Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first story in the "Behind the Curtain" series, a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to bring a theatre production to the stage, from auditions to opening night.
Choreographer Madison Strider was straight with a stage full of dancing girls two months ago at audition callbacks as they vied for a spot in Grand Canyon University’s upcoming production, “Beauty and the Beast.”
"I need you to do it like the guy you like is in front of you,” she said.
Tonight, an Ethington Theatre audience will be in front of them at a 7:30 p.m. show that opens a much-anticipated two-weekend run.
More than 40 cast members will bring the classic Disney magic to life. Some will make their final theatre appearance before graduating while others make their Ethington debut.
Two months ago at auditions, this was just an ambitious, hopeful vision for numerous students as they showed off their theatrical skills through scenes from productions such as, “You are a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “Clue,” “Shrek” and more.
“'Do I want to see them again?' is what I am thinking with each audition,” said play director Cynthia Calhoun. “Is there something interesting, something different, something particular they did that I enjoyed seeing?”
One by one, students took the stage and, within just a minute, they had to show off their best acting skills that are paired with appropriate movements, facial expressions, tone of voice, projection and understanding of the chosen character.
“Written or unwritten, you never perform a piece from the production for your audition because you could bias the director in some way,” said Calhoun.
“If you are singing a song from 'Beauty and the Beast,' and you really want the character Belle and are singing 'Home,' maybe you are doing it absolutely not the way the director is imagining it.”
Are the intentions and objectives clear? Are they making any sort of choices as that character? Are they bringing their body into it? Calhoun considered and noted these things as students came in and out of Ethington Theatre.
“Confidence is the key,” said junior theatre major Thomas Heggem. “Know yourself, know what you are good and not good at, focus on your strengths and play into those.”
A musical production as complex as “Beauty and the Beast” requires more from its cast – more than just good acting. To land a role in the prominent classic, students also had to show off their finest dancing and singing skills.
The three-day audition process consisted of dance, vocal and acting components, leading up to the evening that would determine the final cast: callbacks.
Cheering, stomping, clapping, jazz shoes tapping echoed from the stage as women showed off their witty dance skills on stage to Strider. Meanwhile, the men belted their finest tenor, baritone and base musical notes in the lobby to Calhoun and Music Director Mark Fearey.
“Can you try that in a muffled British accent?” said Fearey to the roomful of pretend Gastons, Lafous and Lumieres. “These characters are older, so try to sound deeper.”
The men cleared their throats and fixed their postures as they attempted to get into the headspace Fearey challenged them with.
Emotional, rich and full notes reached the ceiling as the men heartedly sang the opening musical piece of the production, “Belle.”
“Preparation, that is all it can be to pull off a perfect audition,” said junior theatre major Brandon Erickson-Moen. “I figure out what character I am interested in, then I read and listen to their songs, specifically, over and over to understand who they are.”
After 15 minutes, the men took the stage to show off their dance skills and the women wowed the judges with their perfect pitch.
Fearey’s hands flew up and down the piano as soprano and alto notes filled the room and the women showed off their version of “Belle.”
Simultaneously, Strider was counting, “1 and 2 and 3 and 4, left, right, split,” as the men put their best dancing shoes on.
“It is a lot of repetition and picking yourself apart,” said junior Sophie Ford. “How is the director going to view this? How can I best show my range but also not be so all over the place that it doesn’t make sense?”
Who will be Belle? Who will be Mrs. Potts? Madame de la Grande Bouche?
“Since the second they announced it was 'Beauty and the Beast,' I wanted to audition,” added Ford. “I mean, it’s 'Beauty and the Beast!'”
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at [email protected]
IF YOU GO
What: "Beauty and the Beast"
Where: Ethington Theatre, Grand Canyon University
When: 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15-16 and 2 p.m. Nov. 17
Tickets: Click here.
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