Jeffrey Poe and Melissa Ford did not wait until the last minute to create and rehearse a skit for Hippodrome.

“It has been two months, maybe almost three months,” Ford, co-director of Hippodrome for Beta Theta Pi, said.

Wichita State students with ID can buy tickets for $4. The opening night show opens at 7 p.m. in the Campus Activities Center Theater tonight. Shows are also scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday and 5 p.m. Saturday with an awards ceremony.

Poe, who is co-director of Hippodrome for Alpha Phi, and Ford will perform the skit “Mall Rats” during tonight’s opening performance.

Poe said the fraternities and sororities work together and rotate which organizations work together. This year, Poe’s fraternity got Alpha Phi, which agreed to the partnership.

With an approximately 50-person cast and four or five practices a week, Poe said they practiced in the evening hours.

“It is the kind of thing with extracurricular activities and people having jobs to pay for college, you really cannot have practice before nine in the evening,” Poe said.

Ford said regular practice times were 9:30 p.m. to midnight, Thursday through Sunday.

Poe said for the last couple of weeks the actors had to memorize their lines and the groups were able to rehearse more.

Hippodrome is primarily performed by Greek organizations. Ford said it is all about getting involved out of love for WSU traditions.

Not only Alpha Phi and Beta Theta Pi have been practicing for months. Returning champions from last year’s event, Gamma Phi Beta, have also put in three months of practice.

“The crew has been working really hard, and with keeping that same work ethic that we’ve had last year, I know they can win,” said Hippodrome chairperson Shae French, who suggested watching for some surprise acting from some familiar faces.

Delta Delta Delta and Delta Upsilon perform Wednesday night, followed by Alpha Phi and Beta Theta Pi, with the night-ending performance by Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Thursday’s 7 p.m. show opens with Delta Gamma and Sigma Phi Epsilon, followed by the Korean Student Association, and ending with the performance of Gamma Phi Beta and Phi Delta Theta.

Saturday’s show starts at 5 p.m. and will include all groups once more, but with special attractions in between the performances.

Music education student Robert Miller said this is his first time performing piano in Hippodrome as a special attraction.

“I want the student body to realize that classic music still has its place and you can play classical, pop and modern all together and it still sounds well. Music is music,” said Miller, who has been playing for 15 years.

Also performing as special attractions will be the Wu Brothers, Dakniesha Beard, The Ginger, Jarius Beard, “Tiffany,” Rhydhun, Roy Moye, Annie Wilson and the Nigerian Student Association.

Saturday’s performance costs $8 with a student ID.