Directors of Spring Sing Dr. Steven Frye and Cindee Stockstill informed social club Spring Sing directors that the show would go on, April 15, 16 and 17, 2021, rather than Easter weekend.
The Spring Sing show — affectionately named “Twice Upon a Time” after the canceled 2020 show “Once Upon a Time” — will be made possible under these regulations: having only 36 people on stage at a time, distancing the audience, wearing masks while performing and practicing under the basic regulations. Any dance numbers that require being within 6 feet of another person can only be practiced for 15 minutes or less.
Sophomore Reed Wallace, Spring Sing director of men’s social club Sub T-16, said he is hopeful that the changes will not take away from the overall experience.
“While we have some uncertainties moving forward, I believe that we have what it takes to make this a show unlike any other — that no one else has ever imagined to put together during a pandemic,” Wallace said.
Spring Sing has been a long standing tradition at Harding, dating back to 1974. Although breaking some of these traditions this year (like having a full audience), these changes are an effort to maintain the spread of COVID-19, while attempting to cling to as many normalities as possible.
“The number of people allowed on stage at one time is being limited, and because of that we will be utilizing the video screen more throughout the show,” junior Camille Overman, Spring Sing director of women’s social club Phi Kappa Delta, said.
The changes and adjustments made to each individual show will be executed and supervised by the directors of each social club. These changes will not come without challenges, as the students involved in each show will have to accommodate the adjustments. Junior Hannah Hackworth, Spring Sing Director for women’s social club Pi Theta Phi, shared concerns of the challenges ahead.
“Every person involved is going to have to be self controlled and vigilant about being distanced from others in order to keep the whole show from being put in quarantine,” Hackworth said.
Though each individual show faces new challenges and obstacles along the way, Harding is taking the necessary measures to make Spring Sing possible for 2021.The live audience will be limited to on-campus students, faculty and staff. However, the performance will be available for pay-per-view to individuals and groups off campus.
