Author Spotlight
Caroline Creidenberg
A look inside of the audition process for this fall’s musical, ‘Beauty and the Beast’
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Emma Marston, 12
Before
Senior Emma Marston had never considered not trying out for the musical. After all, this was her ninth production through East, and she was already a certified thespian.
Before The Musical Revue in October, she already knew she wanted to sing “No One is Alone” from the musical “Into the Wild” for her audition.
Marston really enjoyed the role of Mrs. Potts in “Beauty and the Beast.” The kind, motherly figure. Marston liked to think of herself as the motherly figure when it came to productions.
“I like being a mama,” Marston said. “I like nurturing and being a leader.”
She wants to encourage the underclassmen to do theater, and to be confident about it. Marston learns a lot from the underclassmen, and she feels confident leaving the theater program behind to them.
Going into auditions, Marston had a positive attitude. She just wanted hoped for the best.
During
Marston sets her Best Choice strawberry-flavored water next to her, put in her headphones, listenes to “For Emma” by Bon Iver, trying to get focused.
It was yet another audition for Marston, but the nerves were still there. She wanted to show them how hard she worked to get to this point in her musical career. How hard she will work if she gets cast in this musical.
Finally, it was her turn. Walking into the room, the nerves started to disappear.
Choir teacher Mr. Foley, drama teacher Mr. Cappello, and technical director Mr. DeFeo sat in front of her like a panel of judges, but not as intimidating.
“Eww!” Cappello joked as Marston walked in.
Singing auditions went by in a flash. It was as if she hadn’t even been there, but she felt confident and was ready for dance auditions the next day. The audition dance was to “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast, which got Marston even more excited for as the show approached. After the audition, all she could do was hope that everything went well.
Many auditions had ended, as some kids didn’t get called back, but not for Marston. Callbacks had been posted the next day and her name had made the list. Filing into the room, Marston and the other students prepared for auditions. While some sang traditional warm ups such as ‘Do, Re, Mi’ Marston and a few others belted out “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey to get prepared.
It was a fun, relaxed environment that Marston was happy to be a part of.
After
All through the Frequent Friday, Marston couldn’t stop fidgeting. It was only a matter of minutes before she would know whether or not she would be spending the next four months onstage. Finally, the list was posted and a sea of emotions filled the hallway. Slowly walking up the list, Marston scanned the names for hers, which she eventually found. Tracing it over to Mrs. Potts, she tried to contain her excitement.
“I’m absolutely over the moon, I’m so excited.” Marston said.
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Abby McNitt, 12
Before
Junior Abby McNitt sits on the choir room hallways steps, reading the mandatory play audition questionnaire. What can you specifically bring to the cast?
She thought of Jasmine and the Queen of Hearts: two Disney-based characters she had portrayed in other shows. Seven years of voice lessons. Rehearsals for another production every night this week. Experience. But in the end, McNitt wrote about her ability to endure the time-consuming needs of the play.
“I don’t think I’ll have trouble making rehearsals,” McNitt said. “The play always comes first.”
Her thoughts scattered as student director Devery North approached.
“Abby, you’re next,” North told her.
McNitt felt herself begin to breathe heavily. She struggled to recollect her thoughts. Why was she nervous? She had prepared her piece for two weeks; she knew “How Could I Ever Know” like she knew her own birthday. Earlier that day, like she had the night before, McNitt had watched “Beauty and the Beast” as she scooped honey into her mouth.
“It helps relax the throat,” McNitt explained. “Well, I think it does. Maybe it’s all in my head, but it still helps.”
But the comfort of honey had worn off. As McNitt posed for a photo, her smile did not reflect her mood.
“At least I wasn’t shaking,” McNitt said, “but still.”
North again confronted McNitt. This time it wasn’t a warning.
“You’re up.”
During
Everything was a blur. Move through the doors, one of them with a “Break a Leg” sign attached to it. Greet the four judges. One thought: don’t look at them. Sing. Back out the door. Done.
Two weeks of preparation, and the audition flew by faster than summer break.
How’d I do? I missed a breath, didn’t take a big enough one at this one spot, but other than that it was OK, I guess. I just want whatever role is best for me and the play. Just glad it’s over!
But it wasn’t over. The next two days featured dance auditions and callbacks. Like the singing audition, they both flew by in a rapacious sprint.
“I wasn’t too nervous during either of those,” McNitt said. “You’re with a group then, and it’s fun to see your friends sing solos.”
Then the sprint screeched to a lagging crawl. Nervousness and anxiety quickly replaced comfort and confidence.
After
Despite her efforts, McNitt’s thoughts were not comprised of Jacksonian Democracy and Van Buren during seventh hour AHAP; instead, she thought of 3 p.m. That’s when the cast list would be posted.
After school, McNitt along with other choir members approached the list. Then, she saw it.
With the laughs and hugs that followed came feelings of relief and excitement. She would be a chorus member, and that’s just what she wanted.
“Whatever is best-suited for me.”
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Olivia Rogers, 10
Before
“Mic check, mic check.”
“Close the left curtains.”
“Stage left enter now.”
“QUIET.”
Direction and organization filled sophomore Olivia Rogers head. It was eighth grade and she was stage left manager. The curtain, the people, the show. She watched the show. But only from stage left.
That was the only theater experience Rogers had ever had, until this year when she heard East was doing her favorite musical — “Beauty and the Beast” — so she decided to audition. Rogers just wanted to audition for fun, for the heck of it.
Rogers wasn’t expecting to make it, and she just wanted to be in the chorus if anything. She attended a few voice lessons in preparation for the audition. Her vocal coach helped her prepare her audition piece “I Whistle a Happy Tune” from the King and I.
The second part of audition was dancing. Olivia had experience with dancing and was confident with her dance. She had taken multiple dance classes growing up, and she enjoyed dancing. After two weeks of voice lessons and years of wanting to be in “Beauty and the Beast,” Rogers was ready for her audition.
During
Walking into the choir room, nerves were no where to be found. Rogers just wasn’t nervous, she was ready. Coming straight from a voice lesson, Rogers hummed the tune in her head trying to keep her voice warmed up.
She entered, sang, and left. It was as easy as 1, 2, 3. It wasn’t the biggest deal in the world for Rogers and she was just happy with her audition.
The next day were dance auditions, the area where Rogers was experienced and confident. She entered the dance room not knowing what to expect. What she thought was going to be easier than singing auditions turned out harder.
“The dance was more complex than I thought it was going to be.”
Nevertheless, Rogers used her past dance experience and stayed after to show her leaps and turns. Leaving she felt indifferent, it didn’t go great, but it could have gone worse.
She went home and didn’t think too much about the musical. She was happy to be done with auditions, now all she could do was wait.
After
She scanned the computer for her name. Nothing.
“I guess I was a little disappointed, I just really wanted to be a part of ‘Beauty and the Beast.”
Rogers had friends over that night, fellow friends who had tried out and not made it. She was consoling them, bringing their spirit back up along with her own.
This wasn’t going to be the end of her theater career though. Rogers has already signed up to a part of House Crew, where she will make posters and decorate the auditorium for the show. It is her favorite musical, so she wants to stay involved.
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Alec Armer, 9
Before
As he awaited his audition, freshman Alec Armer reviewed what had led him to this place. He recalled Footloose: the energy, the excitement, the greatness of the whole production. He also looked forward to the enhanced focus of this year’s smaller cast. Armer had always wanted to be part of an East musical, and this was his first chance.
But this was far from his first chance at being cast in a musical.
Band and orchestra in grade school, “High School Musical” and “Cinderella” the past two summers in Theater in the Park, weekly voice lessons—Armer “loves theater.”
“Plays usually have one theme, either a total comedy or major drama,” Armer said. “But musicals can be as dramatic as possible and still have comedic characters.”
During
What can you specifically bring to the cast?
Armer regarded the audition form.
“I was kind of a suck up. I wrote that I have a good work ethic and know when to be serious,” Armer said. “I should have wrote that I can eat a whole large Pizza Hut pizza.”
Then, five minutes before his time, Armer’s nerves “crept up and blasted” him. He began running around, jumping in place, bouncing off walls. Anything to force out the energy—that’s what’ll calm the nerves. Especially with the knowledge that he’d spent only an hour preparing his audition piece.
“Half-hour voice lessons every week, and I worked on it for about five minutes during each one,” Armer said. “I was nervous.”
And yet Armer felt his audition went smoothly.
“No voice cracks,” Armer said.
After
Armer stared in disbelief at the callback list. His last name was printed on the list, only it wasn’t him.
He approached Mr. Cappello.
It’s a mistake, right? Tell me it’s a mistake.
Nope.
“Three options ran through my mind,” Armer said. “One, they had the wrong twin. Second, they only wanted my brother Justin because we’re both so similar. Third, I sucked and they hated me.”
Then another thought: he was already pegged down for a role.
The next day, Armer learned that this latter hunch was true. He was to be silverware, and he, along with his brother, was one of only six freshmen to earn a spot.
“When I saw my name on the cast list, I had mixed feelings. I was unhappy and shocked that certain people didn’t make it,” Armer said. “But it was still a good moment.”
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