This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Musical theater was alive and vibrant inside Eisenhower Auditorium on Sunday afternoon for Greek Sing 2012. The annual event, which dates back to 1968, is a year-long fundraiser for the Gayle Beyers Scholarship, an award for five people who embody the “Greek spirit.”

For those GDI’s like myself, Greek Sing might seem confusing. But after attending Sunday’s performance, I am in awe of the talent and effort that took place.  Basically, groups of two or three fraternities and sororities put on a five to eight minute summary of a musical, including the costumes, set, singing, and acrobatic feats of dance.

The competition was fierce for all 17 acts.

Some of the winners were:

Newsies

This was my pick to win, and I was correct! Not only did the members of Delta Gamma, Alpha Epsilon Pi, and Delta Kappa Epsilon win “Best Costumes,” they also took home the coveted “Best Long Performance Overall.” The cast was enthusiastic, and the performance featured passionate choral numbers and intense choreography, not to mention (gasp) harmonies!

American Idiot

The cast for this performance was by far the happiest — maybe that enthusiasm came from singing some of their favorite junior high numbers at the top of their lungs. This show by Kappa Delta, Pi Kappa Phi, and Theta Chi Delta won the “Best Short Performance Overall,” and surprisingly did so without any set. The show ran smoothly without awkward scene changes, and the singers were incredibly talented.

Beauty and the Beast

Performed by Sigma Kappa and Sigma Phi Epsilon, this classic Disney tale won “Best Female Lead” for Belle. The show was a quirky remake of the well-known musical and was an extremely entertaining and solid performance overall.

The Lion King

I won’t lie, there were definitely a few tears in my eye by the end of this performance. Delta Zeta, Delta Tau Delta, and Delta Upsilon won “Best Male Lead” for the role of Simba. I was amazed by the musical talent from this group overall, as well as the make-up and costumes. The performance also took home “Second Place Long Performance Overall,” which was well deserved.

Rock Of Ages

The wigs were out of control in this performance set to “hair metal” classics. Alpha Omicron Pi, Sigma Pi, and Alpha Tau Omega won “Best Set” for their lighted backdrops and set pieces. I have not seen the recent movie version of this show, but I highly doubt that even Tom Cruise could have pulled off zebra pants as well as this version of “Stacee Jaxx.”

After all the performances, the winners of the Gayle Beyers Scholarship were announced:

Chrissy Bohn (Sigma Kappa)

Andrew Kreibel (Tau Kappa Epsilon)

Katie Bracale (Phi Beta Phi)

Brianna Weeks (Alpha Kappa Alpha)

Melanie Protass (Alpha Omicron Pi)

Check out our full photo album on Facebook for pictures of every performance.