Heads snapped in the direction of the Great Hall in the Memorial Union as the roar of laughter from the early show echoed through the hallway. At 9 p.m. Saturday, anticipation for the last Varieties Sweepstakes performance mounted.

A proud mother paced the hallways with a bouquet of flowers. Fraternity and sorority members displayed their greek letters and talked animatedly about the skits amidst a sea of people, navigated only by cast members frantically running about for last minute preparations.

“The atmosphere on performance night was really amazing,” producer Ellie Nelson said. “People were there watching friends and representing organizations – you had Varieties’ Central Committee who were all running around, and then you had the cast members who were indescribably nervous – it’s just an amazing feeling because there’s so much going on.”

As the doors swung open on the final performance, the ushers scurried around with headsets, relaying information back and forth. Some wore sneakers with their tuxes, attesting to the chaos of the moment. The boisterous crowd of nearly 600 hastily rushed through the aisles, jamming the Great Hall with nervous energy. Spotlights were tested, illuminating the trophy that would go to the winner.

After two rounds of cuts, the finals were here. The performers waited backstage as the excited banter died with the lights.

“I was so excited,” said Alexa Klang, sophomore in journalism and mass communication and cast member of “Music of the Nile.” “It was so much fun to get up there and show everyone what we’ve been working on.”

For two and a half hours the audience laughed and interacted with the performers, each drawing from the other. Students and parents cheered on classmates, sons and daughters until the lights once again came on.

The judges retired to a back room and the crowd thinned. Cast members, friends and family were left as anticipation once again permeated the hall. This time the crowd awaited the announcement of the awards.

During the awards ceremony, a representative for the Malaysian Society thrusted a second place vignette’s trophy into the air as the crowd rose to its feet. But the only standing ovation of the night belonged to pianist Dan Fulton, who captured the audience as well as the first place vignette’s trophy.

“I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Fulton said. “It was just an honor to play in front of people that came to show their support – I’m glad they enjoyed it.”

A 15-year veteran behind the keys, Fulton played a completely original piece – a work in progress over the last year, he said.

“Music of the Nile,” a co-production of Farmhouse and Gamma Phi Beta, took home the winner’s trophy in the skit division, beating out “Outside of Ordinary” and “Case Closed.”

“I was shocked and excited,” said Jill Mascarello, junior in community regional planning, who played the lead role as pharaoh in “Music of the Nile” in her varieties debut.

“There was a lot of anticipation in finding out [the winner] because the groups we were up against were awesome,” Mascarello said.

And of course, the crowd agreed.

“I thought it was really good,” said Cory Hample, senior in finance and economics. “People put in a lot of time and effort and it really showed – best show I’ve seen in a while.”

This is the 70th year of Varieties at Iowa State.

Beginning in 1932, the program was originally intended to provide free entertainment to a student body undergoing the throes of the Great Depression, according to the Varieties Web site. Originally, Varieties spanned 10 weekends and students packed the then three-year old Great Hall to be entertained with dances, skits and songs, mostly from fellow students – a tradition that has been maintained.

“The most important thing for people to realize is that it’s completely run by students,” Nelson said. “I have unlimited admiration for the people who are in [the skits]. They take four or five months out of their life and devote it to coming up with these skits.”

Varieties Sweepstakes recognizes the top three skits and vignettes as well as the winning emcee group.