By Phil Byrd, Feature Editor
For the Women of EEE, winning Tiger Tunes meant defying the status quo. Instead of striving for the polished, picture-perfect performance the club was known for, directors Audrey Kendrick and Anna Weeks challenged more than 130 women to become chickens. They asked them to commit to every peck, cluck and facial along the way.
The gamble paid off. With “Chickens,” EEE claimed first place in Tiger Tunes 2026, earning its 13th win and setting a record for the most Tiger Tunes victories among social clubs on campus. The Men of Eta Alpha Omega placed second with “Pinatas,” the Women of Tri Chi placed third with “Perfect Picnic,” the Men of Beta Beta placed fourth with “Cavemen,” and the Men and Women of Campus Ministries placed fifth with “Exodus.”
For Kendrick and Weeks, the winning performance began taking shape nearly a year before the curtains opened. While watching Tiger Tunes the previous year, the two began brainstorming a theme that would allow the club to fully embody its characters. The directors eventually landed on chickens, an inherently comical character that offered an opportunity to break away from the club’s usual approach. They spent the following year brainstorming, revising ideas and developing a show they believed would stand out.
The decision also came from a desire to challenge expectations. Although EEE has a long history of successful Tiger Tunes performances, its last win came in 2021. Kendrick said the directors studied recent winning shows and noticed how performers had fully committed to their themes, particularly in the pursuit of entertainment. “We knew it was going to be a huge challenge for a girls’ club to be ‘funny,’ but we were just like, we are going to do it,” Kendrick said.
The directors wanted to show that a women’s club could be funny without feeling obligated to maintain a perfectly polished image.
Their emphasis shifted toward character, energy and audience engagement. “Entertainment wins,” Kendrick said. “Perfect choreography, perfect cleanliness, it doesn’t necessarily win. It’s awesome, but entertainment wins.”
That philosophy shaped practices from the beginning. After introducing the theme to the club in the spring, the directors used the first practices to establish a new expectation: performers had to leave their pride at the door and commit fully to the characters they were portraying.
Weeks said the directors spent considerable time on choreography and musicality while encouraging performers to maintain their characters throughout the show. Even transitions and comedic moments were carefully structured to keep the performance cohesive.
The process required adjustments along the way. Kendrick said many early ideas changed as the directors worked to make the show match their vision. Weeks described the process as continually refining the performance, replacing songs and costume elements that did not work as intended.
One of the biggest challenges came with a section featuring oversized feathered fans. The prop sequence proved difficult to coordinate because even a small timing mistake was noticeable. Rather than abandon the idea, the performers committed to rehearsing the section repeatedly until they could execute it together.
The costumes presented another challenge. With more than 130 women to outfit, the directors wanted something beyond store-bought chicken costumes. This resulted in a club wide work day and DIY project to get every feather in place.
Managing practices with such a large group also required the directors to divide responsibilities and make efficient use of rehearsal time. Kendrick said their trust in one another allowed them to work with different groups simultaneously while keeping the production moving forward.
That same commitment became one of the most memorable parts of the experience. Kendrick said she enjoyed watching performers develop small habits throughout show week, from random pecks to clucking at audience members. “It was like, whatever if I don’t hit my dance move; I made somebody laugh in the crowd,” Kendrick said.
For Weeks, the commitment was especially evident in the performers’ willingness to embrace the humor while continuing to work toward a coordinated performance. She said the experience brought the club together in a way she had not seen before. Another tradition brought that sense of community into focus during rehearsals. At the end of each practice, the directors award Big Mickey, a large Mickey Mouse stuffed animal, to performers who demonstrate exceptional effort or attitude.
When the directors awarded Big Mickey to the club’s newest pledge class, the women celebrated together, proud of the recognition. Kendrick said the moment reminded her that directing was about more than writing lyrics, creating choreography and putting on a show. Watching the newest members celebrate their accomplishment together, Kendrick saw the purpose behind the work.
“Watching them be proud of each other and be proud to be E’s, and feeling connected to their PC was so fun and so memorable,” Kendrick said. “It made me feel like this is what it’s about.”
After a year of planning and weeks of rehearsals, the Women of EEE proved that sometimes winning means letting go of perfection and embracing the ridiculous. With 13 Tiger Tunes wins now under their belts, the club has made history — one cluck at a time.
