Excitement fills the air this year as Spring Sing takes over the Benson auditorium, promising to be “innovative and new,” according to director Steven Frye.
“If Spring Sing is meant to be a great big party anyway, then this year is going to feel like a concert — a real high-end concert,” Frye said.
The theme of Spring Sing is “New,” and in keeping with this theme, there are several contemporary characteristics of the show this year. One of these new aspects concerns the music selection.
“Spring Sing’s client audience has a wide age range — everyone from World War II to millennial,” Frye said. “We try to have something for anyone. Our opening number is a hip-hop number, while our closing piece is from a current Broadway show. Our intro club songs are parodies from ‘Frozen,’ so that should be fun.”
Junior Sarah Harris, assistant Spring Sing director, said that while not all of the songs are “new,” they each speak to the theme in a unique way.
“Each club uses somewhere between eight and 20 songs,” Harris said. “(And) Dr. (Michael) Claxton has graciously written eight witty parodies for the hosts and hostesses to sing for the clubs’ intro songs.”
One of the most exciting new features of the show, according to Frye, is the incorporation of laser technology.
“Laser lights will be used in three of the numbers,” Frye said. “This is our first time to use laser light in the Benson. We’ll have 10 laser light units being used during the show, two of which are capable of vector animation.”
Ben Jones, technical director for Spring Sing, said the lasers will definitely provide a new experience for the audience.
“We’ve done a number of different types of special effects in the past, such as pyrotechnics, fog (and) confetti, but the lasers will have the capability to reach out into the audience,” Jones said. “Pyrotechnics and fog are normally limited to the stage. Confetti and streamers are momentary effects. The lasers will shoot up to the ceiling, over to the walls and out into the audience. The lasers will be prolonged effects that will change colors and patterns. I think it’s going to be unlike any Spring Sing before.”
Considering all the work put into Spring Sing, Frye said he hopes people will come out and support the Harding community.
“A goal I have for Spring Sing each year is to do here at Harding what other schools can’t,” Frye said. “So I want to be as innovative and new as possible. As far as I’m concerned, we have the most talented student body on the planet, and I love showing them off.”
