Students and community members shook up the theatre wing this week with auditions for Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, the fall theater production.
The process gave participants a chance to demonstrate their singing, acting, and performance skills while also building relationships that will last long after the final curtain.
“I feel pretty good about my audition, but I won’t jinx myself by saying too much,” junior Nick Gore said. “I’m excited to see how the cast list turns out. I trust the directors to make the right decisions.”
Auditions opened in true Waterville fashion with a role-play talent show designed to help students relax and get comfortable working with each other on stage.
The activities encouraged participants to interact, move and respond to scenarios such as magic shows, lion taming and interpretive dance, allowing directors to see a range of personalities and performance styles.
“This was my first real audition here,” first-year student Michael Tate-Blanks said. “I thought it went well. It was good to meet new people, and seeing all the kids do their thing was funny as well.”
Later, participants moved on to reading sides-or short sections-of the script. The group readings gave leaders a sense of how students handle dialogue and character work and gave students a chance to collaborate and build on each other’s performances.
The session concluded with a short vocal exercise, where students sang initial harmonies together. The goal was to hear how different voices blended and to begin shaping the sound of the ensemble.
For many participants, it was their first opportunity to sing in a group for this production.
“Being here was fun,” junior Joseph Terry said. “I’m not sure where I may end up, but I’m happy to be here.”
The cast list for Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas will be announced soon. Once roles are assigned, rehearsals will begin, leading up to the performance later this semester.
With the combination of acting, reading and singing during auditions, the production team has an early glimpse of the energy and teamwork that will shape this year’s show.
