UR students take center stage at campus auditions
Campus Life
With the arrival of fall, the academic year’s first theatrical and dance auditions brought a wave of excitement and activity to campus. At the Modlin Center, it was common to see students rehearsing lines or stretching in preparation, each one hoping to earn a spot in an upcoming production. “At UR, all students regardless of major can participate in theater and dance productions as well as music ensembles,” said Jenny Cavenaugh, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. “In some schools, these opportunities are limited to majors, but not here.”
In the Cousins Studio Theatre, Cavenaugh had begun callbacks for the play she was directing, Silent Sky. The play tells the story of Henrietta Leavitt, who worked at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s. Cavenaugh pointed out where the large telescope would sit on stage. She asked if any of the students had performed “theater-in-the round.” Only one answered affirmatively.
“You don’t move in straight lines, you move in curves,” she said, demonstrating, as she sashayed around the area — a stage delineated by an oval taped onto the floor.
Cavenaugh assigned the students different roles and had them read together. They were asked for their thoughts on the text. Those auditioning for the three female parts were required to sing. “I was delighted by how many first-year students came out. It can take a bit of courage to audition in your first week of college, but these students were terrific,” Cavenaugh said.
Sophomore Eliza Varanelli, the actor who will play Henrietta, a woman passionate about science, is a psychology major with a concentration in neuroscience. First-year student Rio Bello Sanchez will also appear in the play, as Annie.
“With open auditions, you have students bringing a wide range of experiences and interests into the creative ensembles, which enriches the experience for all of us,” Cavenaugh said.
One student who didn’t make Cavenaugh’s on-stage team joined the production team, and another was soon cast in a different play.
I believe that actors, whether they get a role or not, should have an experience that enables them to feel worthy. It’s so hard to come into an audition. It takes courage and vulnerability. I like to honor that.”
Be prepared to improvise
In addition to improving their skills, artistry, and gaining camaraderie, students in theatrical and dance productions can earn academic and practicum credits for their work.
A few days after the Silent Sky callbacks, another play began its auditions in the Cousins Studio. First-year student Will Jackson had never performed in theatre before, though he helped construct sets all four years of high school. He decided to take a chance and try out for a role in the one-act play, The Meeting, about a fictional encounter between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
“Of course, I was nervous,” Jackson said. “I had sat in on my friends’ auditions in high school. The biggest difference in college is that the director plays a more active role in your audition, asking you to repeat certain scenes, tweak a detail, for instance.”
There are three characters in the play: Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rashad, Malcolm X’s loyal bodyguard. A pre-show event will feature a cast of protesters and police reenacting a protest movement in the Modlin lobby and courtyard.
“At the auditions, I had some read from the script, while others read and improvised,” said Chuck Mike, theatre professor and the play’s director. “On callback day, I had everyone who auditioned come in, and I ran an acting workshop centered around an improv circle, which focused on character creation.”
Mike cast two actors from the community in the role of King and Malcolm X, so that left opportunity to fill the roles of Rashad and the ensemble players. All 13 students who auditioned were cast in a role. Jackson got the part of Rashad.
“I was so excited, I actually screamed,” Jackson said. “The first thing I did was call my mom.”