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Tiger Tunes theme reveal sparks excitement

BY SARA PATTERSON

Editor-In-Chief

If the excitement of the return of Tiger football wasn’t enough, OSF (The Ouachita Student Foundation) announced early last week that Tiger Tunes show themes would be revealed at the first football game on Thursday, Sept. 2 as part of the halftime show.

Students cheered in the stands as each show was announced in a high-spirited video playing from the scoreboard. Students quickly posted themes to social media, where alumni could then learn the themes and look forward to seeing them performed live at the end of the month.

Freshmen and upperclassmen not in social clubs may perform with Campus Ministries or Student Life. Directed by Kallen Smith and Kaylie Green, The Men and Women of Campus Ministries will bring the spirit and the praise in the “Church Choir.” Directed by Cannon Fisher, Kyleigh Stephens, Kylie Radabaugh and Kaitlin Bolton, The Men and Women of Student Life will learn the ropes of outdoor survival as “Scouts.”

Women’s social clubs are presenting a variety of themes. Audiences can expect to see everything from flapper dresses to pajamas on stage.

Directed by Emily McMaster and Katie Gray, The Women of EEE will journey all the way back to the club’s founding decade with “The Roaring TwentiEEEs.”

“The EEEs have existed longer than trampolines, microwaves and post-it notes. In order to honor that history, and to pay homage to the founders of our club, we decided we wanted to create a Tunes show that captured the essence of the decade in which EEE was founded,” Gray said.

Directed by Hanah Green, Anna Claire Newman and Kyla Williams, The Women of Chi Delta will take the audience on a retreat into nature as “Campers.” Directed by Elizabeth Hall, Bri Penn and Erin Bagley, The Women of Chi Mu will join the audience’s cheers as “Fangirls.”

Directed by Natalie Moore, Hannah Herrington and Piper Fain, The Women of Gamma Phi will perform “Gamma’s Angels,” their own take on the classic 70s action movie, “Charlie’s Angels.” The club was re-established in 2019, so this year will be their first live Tunes performance since making their return to campus life. Directed by Kate Vernon, Erin Lee Williams and Julia Letcher, The Women of Tri Chi will invite the audience for a night full of pillow fights and not much sleep in their show, “Sleepover.”

Men’s social clubs never disappoint in making the audience laugh, and it looks like this year will be no exception.

Directed by Craig Crawford, Josh Sutton and Nic Hazlett, The Men of Kappa Chi will hone their chemistry skills in their show, “Pharmacy.” Directed by Harry Jeffrey, Keaton Goodrum and Braden Crawley, The Men of Eta Alpha Omega are going back a few centuries as “Vikings.” Directed by Chris McCuistion, Alex Savage, Crosse Deaton and Isaac Sanders, The Men of Rho Sigma are bringing the bull riding and barrel racing in “Rodeo.” Directed by Parker Zucha, Anderson Fulton

The Women of Tri Chi cheer as their Tiger Tunes theme is revealed. Clubs will perform their shows at Tiger Tunes Sept. 30-Oct. 2. (photo by Levi Dade) and Harrison Shuffield, The Men of Beta Beta will show off their Ninja skills in “Dojo.”

After a year without a live show, Tiger Tunes 2021 is highly anticipated by students and alumni alike.

“Tunes season always brings the excitement of raising more scholarship funds, but this year I’m especially excited to see the community Tiger Tunes brings that we’ve been missing the past two years. Nothing else brings our campus together quite like it, and I’m so excited for the chance to play a part in making that happen,” Anna Roussel, OSF President, said. To keep viewers and performers safe, Ouachita will sell tickets for half-capacity seating in Jones Performing Arts Center and has added an additional Friday show to provide more opportunities for families, friends and alumni to see the show. For the latest information on Tiger Tunes tickets and show times, visit the OSF website at www.obu.edu/osf. For those who can’t make it to JPAC, Saturday’s final performance will be live streamed on The Signal’s website, www.obusignal.com.

Theatre to perform ‘Into the Breeches’

BY MACKENZIE HALL

Staff Writer The OBU theatre department is hard at work preparing for their newest production, “Into the Breeches,” set to run Sept. 23-27 at Verser Theater.

The play is set in Providence, Rhode Island. It is the fall of 1942 and the Oberon Play House has shut down due to World War II. The theater’s leading men are fighting for their country while the women are left to produce their own theater production. The director’s wife gathers her husband’s notes and proposes to produce an all-female play to the president of the Oberon.

“The show is all about assembling this cast of all women and then, as it goes on, we add more to the unexpected team of the cast,” Director Matthew Murry said. “It’s all about collaboration, persistence, acceptance, challenging one’s own mindset and then growing from that challenge.”

The production offers audiences humor and heart as the women navigate taking on the role of their husbands. They pioneer a new standard for the status quo.

“Several characters in the play are met with challenges needing to adapt to the world and the way they view other people, and most of them make positive changes from their challenges,” Murry said. “The play is kind of a vehicle for the underrepresented. Women during war time, most of them were to stay at home before the war and not work. And then, when the men went away, they were needed to fill the position that was previously filled by men.”

Ashlynn Lockhart, a senior musical theater major, plays the lead role of Maggie Dalton, the director of the all-female production. As she prepares to tell Maggie’s story, Lockhart hopes the audience will experience the sense of community among the characters.

“I want the audience to take away that there is space for everyone in storytelling and telling other people’s stories. This play is about giving opportunities to people who haven’t had those opportunities to tell stories before,” Lockhart said. “It really drives the point home that we’re all in this together. I hope it brings a sense of community and the audience takes away that.”

Lockhart is also excited to see other cast members in the play. The crew has a tight-knit community that she believes will be evident during the performance.

“The rest of the cast is going to tell the story perfectly. They are talented in their roles; we all blend well,” Lockhart said. “The cast and crew are continuously encouraging. The atmosphere is healthy, and we are all trying to create theater and tell the story together. It’s nice to all be on the same page and lifting one another up, it is very edifying.”

For tickets and more information, visit obu.edu/boxoffice, or call the box office at 870-245-5555.