Students with any notable talent are invited to show off their abilities at the 10th annual Southeastern Star competition.
“We will consider any talent, whatever anyone wants to try out,” said Todd McElroy, CAB coordinator. “We are hoping to have a nice variety, but it depends on who auditions. We’re hoping to let the Southeastern students showcase their talents.”
In previous years Southeastern Star has been hosted as a replication of the popular reality television singing competition, “American Idol.” In addition to the expansion of accepted talents, group performances will also be allowed.
“I believe opening up the talent contest to other people will allow more Southeastern students to participate in this great event,” said Trevor Vampran, sophomore communications major. “I think I’ll try to make it this year. Seeing someone on a unicycle would be pretty neat.”
Prizes will be awarded to the winners in the form of a Southeastern stipend: $500 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place. CAB is currently in the process of selecting judges.
“The judges will have to have a performance background,” said McElroy. “We’re trying to find people that are not affiliated with any student group so they’re coming in kind of fresh, with no allegiances and totally unbiased.”
Overall, the annual Southeastern Star event has been well-received by the student population.
“It was really cool, and they all sounded awesome,” said Megan Jenkins, a sophomore psychology major of the Southeastern Star 2012. “I had no idea Southeastern had so much talent.”
While a consistently entertaining event, some question the legitimacy of the search for true talent.
“I’m not a fan of the event,” said Jarred Frey, sophomore vocal performance major. “I know it’s kind of a harsher opinion to have, but overall it’s just a big popularity contest with no basis in actual talent.”
Guests will be given the chance to vote for their favorite performance through a texting service. The contest will serve as an opportunity for talented students to show their skills.
“I think it’d be a great learning experience, and at the auditions I could find out if I actually have any real talent or not,” said Lauren Larson, freshmen nursing major. “I just really love to sing though, and it would give me a chance to share that with other people.”
The Campus Activities Board (CAB) sponsored event will be held in Ralph R. Pottle Auditorium on Tuesday evening, March 12. The auditions will take place in the Student Union Ballroom on Feb. 26 and 27. Applications can be found in the CAB office located in Mims, room 203.