Try it out: Musical auditions openly welcome all students
Parts in Gettysburg”s musicals aren’t just for theatre majors; students from every field of study try out and act in the college’s performances.
By Krista McCo, Columnist
You are standing on the bare stage with only a stranger playing the piano next to you. The audience is empty and dark but for one small table with the director and musical director. Your cue is coming to sing, but your throat is closing up as your knees lock at the thought of having to dance and you forget the monologue you’ve been rehearsing for the last few days. You know the others back in the waiting room are so much better than you, so what is the point? It is not looking good for you.
Well, that is just some nightmare you have been having. Wake up, kid, auditions are not at all that bad. Yeah, you have to wait for what seems like eternity before it is your turn to strut your stuff, but the people waiting with you are your friends, or people who could easily become them. Yes, everyone is competing for some role or other, but no one’s glaring at everyone or anything. They pass the time catching up after not seeing each other for the summer and laughing over something they saw on TV the night before.
Here at Gettysburg, the Theatre Arts department is open and welcoming to all, even those who haven’t quite come around to the idea they’re the best department on campus. You want to work on a show? Actor? Singer? Technician? Not a problem! There are plenty of Biology majors who find their way into these shows. Over thirty students auditioned last week for the upcoming, Fall musical, A Chorus Line. I can promise you only a select few were Theatre majors, and most of them became a part of cast!
Putting yourself out there to be judged by strangers is never an easy, fun, or comfortable thing. Letting other people tell you, essentially, if you are good enough, is terrifying and something only the bravest might even think to consider. That idea, “Am I good enough,” becomes less and less intimating as you go through the process here, because we need you as much as you want to hang out with us.
Lesson for today, kids? Don’t be afraid to get out there and strut your stuff. At worst, you will at least beat me out.
New on the bulletin board: Want to see some awesome, all-student made work? Check out the Black Box Blitz shorts going on this weekend in Stevens Theatre. These groups of students are writing, directing, rehearsing and performing a brand new show in just a week. Yes, that is really impressive. Also, the annual S.Mu.T. review is next weekend at the same place. Keep your eyes and ears open for more infomation.
