ABILENE, TX — Abilene Christian University announced Thursday its annual Sing Song event will go on despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and renovation of the Moody Coliseum.
According to an ACU release, the event will look and feel different from recent history.
The Sing Song is usually held in February at the Moody Coliseum, but for 2021 it will be held in April at the Abilene Paramount Theatre, 352 Cypress St.
The event will consist of four shows performed throughout four days and will end with an awards event at Wildcat Stadium, Oliver Jackson Boulevard.
Showtimes are as follows:
- 7 p.m. Thursday, April 22
- 8 p.m. Friday, April 23
- 8 p.m. Saturday, April 24
- 2 p.m. Sunday, April 25
The theatre will accommodate 250 to 300 people per show to allow for social distancing. A limited number of in-person tickets are available.
To fit the smaller capacity, performances will go back to Sing Song’s early days of small groups, singing simple a cappella songs with a focus on vocals, according to the release.
Main acts will have a maximum of 16 on stage at a time, singing three songs with unchanged lyrics. Hosts and hostesses will perform in between the update acts.
“The students are excited for a new phase, a new chapter in Sing Song’s history,” the director of student productions, Caddie Coupe, said.
“Many institutions canceled shows altogether. We’re maintaining safety as our No. 1 priority for participants and guests, and I think our students are excited to have the chance to do this.”
The ACU Sing Song tradition began in 1957, under the direction of Dr. Robert “Bob” Hunter, vice president emeritus. Initially, the event involved small groups of students on risers singing songs with original lyrics. In the years that followed, the production evolved with larger groups, elaborately designed sets, costumes, choreography, re-written lyrics and long weekly practices.
The need for smaller numbers, more distance and less time in close proximity presented an opportunity to return to the simpler style of ACU’s original Sing Song event, the release said.
