Madison Paulus, left, accepted the Vonnie for Most Active New Member at last year’s Vonnies. Paulus became even more involved in Alpha Psi Omega by becoming president of the organization earlier this semester.  The Vonnies honors students in the theatre program.
File Photo/The Lion’s Roar

Alpha Psi Omega’s fourth annual Vonnies Awards returns this year to honor those at center stage and behind the scenes in the theatre program.

APO awards are nominated and voted on by members. Past awards have included the Best of Friends Award and Most Active New Member. New awards and entertainment for the show are to come.   

“This year Erin Reid and I have many surprises in store,” said APO President Madison Paulus. “We have small skits and jokes planned in between awards that we are sure will surprise our friends.”

APO Faculty Advisor Jim Winter believes that the Vonnies celebrates connections between members without a competitive nature. 

“I’d like to think most of the students understand that the Vonnies are less about competition and awards and more about one last chance for us to come together at the end of the year, celebrate all that we’ve accomplished and recognize those who have done exceptional work during the theatre season,” said Winter.  “I think both students and faculty find the Vonnies to be a nice way to close out the year.  It is also just a lot of fun.  It is like our own little version of the Tony awards or the Oscars. Everyone dresses up, there’s live entertainment and just an overall good time.”

Paulus admits that the biggest change in the annual awards show is the progression of it. Typically, different hosts are appointed to bring diversity to the show, but Paulus and APO member Reid will host this year’s show. 

“Usually, it is actors from APO’s high school day show, but the event was unable to happen this year due to flooding,” said Paulus. 

As Paulus goes into her first year of being in charge of the Vonnies, she described the level of preparation for the show as insane. 

“As APO president, I had to make nomination forms, list the final nominees, then make a Google form for our members to vote,” said Paulus. “Then, I had to list every actor, designer and director from the season in a separate Google form for the department awards. Then, we had to find someone to tally the votes. Thankfully, two alum members volunteered. Next, Erin and I had to sit down and plan our skits and where exactly they would take place. Finally, I had to find members and faculty to present each award. It’s crazy, but it’s worth it.” 

Winter founded the chapter about nine years ago with the intention of having an organization targeted towards interested theatre students. 

“APO allows students more opportunities to participate in and learn more about theatre,” said Winter. “In recent years, our chapter has become a vital part of the theatre program at Southeastern.”

Paulus was named president this semester and plans to remain president until next spring. One of her main goals for the organization is to inform more people of what APO does, increase membership and create more opportunities for events. She cites Reid as one of the organization’s success stories. 

“I really want to stress that this is not a theatre nerd only club,” said Paulus.  “We are all accepting and encompassing, and we invite everyone to come check out a meeting. So many of our members, like Erin, joined without ever having stepped foot on a stage, and now she is one of our most involved in the organization and the department. Another thing I would like to see happen is more events like the Vonnies.”

There are two sections of awards included in the show, APO awards and department awards. Voting and nominations for APO awards are only open to APO members. Voting for department awards are limited to those in the theatre department. Department awards include Best Crew, Best Sound Design and Best Male Actor. 

Following the conclusion of the APO Awards, videos will be shown that were submitted by graduating seniors seeking to bid APO farewell.  

“That’s always an emotional but touching part of the evening,” said Paulus. “This is important to us because it is our last big event of the year. This is the last time I will see these exact people in our favorite place. We get to laugh and cry together one last time. It is our ‘See ya later’ right before next season begins.” 

The goal of the Vonnies is to recognize the achievements of members from the past theatre season by celebrating all members of productions. 

“Every show is different and has its own mountains to climb, but in the end, it’s worth celebrating,” said Paulus.  “We like to revisit certain jokes and punch lines from each show throughout the evening. It’s heartwarming to revisit a part of your life with the same people. Also, it allows us to recognize those who don’t get to bow at the end of the night. Most often, you never meet the stage manager or light designer or even the director. But on May 12, we all get to take a bow.”