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Drama Club Auditions: An Interview with Jacqueline Wills

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Chatham chapter.

Are you auditioning for Rocky Horror or the One Act Festival? Jacqueline Wills, one of the talented directors, gave us the scoop on what to expect.

Her Campus Chatham: What are students auditioning for?
Wills: The fall semester shows will consist of The Rocky Horror Show The Musical, and The One Act Festival. On Saturday, scripts will be provided from both, and we will cast both of the shows through the audition process of some cold readings, acting exercises, and a vocal audition section.

What can students expect at the auditions?
Students can expect a fun and relaxed audition, and some great readings to really explore all of the characters within each show. Both Rocky Horror and the One Act selections are filled with some great and dynamic characters.

How can students best prepare for the auditions?
Students can best prepare by not stressing too much about the audition, and getting rest beforehand. Also, students should be sure to keep an open mind, and make sure that they take some time before auditions to do some research on Rocky Horror, and maybe even view the film.
Normally, I wouldn’t suggest watching other actor’s performances and interpretations of characters, but with a show like Rocky Horror, you have to know what you are getting yourself into before auditioning.

What do you look for in a performer?
Maria Shoop, my co-director, and I really look for a sense of professionalism and commitment before anything else. After that, things like vocal projection, stage presence, and overall acting and creative ability are next on the list. More importantly, a sense of positivity and excitement is definitely something that we will be looking for in any of the performers who audition.

What other ways can students get involved with the productions if they aren’t interested in acting?
Students can get involved in a myriad of other ways, through tech, set design and construction, costumes, ticketing, marketing, and makeup. There is always something to do, and we need all the help we can get!

Any advice on beating pre-audition jitters?
Honestly, just don’t think about it. This audition process is going to be really easy and relaxed. No reason to worry about it!

Auditions are Saturday, September 8th from 4 PM to 7 PM in the Eddy Theatre.
 

  Mara Flanagan is entering her seventh semester as a Chapter Advisor. After founding the Chatham University Her Campus chapter in November 2011, she served as Campus Correspondent until graduation in 2015. Mara works as a freelance social media consultant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She interned in incident command software publicity at ADASHI Systems, gamification at Evive Station, iQ Kids Radio in WQED’s Education Department, PR at Markowitz Communications, writing at WQED-FM, and marketing and product development at Bossa Nova Robotics. She loves jazz, filmmaking and circus arts.