Singarama’s On Fire hands two wins to ‘Just Drop It’; other acts net one apiece

Entering the last show of the three-day production of Singarama’s On Fire, the “Stop,” ‘Drop” and “Roll”  groups were all tied up with one win a piece. That changed when university president Randy Lowry announced the show “Just Drop It” as the Sweepstakes Award winner at Collins Alumni Auditorium Saturday night. The show, consisting of members from Sigma Iota Delta, Delta Sigma, Pi Delta, Kappa Chi and friends, made its way to the top, something that director and senior Aaron Joseph said was unforgettable. “It was a fantastic feeling,” Joseph said. “I’ll never be able to forget the feeling [of winning].” Joseph also spoke on one of the key elements of the production. “Scott Bledsoe and Rainey Lankford wrote the script for me, and they did a fantastic job,” Joseph said. “I think that’s what pulled the whole show together.” The story of “Just Drop It” is about a man named Dan, who is constantly assailed by his fear in life. Eventually, he drops his fear and becomes a happier person. The act won its first honor, the Theme Category Award, on Thursday. The “Drop” group sang and danced to “I’m So Excited,” “Bad,” “More,” “Love on Top,” “Higher and Higher,” “Any Way You Want It,” “I Know Where I’ve Been” and “Goodbye.” Joseph admits that he did not walk the path to success alone. “I got so much help from so many different people,” Joseph said. “I couldn’t have done it without those people.” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” directed by junior Makenzie Kanyuh, won the Music Category Award on Friday night. The show consisted of students from Delta...
“Don’t Stop Me Now” wins music award at second Singarama show

“Don’t Stop Me Now” wins music award at second Singarama show

On the second night of the 51st annual Singarama competition Singarama’s On Fire, “Don’t Stop Me Now” took home the Music Category Award.  “Stop” theme director Makenzie Kanyuh and her cast were surprised to win the award after the “Drop” group won the theme category on Thursday night. “It feels so awesome to win.” Kanyuh said. “This was totally unexpected for us. The other groups also have really good music. We tried to be varied with out music. They’ve been kind of quiet the past few nights, so I was worried. “Tonight, they were a lot louder, and that’s a big part of it, the projection, as well.” The cast and crew of “Stop” are made up of Delta Omega, Delta Xi, Phi Nu, Sigma Omega Sigma, Theta Psi and friends. Saturday holds the final two Singarama performances at Collins Alumni Auditorium. The matinee show  at 2 will see the groups competing for the Staging Category Award, while the Sweepstakes Award will be determined after the 7:30 p.m. show. Kanyuh said her group is going to use their motto and “Brang it” for both of Saturday’s shows in hopes of winning the whole competition. (Carousel photo and gallery are photos from the Thursday show from Erin Turner. Tonight’s photo, to the left, is from the author.) To see the full gallery, visit Lumination’s Flickr page.  Created with Admarket’s...

Makenzie Kanyuh offers look in the life of a Singarama director

Don’t stop them now. One of the themes for this year’s Singarama show Singarama’s On Fire is “Stop.”   Director of the “Stop” cast and Delta Omega member Makenzie Kanyuh is very excited about this show, cast and overall production of Singarama. The show itself is around 20 minutes, but it’s the preparation behind the scenes that really counts. “I pretty much spend every waking moment of my day doing something for Singarama any chance I can get, from calling a place to get a costume to putting the design team together, I’m doing it,” Kanyuh said. A director’s job is never done. Kanyuh explains what a normal day in the life is like for a Singarama director. “I wake up and have a million e-mails from the cast, texting people back about costumes, making sure the script is correct, it’s just a different thing each day,” Kanyuh said. “Six o’clock is usually when everything comes together, and we go over everything. It’s an all day job.” The cast, crew, ETS, design staff, choreographers and director all spend many hours putting together the show. “We have 65 friends with us this year in our cast,” Kanyuh said. “That’s the majority of our cast this year. We love having all of these new people. They work really hard for our group.” Although there are different groups performing and the competition is tough, Kanyuh says that it’s not about the competition, but the friendships that the practice and experience build. Kanyuh’s main goal for this cast is to just have fun and get to know one another. “I have developed some great friendships throughout...

Singarama act ‘Roll’ to tell story of bike-chasing, self-discovery

This year’s Singarama, called “Singarama’s On Fire,” showing April 3-5 in Collins Alumni Auditorium, offers a trifecta of shows with the themes of “Stop,” “Drop” and “Roll.”  Members of Phi Sigma, Delta Nu, Delta Tau and Tau Phi, along with friends, will be staging the “Roll” performance. “Roll” director and Phi Sigma member Alex Shumate said that the show is about a boy who purchases a bike with hopes to gain friends. But when the bike is stolen, he must figure out a way to find the bike, which pushes him to learn more about himself. Throughout the show, there are plenty of recognizable songs, primarily from the 80s and 90s. “The hardest part [has been] making it all come together and making it all make sense,” Shumate said. This is also the first time she has directed a Singarama show. “It can be difficult, but I have a lot of people who are really great, and a lot of people [who] are helping me a ton,” Shumate said. Another unique aspect of every Singarama production is the integration of music within the show. Cece Ramsey, the show’s main choreographer, said that though she enjoys the work, it is difficult  to manage so many dancers. “It’s always crazy trying to get 80 [people] on stage,” Ramsey said. “You want as many as possible for visual effect and volume.” Ramsey has choreographed the shows in some way since freshman year. In creating the dances for each song, the “Roll” crew collaborated on what music to use, how many dancers are needed for each song and what style of music to...

Singarama act “Stop” aims to tell humorous, surprising story of crime, love

The cast and crew of “Stop”, one of the three segments in the 51st installment of Singarama, have been working together almost every day and night for over a month. With only a few days remaining until one of the biggest events on Lipscomb’s campus, the members of “Stop” are anxiously awaiting opening night. The overall theme of Singarama this year is “Singarama’s On Fire” and the individual segments of the show are titled “Stop,” “Drop” and “Roll.” The first of the three shows, “Stop,” will be put on by Delta Omega, Delta Xi, Phi Nu, Sigma Omega Sigma, Theta Psi and friends. “Stop” revolves around Rick and Louis, two crossing guards, who encounter an unexpected theft while on their morning shift. The theft causes the two guards to embark on a twist-filled mission for justice and love. “Throughout the story, they are going from place to place and finding different clues, trying to figure out who stole from the jewelry store,” show director Makenzie Kanyuh said. Kanyuh has participated in Singarama all three years that she has been at Lipscomb, but this is the first time she has held the position of director, a position that she says has both its perks and problems. “I’m just really excited to see it all come together,” Kanyuh said. “As director, it’s so much fun, but it’s really stressful to see it all piece-by-piece and have some holes still in it as you’re a week away. There are always holes when you’re a week away. That’s just the nature of it. Seeing it all come together is what I’m most looking forward to.” Rick and Louis,...