Although Spring Sing is still months away, the roles have been filled for this year’s hosts and hostesses. Last Tuesday, senior Benji Holder, juniors Tori Wisely and Lindsey Sloan, sophomore Austin Collum and freshman Jonathan Andrew were selected.
Selections were made following open auditions and then callbacks. A list was posted once the hosts and hostesses had been determined, allowing those who tried out to find out on their own time.
When Collum went to see the list, Holder and Sloan were there as well, giving them the opportunity to celebrate together.
“We just started screaming and jumping together,” Collum said. “A few teachers came out of their classrooms telling us to ‘shh.'”
Wisely, on the other hand, said she did not check the lists at all out of fear she would she would “jinx it”. She did not find out she had won the role until a girl congratulated her while she was working the front desk in Searcy Hall.
Both Collum and Wisely expressed excitement about working with the other hosts and hostesses. All five of them are currently practicing for the production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, which has already made the group close.
“We were all friends before, and everyone is so funny,” Wisely said. “I think it will be a really dynamic group.”
“It’s kind of awesome because we all already know each other,” Collum said. “It’s like hosting with your best friends.”
Wisely said having been a hostess her freshman year, she was even more nervous trying out this time because of the pressure to perform as well as she had before.
“I didn’t want people thinking I had gotten worse or that last time was just a fluke if I didn’t get it again,” Wisely said.
In addition to hosting Spring Sing her freshman year, Wisely was in the homecoming musical that year and is the narrator in Joseph, which is the lead women’s role. Collum was in Spring Sing ensemble last year and is playing Simeon in Joseph, which he said is basically like a being a member of the ensemble.
All five hosts and hostesses will attend a retreat over fall break to get to know one another and continue to click as a group. While there, they will be talking about the show and listening to music to help them choose the songs for their performances.
Official practices for the hosts and hostesses begin in January.
