets and choreography. The Sweepstakes Award will be given out Saturday night for the cast that accumulates the most points during the four performances.
Even though they can claim one evening’s success, Cleaver said her team still has goals for Friday’s performance.
“We’re just going to focus on being really crisp and clean on our choreography and trying to be a lot louder in all of the songs,” she said.
Singarama directors said their cast members received an unexpected and pleasant surprise Thursday morning when they learned that classes were cancelled due to a water pipe burst in High Rise dormitory. The directors said not having class allowed their casts to catch up on some much-needed rest and finish last-minute work before the show’s premiere.
“When I found out about the day off, I got very excited for my cast,” said Emily Sullivan, director of “On The Air.” “We had a late night of rehearsal [Wednesday] night, so I hope they got to sleep in! Any extra amount of energy will definitely show on stage. Hopefully they took advantage of this crazy situation with the flooding.”
Check back with Lumination for more photos from all three shows, for continued coverage of Singarama and to learn about each night’s winner. To purchase a Singarama 2012 DVD, visit www.singarama.lipscomb.edu.
Hunter Patterson contributed to this article.