For two months, 175 of Free State’s best performers spend day and night preparing for Encore, the school’s annual music variety show. Singers form groups as early as winter break, polishing their act in hopes of making the lineup.

Step 1: Pick A Song
Students choose songs that they would like to see in the show. These are often popular, fun songs most of the student body enjoys.

“The first level is figuring out what songs you really like and what songs you could see in Encore,” junior Sadie Barbee said. “They have to be upbeat and entertaining.”

Step 2: Put Together a Group

While choosing groups, students focus on choosing the people they think best represent the song, often pulling together a certain number of girls or boys.

“…Usually about right during winter break people start putting together groups, (and) there’s an Encore Facebook page that everyone posts ideas on,” Zicker said. “…Everyone talks to each other and you try to join groups that you want to be in.”

Step 3: Auditions
After preparing their groups for weeks, the students audition in front of a panel of judges. They find out the results a couple of days later. This year 88 songs auditioned, and the judges selected 30 songs for the show.

“The students prepare their auditions and audition in front of Encore’s three directors and three random judges who choose the show,” choir director Hilary Morton said.

Step 4: Rehearsals
Students rehearse until Encore, both on their own and with directors. This year, along with Morton, the show’s directors are Melia Stockham and Lakin Griffin. Both are experienced in the performance world.

“… Every weekend until Encore starts, which is the week after spring break, we have rehearsals with the directors,” Zicker said. “Each week in addition to that we have a rehearsal on our own with our group.”

Step 5: Tech Week
The cast runs through the entire show with outfits and lights. This is the first chance for the performers to rehearse.

“And then tech week we have our first tech rehearsal, and everybody’s there, and that’s when everybody in the choir department who’s in Encore gets to first see the other songs,” Zicker said.

Step 6: The Show
“I think it’s going to be pretty awesome,” Barbee said. “I’m excited because the seniors this year are awesome, and I feel like our class is really musical as well. I think it’s going to be an awesome collaboration.”

Encore will be showing from March 26-28, with all shows at 7:30 p.m. It is best to get tickets early, as they often sell out.

“There are some funny songs, there are some old songs, there are some new songs, there are some a cappella songs,” Zicker said. “It’s a really great variety this year. It’s a show that, if you go to see it, then you’ll get to see a huge variety of musical types, musical eras. I think it will be really good this year. It will be really fun.”