Freshmen Fanfare: from West Philadelphia to OC

Photo by Abby Bellow

 

Will Smith may have been street-smart in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but now first year students will show off their college-smarts as they present “The Freshmen of Bel-Air”.

“The show is really exciting and upbeat and we all have a really fun time doing it,” freshman Megan McKinley said.

In 1996, significant events transpired: many of the Oklahoma Christian University Class of 2018 were born, and the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” aired its last episode. This production has over 200 students with freshman Blake Crabtree and sophomore Megan Fuller as directors.

“Blake and Megan are so nice and so sweet,” freshman Eloise Wright said. “They are strict during the teaching, they have to be, but when I just see them around, they know my name and they say hi. They are really on top of it; they know the lyrics, they know the dances, they teach it to us really well.”

The Sept. 19-20 performances are a milestone in the Oklahoma Christian tradition of the event—this will be the 25th year Freshman Fanfare has taken place.

“Twenty-five years ago, Bob Lashley thought the freshmen needed something to do,” Freshman Counselor Amy Roberts said. “They were coming off this high of Earn Your Wings and they needed something to keep them together a little bit, a community event. So that’s why it was started, to create community with the freshmen class and keep that Earn Your Wings vibe going. We’ve just seen it be very successful; they get friend groups, they get to do something, they’re involved.”

Already experts on the cafeteria, curfew and ring by spring, the freshman are ready for their group numbers, which will include parodies of “1985,” “Shake It Off” and “Classic.”

“It’s a bit tough to juggle school and get everything done, but I love the dancing to the fun songs we get to do during the show,” McKinley said. “Also, you get to see people that you wouldn’t get to see in class all the time. It’s the one time everyone gets to hang out.”

Per fanfare and the ring by spring mantra, the guys and girls will have separate numbers to serenade each other. The guys will perform a parody of One Direction’s “Kiss You” while the girls have their own rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Stay.”

“The boys’ song is really funny,” Wright said. “It’s absolutely precious, what they’re doing up there: imitating girls being proposed to. So hopefully the audience will find it funny and we can get the lyrics out clear enough that they can understand it.”

A five-piece band, also comprised of freshmen, will perform the music, with four freshmen emcees to introduce the acts. The tech crew is likewise comprised of first-year students. There will be 10 feature acts, ranging from duets to solos to boy bands. This year there will be a never-before showcased act: a Rwandan student will sing a traditional hymn.

One of the main reasons participates say they like fanfare is because they get the chance to meet fellow classmates they may not otherwise have met.

“I love getting to interact with a whole bunch of people that I haven’t got to interact with before,” Wright said.

According to Roberts, Freshman Fanfare is about going outside your comfort zone, finding a place and trying new things.

“Every year every freshmen class brings something unique,” Roberts said. “We always say every freshmen class has a personality, but this is a talented class—it’s exciting. There are some different acts that we didn’t put together—the students were creative and put them together themselves.”

Students are eager for the final performance, and hope they perform for a sold-out house.

“I think just having it all come together will be really nice,” Wright. “We still have a couple of more songs to learn, but having the t-shirts and all looking the same and having fun—I can’t wait.”

McKinley echoed the sentiments.

“When we started I wasn’t sure how it was going to look, but at this point I think it’s going to be a really, really good show and we enjoy doing it,” McKinley said. “I hope the audience will too, even if they’re laughing at us instead of admiring us.”

The Friday performance will be at 7 p.m. in Hardeman Auditorium, with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.

The show is free to all students, faculty and staff with an Oklahoma Christian ID, and $7 for the general public. Tickets are available at the box office window in the Garvey Center or online.