200-plus hours of practice. Seventy nine cast and crew members. Twenty two songs. Three nights. One goal.

For the past two months the musical cast and crew have been preparing for this week, the four performances of the musical Guys and Dolls.

“I am just so proud of this show,” director Stephanie Smith said. “I hope that everyone comes out and witnesses what they have created.”

A lot of work had gone into bringing the musical to life, leaving no time for error.

“There isn’t time to take it slow,” Smith said. “So we have a very tight rehearsal schedule that is well planned out and structured so that literally everything is happening at once.”

While one group of the cast was learning the choreography, another group was learning songs, and lines were memorized at home.

Senior Audrey Dickerson was one of the cast members who learned the songs and dances throughout November and December.

“Sarah’s songs are definitely more challenging than any other musical numbers I’ve worked with,” Dickerson said. “They require me to hit a lot of high notes and hold them out.”

Along with the singing came the dancing. The cast had to learn two dance numbers, “Bushel and a Peck” and “Take Back Your Mink,” choreographed by Rhythm Dance Company director Jennifer Bussear. One day a week was set aside for working on the dances along with two full Saturday practices.

“Learning the choreography was pretty simple and went quickly,” sophomore Emily Nobles said. “The tricky part is singing the songs in time with the live orchestra, dancing and remembering to project and perform all at the same time.”

Learning songs and dances are hard, but some cast members also had to tackle on the extra responsibility of learning another role as an understudy.

“I don’t think it’s too difficult having a role along with an understudy role,” freshman Kaitlyn Tatum said. “I just had to learn extra dances and always be prepared to play a different role.”

With 76 roles in the musical, the cast members have spent the last few weeks learning lines, practicing dance routines and rehearsing scenes.

“Being a lead has required a lot of work but I’ve loved every minute of it,” Dickerson said. “I’ve enjoyed working on the characterization, the musical numbers, and the dialogue. Being able to fully submerge myself into a character role has been enlightening and has allowed me to grow as a singer, performer and actress.”

Aside all of the hard work, singing and dancing, students came together to create better connections on and off the stage.

“I’ve made many friendships through the musical,” Tatum said. “It has really helped me reach out to new people. It’s also great to see how all these different people can come together to create a great show.”

The musical opens Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. with additional performances Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. matinee Saturday.

“I’m very excited for everyone to come out and see the show,” Dickerson said. “We’ve worked very hard and it’s going to be amazing.”

Rumbler reporter Shayla Anderson also contributed to this story.