University of Arkansas Monticello - Boll Weevil Yearbook (Monticello, AR)

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140 Choir ABOVE: ‘Street Scenes’ was not a musical—ac- tually it was a full fledged opera. These peo- ple, then, are singing. Believe it. RIGHT: The conclusion: this poor unfortunate is arrested for the murder of his wife and her lover. BELOW: ‘South Pacific’ separated the sailors from the boys. OPPOSITE TOP: Heard of a ‘motley crew?’ Well, these guys wrote the book. OPPOSITE BOTTOM: An officer discovers what most of us know: encounters with wom- en are not always d ominated by logic.

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BELOW—FRONT ROW: Terri Anthony, Joan Dougherty, Katheryn King, Wilma Trout, Mary Ellen Mettetal, Lisa McAllister, Stephanie Nutt, Lisa Riley, Becky Gibson. SECOND ROW: Beverly Smith, Cindy Miller, Terry Wolfe, Laura Gill, Cecile Bordeaux, Gayle Kellum, Linda Leffew. THIRD ROW: Vashti Holt, Della Hobbs, Rebecca Moon, Lawana Hunt, Janice Woodward. FOURTH ROW: Linda Thomas, Sandy Ezell, Becky Cameron, Judy Pack, Sandra Fife. FIFTH ROW: Kathy Kellum, Mona Austin, Dwight Dilley, Danny Woodward, Ron Stevens, Bobby Brown, Tim Stanley, Ronald Pack, Eugene Gifford. SIXTH ROW: Pete McManus, Lewis Hinkle, Thomas Hunter, Dennis Myhand, Gil- bert King, Ricky Lochala, Mark Malloy, Keith Reaves. SEVENTH ROW: Marque Black, Donald Mankin, Bill Owen. EIGHTH ROW: Todd Tucker, Phillip Green, Donald Stewart, Derrik Black, Lowry Lambert. encapsulation of the plot, though. Dougherty said that ‘‘musically, it was the hardest show we’ve ever done. It had the most realistic set.” ‘Street Scenes’ difficulty was compounded by the size of its cast —there were thirty- six significant singing roles. The show, which featured a full orchestra, ran twice in the FAC. ‘South Pacific’, a popular Rogers and Hammerstein musical, was featured in the second semester. There were only ten major parts, so the show was ‘double cast’, allowing more choir members to get experience with stage performance. “We still had to leave out some outstanding people,’”’ noted OPPOSITE TOP: It’s hard enough to stage a play with humans; animals on the stage dou- ble the margin for error. Besides that, they don’t remember their lines . . . OPPOSITE BOTTOM: An assortment of charac- ters composed ‘Street Scenes’—from those who look like hit men to little old ladies and garage mechanics. LEFT: Another street scene from the appropri- ately entitled ‘Street Scenes’. This production not only incorporated animals on stage, but children as well. Choir 139

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Dougherty. The choir is perhaps best known for its annual spring tour. During the tour they spend a week traveling to state high schools, and in their singing, acting both as a public relations body and a recruiting tool. Dougherty had a lofty opinion of this year’s tour: “People are shocked when they hear us. We've really got a first class group.”” He said that the average tour is heavy in the classics, but interspersed with ‘light stuff’ as well. There are even two or three rock selections, and the choir carries a band on the tour. Dougherty said that he thought the popularity of the tour show was due to the choir’s musical diversity. “We're always well received.” Choir members don’t receive a lot of recognition, but one in particular has received statewide notice through his success in the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition. A voluntary participation event, senior Marque Black has won his category for the past two years. Of the twelve from UAM, seven made it into this year’s semi-finals. Choir 141