It’s a talent show gone crazy.

Varieties is a campus-wide event in which various self-proclaimed groups compete in one of three ways — performing skits involving singing, dancing and acting; singing or playing instruments in musical groups; or acting as a master of ceremonies.

Participants put a lot of work into their acts.

In addition to performing, they write their own scripts, build their own sets, make their own costumes and manage their own lights and sounds.

“I have the utmost respect for people who participate in Varieties,” Sonya Rice, Panhellenic Council president, said. “It’s an amazing time commitment in which the group is meeting every night of the week from November until February.”

The long standing tradition in the ISU greek community is that sorority members serenade fraternity houses in hopes they are chosen to be their partners, Rice said.

Varieties’ serenades usually involve performing skits and singing for a fraternity house after hours of practice.

For example, the sisters of Delta Delta Delta were up at 8 a.m. practicing all day to serenade the men of Delta Tau Delta, Kristin Tedesco, a member of Delta Delta Delta, said. She also said the practice paid off. The fraternity accepted their offer to be partners in the upcoming Varieties competition.

Serenades vary depending on the amount of competition which is expected for any particular house’s attention.

Farm House was honored with flowers, candies, gifts and the decoration of their living room with streamers, balloons and posters by members of Delta Zeta sorority, Kristin Tedesco, a member of Delta Delta Delta, said.

This is just a small indicator of the fierce competitiveness various groups put into Varieties, she said, and the importance they place on having good partners.

This is not to say greeks at ISU are the only participants. Already this year, two dorm groups have entered and more are encouraged and expected to participate, Laurine Gilbert, Varieties Central Committee producer, said.

Varieties Central Committee is working to diffuse the long standing tradition of greeks controlling this event, she said.

However, it is an event the majority of the fraternities and sororities have taken very seriously for more than 50 years.

Hopefully, Gilbert said, dorm floor groups will give greek acts a run for their money this year.

“There has always been a division between the students who live in the residence halls and the students who are in the greek houses, and there is no reason for it,” Tedesco said.

On Nov. 11-13, each group will compete with a short showing of their “work in progress.” All divisions of competition will compete. Without the use of bands, sets or costumes, the competing groups will try to convince the judges they have what it takes to proceed to the next stage of competition.

Second cuts will take place on Jan. 31, Feb. 7 and Feb. 14, leading up to the final sweepstakes. On Feb. 27 and 28, the three best performances from each of the divisions will compete for the Varieties first place trophy in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

“There’s no money, or anything like that; you just win the first and second place trophies,” Stacy Housman, a member of the Varieties Central Committee, said. “There is also trophies for unique and talented individual performances.”

Still, the trophies and esteem are incentive enough for hundreds of students to participate.