“Confidence Is Key.”

The second game is “energy circle”. This game involves students going around a circle, clapping in perfect unison with the person next to them. If the students don’t clap, they have to restart. This game really gets the energy flowing in the room.

The third and final game is titled “8 count shakedown”. This activity involves students counting up to 8 while shaking each hand and foot going right to left in random motions. Once they reach 8, they repeat these actions but decrease the number by one.

After the students have played the games to get more comfortable with their auditions, they get ready and practice their monologues one last time

Around 3:30, Barrett prepared the students for their auditions. She introduced some activities to the students to help them relax. She tells students to think of the energy they bring into the room before they physically enter it. She wants the kids to forget about their day and any bad feelings they may have brought in.

One of the things she does with the students is talking about the “kinesphere”– the space around the students. Students are instructed to close their eyes and visualize the space around them. This is so students leave the stress behind them. She tells them to imagine what the space feels like. She also instructs students to think about how their feet feel on the ground. She asks them if they have roots and if their bodies are growing from them.

After having students leave their stress behind them, she has students do stretches. These also aim to have students feel relaxed and put their bad energy and thoughts behind them. “I think they were helpful to get into a performing frame of mind and to take some of the nerves about looking stupid away,” said Ben Goldlust (‘26).

After students have relaxed and stretched, Barrett and O’Connor said some final encouraging words to the students before sending them into the hallway to begin auditions. O’Connor mentioned, “Have fun and believe in yourself. It sounds cheesy but everyone should believe in themselves.”

3:45-4:40

Auditions begin at around 3:45. This time auditions are not in groups, but instead are being performed in front of just the directors. Although this may seem more intimidating, most students seemed prepared because of prior experience and because of the relaxation activities. “I like it because it gives less stress but you get used to it when you audition in front of people,” said Amy DeMartinis (‘23). Scozzari expressed, “Auditioning is nerve racking but when you’re alone, it’s easier to focus on what you’re trying to say. The buildup to auditioning or performing is a lot more stressful than actually performing itself.”

They start by having the next student enter the room and say what monologue they chose. Barrett and the other directors will have conversations with the students about why they chose the monologue and what they liked about it. They’d ask if the student has seen what the piece is from. During the auditions, the actors were very passionate about their performances. Many students used the tables and chairs as props. When students seemed nervous about auditioning, Barrett would have them take breaths and relax. One of the things the directors looked for was confidence when performing. O’Connor stated, “Confidence is key, really being sure of yourself and having the energy in your body and movements and voice.”

Scozzari also expressed how the Drama Club does its best to hype up everyone when they’re performing in front of others. “We as officers hype people up a lot making sure that they know it’s okay to fumble, it’s okay to mess up. I feel like we tell everyone that they don’t need to be nervous about anything. You shouldn’t perform for others, you should perform for yourself. I always tell people to imagine that there’s no one in the audience or imagine that just your parents are in the audience. We make sure everyone’s voice is heard and if anyone has any questions or fears about performing, we make sure everyone understands that it’s okay to be nervous but there’s no need to be nervous.”

The directors would laugh at the many comedic moments in the students’ monologues. If they had feedback for the students, such as showing more emotion in a certain spot, or making it clear who they’re talking to, they would let the student know what to change and have them do it again.

4:40-5:30

After auditions ended at 4:30, the directors deliberated about what they thought of the auditions and picked roles. Although an hour may seem like a long time to pick roles, O’Connor spoke about some of the challenges they face when having to pick people. “A lot of people audition and there’s not enough roles but there’s a lot of talent and it can be hard to decide who gets what role when there are multiple people for the role,” he said.

With the auditions completed, the Drama Club can now officially start their productions and begin the new drama season.