By Kendra Johnson, Arts Editor
The OBU Campus Activities Board will host the annual Freshman Follies freshman class talent show during homecoming weekend, Saturday Oct. 13 at 8 p.m.
This year’s follies will be directed by CAB members and OBU seniors Kelton Mims and Matthew Sanders. The theme is centered around all the holidays that take place during the calendar year and is titled: “Freshman Follidays.”
The event will display the musical and emceeing talents of OBU’s new freshman students.
“It will include most of the holidays of the year, so we’ll start at one end of the year and we’ll go through the end,” health and human performance major and co-director of “Freshman Follidays” Sanders said. “We’re really looking forward to showing campus what we’ve been working on.”
While the event will cover all kinds of holidays it also ties especially closely to the themes of the winter holidays and Christmas break.
“This is a kind of fun time of year in terms of the holidays,” Sanders said. “Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner, so follies will just kind of get everyone ready for the change of seasons.”
The theme for the event was chosen by the directors.
“[We] brainstorm and then we come up with two to three themes,” senior sports management major and “Freshman Follidays” co-director Kelton Mims said. “And then we make power points with details under each one to present it to the CAB members and then the CAB members vote. Ultimately, it’s the directors’ choice.”
Mims said Sanders approached him this summer about co-directing, and the two welcomed the challenge.
Before directing, the two had also been members of CAB in the past.
Mims first joined CAB during his junior year.
“I got in last year because of stage band,” Mims said. “And I got out of stage band and just became just a regular CAB member.”
Sanders took an indirect route to his current role directing a CAB show.
“I was a freshman and I had some upperclassmen friends who really wanted me to get involved in this particular organization because they thought it would be a really good way to meet other people,” Sanders said.
Both Sanders and Mims have been friends for several years.
“Being able to do it next to Kelton, I think is really cool, just because we literally met our first day here at OBU,” Sanders said. “It’s really cool for our last year to have our last go-round be something like follies.”
Having seniors direct Freshman Follies allows for a somewhat mentoring relationship between the directors and the performers.
“Whenever freshmen have somebody they can look up to or connect with that’s older than them, especially a senior, that can help them a lot,” Mims said. “Plus, we have a great group of emcees. They’re cooperative, and they’re funny. They all bounce off each other.”
CAB members and performance emcees do not need to have a formal training background to perform in freshman follies.
“That’s really the best part of CAB shows,” Sanders said. “Even if you don’t have a musical background or theatre background, then it’s fine. I’m in CAB and I didn’t have any background like that.”
CAB is open to all. Performance acts simply have to audition.
“Typically, follies is the least hyped, and so we really, really put quality time and effort to make this the best follies we’ve seen,” Mims said. “The whole point is to showcase freshmen talent, and this year we have a lot to show off.”
Students who are interested in joining CAB will have the opportunity to sign up for a screening interview soon.
“Hopefully, follies will make students excited about being part of CAB,” Sanders said. “At the very least, we want people to come and enjoy an evening of good music and entertaining skits.”
thebisonnews.com 
Leave a Reply