Is It Possible to Stage a Major Broadway Musical in 24 Hours? These SMU Students Did.
By Kylie Madry It’s a radical idea: producing, directing and acting a full-length musical in just 24 hours. But that’s exactly what two organizations on campus – SMU Program Council and SMU Student Theatre (“SMUST”) – have done for five years now. “The fact that we’re able to pull it off is actually ridiculous,” joked Sam Weber (’18), a science triple major who was involved with 24 Hour Musical for all four years of his undergraduate experience. Other universities have 24-hour musicals of their own, but most are short, student-written acts with little choreography or costuming. SMU’s crew has pulled off major Broadway pieces like “Legally Blonde,” “Heathers” and “Chicago,” complete with dance numbers, full costume and hair design and a live orchestra. The idea came in the fall of 2014, when Weber’s older brother Charlie was a senior. He was the president of Program Council, and missed the thrill of being on stage. He lamented the fact that there wasn’t an opportunity on campus for non-performing arts majors to be involved with large productions – but he had a plan. He teamed up with his friends in Meadows and SMUST and got to work. “It was SMU’s centennial year, and we wanted to do something of landmark value,” said theatre and journalism alumna Ally Van Deuren (’15), who helped found the annual event. “It’s something that SMU did not have before.” After coordinating with