For the past month, various groups have been practicing and polishing up on their acting and music abilities to compete in the first round of competitions for Varieties.

The 67-year tradition of Varieties is one shaped both by the history of Iowa State and the nation as a whole. According to the Varieties Web page, the competition was originally introduced in 1932 to offer free entertainment to students during the Great Depression.

There are three different ways for people to compete in Varieties. The emcee’s job is to welcome the crowd and introduce each act during the show. This means being on stage about eight times and performing one to five-minute acts.

Vignettes are seven to nine-minute routines performed between skits by either individuals or small groups. Past vignettes have included instrumental and vocal soloists, bands and barbershop quartets. Last year’s winner was the Shaggy Boys, a group that has recently begun recording.

And finally the last round of competition is the skits. Groups that compete in this competition must write an original script that incorporates music and dancing. These groups must also build their own sets and supply their own costumes.

Of course various changes have been made to the general schedule of the show, but overall, the same core idea remains, giving students a chance to entertain other students and the community.

This year’s Varieties, “Step Into Stardom,” is expected to be a memorable one, according to Justin Hoffman, head of publicity for the Varieties Central Committee.

“Varieties ’99 is going to be fun and exciting and just what you would expect from a 67-year ISU tradition,” he said.

Today through Wednesday, each group from all three categories will compete by presenting their work in progress.

The challenge is that the groups have to perform without the use of sets, costumes or bands. The goal is to convince the judges that the group has what it takes to proceed to the next level of competition.

“The focus of this round of competition is to show that the teams have well-defined characters and high energy,” Adam Batcheller, technical director of V.C.C., said. “The next step for the groups that make first cuts will be to incorporate choreography and an interesting stage set to make their skit complete.”

Second cuts will happen on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 and 13, leading up to the final competition, Sweepstakes, on the weekend of Feb. 26-27. At Sweepstakes, the best emcee, the three best vignettes and three best skits will compete for the first place trophy in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

Traditionally, Varieties has been a greek event, but last year a student organization, The Salt Company, won second place.

“This year there is one student organization, one dorm floor and 17 greek houses competing,” Varieties producer Casey Powers said. “Varieties is no longer a greek-only event.”

Students who want more information on the Varieties competition can check out the Web page at www.public.iastate.edu/~varieties.