Usually held four times a year by the men’s social club Avanti Boosters, Encore has become a staple of the student experience at AU. However, the options for hosting such a large event on campus have been limited since the beginning of the pandemic. This reality has also affected popular CAB events, such as Bond.
Before the semester ends, Boosters and CAB hope to give students a taste of post-pandemic normalcy—for the first time since February of 2020, both Encore and Bond will be held in Reardon Auditorium on May 1.
Austin Hostetler, a junior music business major and the productions officer for Avanti Boosters, said that Encore will be returning to its original format.
“There will be some changes to the show, but for the most part, it is still the same show that we all know and love,” said Hostetler.
He explained that Encore is an event where students who have auditioned get to perform with a live band as well as professional sound and lighting in front of a large audience of the student body.
“I think the best part is the community that comes from this show,” said Hostetler. “People gather together to cheer on some amazing singers and just have an all around good time.”
CAB’s event, Bond, will be taking place between the two Encore shows, and is being headed by CAB member Thomas Piotrowski.
“We’re putting [Bond] between the two Encore shows to capture people leaving the first show and to entice people to come early for the second show—hangout, dress up and then go to Encore,” he said.
Bond is a casino-themed event where students get to dress up, play games and hang out with friends. Piotrowski assured that the event has no form of real gambling and is only for the fun and entertainment of playing the games.
“It’s a social event more than anything else,” Piotrowski said. “It seems dressing up kind of brings out the ‘stand-around-and-be-social’ aspect of the event.”
Along with organizing Bond, Piotrowski is also the band leader for this Encore.
“My responsibilities are to put the band together, organize rehearsal times and make sure all the songs are covered,” he said. “We start the week before Encore, so we’ll run Saturday to Saturday—rehearsal every single night for three to four hours.”
Piotrowski also explained that Encore is a “special time for everyone to get together and forget about responsibilities and stressors.” He also said it’s a great opportunity to celebrate people’s talents and performance in art.
“It’s a day-long haul of putting things together—lights, equipment and practice,” said Piotrowski. “About 100 things need to go right for it to be a cohesive event, and it always is.”