Even as the semester draws to a close, a group of beginning music and acting BFA students will take to the stage to begin their university performance careers tonight.

“”Loesser is More!”” joins the freshmen acting students’ Freshman Debut with the talents of Encore!, a freshman musical group.

The performance celebrates the 100th birthday of the Broadway composer Frank Loesser, who wrote music for shows like “”Guys and Dolls.”” Loesser “”wrote over 700 songs,”” many of which were contemporary during the ’40s and ’50s and played consistently on the radio, according to Rob Gretta, the director of Encore! and an assistant professor of musical theatre.

“”He is a great composer for the students to learn from,”” Gretta said. “”He’s a pretty big composer.””

“”Loesser is More!”” combines biographical information on Frank Loesser with performances of his work.

“”Peppered through musical numbers are dialogue and biographical parts on Loesser,”” said Lisa Pierce, the director of marketing and development for the School of Theatre, Film & Television. “”It bridges the gaps and helps the audience get from one portion of the show to the next.””

Because of the sheer quantity of Loesser’s work, not all of it will be featured.

“”All of the music is going to be done by the musical students,”” said Pierce. “”He wrote a ton of stuff, so they’re going to do a montage of some of his well-known work.””

The music and acting students began rehearsing together this week.

“”It’s really good to have them come together and bond as a freshman class,”” said Gretta. “”It’s a really great collaboration.””

According to Gretta, projects like this help students grow and “”develop ensemble skills.””  

Each year, the collaboration between Encore! and the Freshman Debut students offers a lively presentation of some of Broadway’s best.

“”This helps students springboard into performing, as freshmen, in front of an audience,”” said Pierce. “”They learn how to hold themselves on stage to perform.””

Because this collaboration is so often the first college performance for many freshmen, audiences get a unique opportunity.

“”Audience members hone in on a certain student, and they get the privilege of watching that particular student grow as a performer,”” said Pierce. “”Sometimes it’s unbeknownst to the student.””

“”Loesser is More!”” will show tonight at Marroney Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $7.