By: Moth Aston | Staff Writer
Poster for Cabaret | Lorelei Mayberry
The Hive is buzzing once again with musical theatre as Alpha Psi Omega is working to prepare for the upcoming cabaret that is taking place next week.
Despite the devastating cuts that occurred to the theatre department back in 2024, Alpha Psi Omega is doing their best to keep theatre alive on campus, even without the backing of the university itself.
Even without the support of the faculty, the students of Alpha Psi Omega are working hard with as much, if not more, passion than ever before, putting on four performances during Homecoming and Family Weekend
“It has definitely made it more difficult, yet it has really just shown the incredible amount of work ethic that we have to still perform even in these difficult times.” said Michael Tock, senior theatre major. “It really shows how much passion there still is for this art.”
The cabaret itself hasn’t come without its challenges, however. Since the theatre program was cut, the theatre space itself has been leased out to other local theatre companies. The students no longer have priority access to the space, which poses problems with the only theatre presence being entirely student-run.
“As vice president of the Alpha Psi Omega, I had to fight for even a week,” said Lorelei Mayberry. “We had no idea how we were going to put on shows.”
Even with the challenges, the “Loud and Proud Cabaret” is still set to open on Thursday, Oct. 15, during what is the beginning of Lavender Week, a week dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ diversity at the University of Lynchburg.
“[It’s a] very fun show that is a compilation of songs that depict both pride and difficulties of being a part of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Anna Motley, a sophomore and newly inducted member of APO, who will be performing in the show.
The Loud and Proud Cabaret has opened new doors at the University of Lynchburg, and Alpha Psi Omega hopes this will be the next step toward theatre being revitalized on campus.
“While I’m not sure what our future shows will be,” Motley said, “I’m confident that despite the difficulties that our organization is facing, we will absolutely continue to put on shows!”
Performances will be held Oct. 15-17 at 7:30 pm and Oct. 18 at 2 pm in Sydnor Performance Hall.
