MANKATO — There’s a page on the Minnesota State University theater and dance website that most patrons never see. But for performance students within the department, the “Audition Opportunities” page can determine their whole year … from day one.
That’s because with a performance schedule that starts just less than a month from that first day, auditions take place immediately. All of this after a day of meeting instructors, finding where your classes meet and a 3 p.m. majors’ meeting that is a legendary information dump. It covers everything from how to sign up to work on shows to getting on the vocal lessons schedule to how many credits you can take for one low, low price.
Not only are there auditions for the first show in the Studio season, “The Roommates,” but also auditions for the second Studio show, “Misery,” and also the first two Mainstage productions, “Oklahoma!” and “The Women of Troy.”
Directors Heather Hamilton, Jim Van Oort, Christi Smith and Matt Caron, in the order of the shows listed above, found seats in the center of the Ted Paul Theatre, six rows back, and started auditions promptly at 4:15 p.m. Monday. Two stage managers worked in tandem to bring in students, time their auditions, and send them off before welcoming the next group.
With the help of Sign Up Genius, the next 5½ hours were scheduled for them with four or five auditions every 15 minutes, ending at 9:45.
After that, directors huddled and determined who got which part or parts, keeping in mind the exclusivity created by shows’ production schedules overlapping. The goal of the three big auditions during the year is to have cast lists posted as early the next day as possible. In many cases, rehearsals begin that night.
While those auditions are a big part of the students’ year, they’re not all of them. Auditions for the fall University Repertory Dance Concert was Wednesday, and for the annual children’s theater touring production (open only to first-year students and transfers) on Sept. 4. Talk about hitting the ground running!
It was recommended that students audition for all four shows. Those who did prepared a 30-second contemporary (non-comedic monologue), a 30-second classical Greek monologue, 16 bars of a Rodgers and Hammerstein song (or of similar style) and preparation for a dance audition that happened later that night.
“As a department, we’re trying to create the best season possible for our audiences while providing the best opportunities for our student artists and keeping sound artistic choices for the final product front-of-mind,” Van Oort said. He referred to it as a “tag-team effort” in many ways.
Hamilton echoed those sentiments: “I think we all care about each other’s shows as much as our own. We’re all in it together, so we take the needs of all the shows and try to find the right fits for all the shows, not just our own.”
Graduate students Chris Martens and Joshua Barclay’s names were No. 1 and 2 on the audition roster. They prefer those early spots, they said, not only to make a good first impression on directors and set a good precedent for the younger actors, but to take control of that which they can control. “I always say the only pressure in an audition room is what you put on yourself,” Barclay said. “For me, it doesn’t necessarily matter when I go.”
A couple of the early younger students stumbled, having to restart the 16 bars of the song they selected, accompanied by veteran department pianist Christine Schulz. Mistakes aren’t nearly as damaging as auditioners might think, the directors said.
“The recovery is way more important,” Hamilton said. “If they can take the hit and keep going, the hit doesn’t matter much.” Added Van Oort: “If you make a mistake but you’re able to regain control and get through successfully, that shows me something.”
The format for auditions changed a bit this time, said George Grubb, department of performing arts co-chair. Instead of having different locations for singing and monologues, it was all done at one time on the Ted Paul stage. This streamlined the process and gave directors a full look at students.
“This felt more like the professional auditions that I have experienced. It also is a great opportunity for students to learn how to prepare a full set of material instead of focusing on one or two shows at a time,” Barclay said.
“This way, directors can see my full range of abilities when they see my audition package for a show that’s not theirs,” Martens said.
That ties into how Smith, who was casting for “Oklahoma!,” used Greek monologues and other parts not obviously related to her show.
“Hearing your monologue tells me a lot about what you are capable of,” Smith said. So, even if a song goes badly, she can observe if they are capable of being strong and bold on stage.
“I’m not listening to the song as much as I am to the voice singing it, and thinking about how/if we might use them in the show,” she said of the singing portion. “I’m also watching to see if/how they integrate acting into their singing.”
Also announced at the Monday majors’ meetings were opportunities on the technical side of theater. So, those students who are studying set, lights and sound design — and those who were not cast in productions — had plenty of other possibilities to fill their time.
Those cast in “The Roommates” and “Oklahoma!’ began rehearsals Tuesday. Those cast in “Misery” and “The Women of Troy” have time to prep before rehearsals start Sept. 8 and Sept. 22, respectively.
Barclay was cast as Will and joined his fellow “Oklahomans” at rehearsal Tuesday. Martens, who was cast as Poseiden/Menelaos in “Troy,” had time to prepare to lead auditions Sept. 2 for the children’s theater production he’s directing.
And for everyone, there’s another round of auditions for Mainstage shows “The Birds” and “The Cherry Orchard” on Oct. 13. Another opportunity to take what they’ve learned and show what they’re made of.