Interview with Elizabeth Wells, of St Andrews Got Talent

The Saint interviewed Elizabeth Wells, one of the organizers for this year’s edition of St Andrews Got Talent.

How does St Andrews Got Talent (SAGT) work?

The SAGT Committee held SAGT Hall auditions for most of the halls and then we also held general auditions in November. Those who made in through in the hall auditions went straight to the final competition. During the final competition, we had 11 acts competing for the winning prize which was a £150 donated by Teach First. The second place prize was a bottle of wine and a meal for two at Rascals. The third place prize was a bottle of whiskey. After all the acts performed the judges came up with their top 3 acts and then the audience determined the winner by cheering.

How many applicants did you have this year?

We had about 25 applicants.

How do you make money for RAG Week and how much do you think have raised this year?

Although SAGT is during RAG Week, all the profits actually go directly to UNICEF as the UNICEF on Campus Society is the one that works together with RAG to put it together. I’m not entirely sure yet how much money we’ve raised, but just estimating it, I’d probably guess about £2500.

How do you feel the event went?

The whole SAGT committee was really nervous for the event and we weren’t quite sure what to expect, despite the fact that we have been planning for it since the first week back in September. But we really feel that the event could not have gone better–we filled the entire venue, sold out our VIP seats–we were actually scrambling for additional chairs because so many people were buying tickets! Every single one of our acts did an incredible job. Ents team were amazing! It definitely could not have been as successful as it was without the help from all of our volunteers and everyone else who was involved!

How does it compare to last years?

Personally, I’ve only been to one other SAGT so I don’t really have much experience with it. Last year’s event was really great as well–the UNICEF committee worked really hard and there were some fantastic acts. This year was slightly different because we had a few additional touches such as VIP tables, free Janettas ice cream dyed blue for UNICEF, a wide variety of acts, and an assortment of raffle prizes.

What is your opinion of RAG week?

I think RAG week, which stands for Raising and Giving, is such an incredible fundraising experience. There are so many opportunities for people to get involved, whether its working backstage dressing models at Catwalk to doing your own fundraising–the RAG Coordinator, Kelsey Gold, attempted to dye her hair purple for RAG week to raise money! It’s also a great way for people to make new friends because you’re constantly working as a team to ensure the success of all the different RAG Week events.