Hey Daze Playbill (1955)

Cover of the Hey Daze playbill. Grayscale colors on a plain, white background. On the left side of the page, black letters spell Hey Daze inside a gray box with scalloped edges. To the right of the box is a simple illustration of a male who is mid-stride carrying a suitcase in his right hand. He is wearing a small gray hat, a long-sleeved white undershirt, black vest with a white M on the left breast area, and gray pants. He has on oversized white shoes. The ground is represented by a gray, horizontal stripe. Under the strip, The Playbill is written in script-like font. For Mississippi Southern College is printed below.

April’s Item of the Month is a playbill from the 1955 production of Hey Daze at Mississippi Southern College.  The 24-page playbill contains advertisements from local Hattiesburg businesses, cast and production credits, scene and musical number synopses, acknowledgements, and a Who’s Who section with cast biographies.

Hey Daze was the brainchild of Robert Hays (Assistant Director of Bands), Richard Johnson (Cultural Relations Advisor in the Institute of Latin American Studies), and Dr. Raymond Mannoni (Director of Bands).  The Committee for the Coordination and Integration of School Spirit was formed to help plan the production.  Chaired by Dr. Mannoni, the Committee had three main goals: produce something of quality, produce something that represented the heart of Mississippi Southern, and produce something with originality that would showcase the talents of students. 

Directed by Thomas Long, the production took the audience through the student experience at Mississippi Southern, from arrival to graduation in three Acts and twenty-four musical numbers.  Act I was set during autumn quarter, Act II during winter quarter, and Act III during spring quarter.  Preparing and executing the show utilized the talents of over one hundred students.  There were nineteen main cast members, twenty-seven singers, twelve dancers, and the Yellow Jackets were played by the Kappa Alpha Order.  Music was provided by a sixteen-piece student orchestra, and the singing and dancing groups featured members of the Dixie Darlings and Featurettes.       

Hey Daze was a true collaborative effort between Mississippi Southern College and the Hattiesburg community.  Helpful contributions from local businesses included loaning a piano, providing radio and newspaper publicity, printing assistance, and making a truck available for materials transport.  Partnerships between the now-University and the Hattiesburg community continue to play a vital role in arts patronage.

This playbill is part of a collection of programs within University Archives from the School of Performing and Visual Arts.  The Hey Daze playbill may be viewed online in Special Collections’ Digital Collections or in the Special Collections Reading Room, located on the third floor of McCain Library and Archives.  If you have any questions, please contact Jess Clark, Records Management Specialist of University Archives, at or 601.266.5776.     

Text by Jess Clark, Records Management Specialist of University Archives.