New Changes for the TFC Theatrical Society

A new semester equals a new play put on by the Theatrical Society. Just like last semester, they have partnered up with Eagle Radio to create and perform a radio play that will be aired later in the semester. Directors Joe Dunn and Caris Schoolcraft are pleased to be a part of the spring play, The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play! This play is a fun tale of a young man named Hannay that gets tangled in the web of a spy he encounters. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Hannay must take up the spy’s mission and go on an adventure filled with danger and drama and twists around every corner.

Now, it’s too late to audition if you did not see the society last week in the Student Center recruiting. The parts are filled, and the actors and actresses are already hard at work making sure this play goes off without a hitch. Remembering how well It’s A Wonderful Life was last semester, we have no doubt that the upcoming performance will be fantastic. But on the topic of auditions, one of the Talon’s writers was able to view the auditions on February 4 and can explain what happened.

It starts with a game called What Are You Doing, as a way to let loose some nerves and get ready for the rest of the night. One person is on the stage acting out some type of situation when someone comes up and asks what they are doing. Instead of answering what they were acting out, they come up with a new scenario that the new person will then act out until someone comes up to them. The scenarios are completely random and hilarious such as a blind trapeze artist or an actor who ends up on Sesame Street accidentally. It was really just a fun and easy way to get someone warmed up for the later parts of the auditions.

Then the real auditions begin. The actors go one or two at a time and recite a 1-2 minute monologue that they have prepared. It does not have to be a classic speech from a play, although it can be. The auditions on Thursday ranged everywhere from medieval sermons about birds to scenes from popular movies like Labyrinth or Thor: The Dark World. As long as the monologue shows off your acting abilities, speaking and physical wise and does break the college’s guidelines, the directors enjoy seeing what people come up with.

After the monologues are finished, there is the last part of the auditions: the cold reads. The directors chose scenes from the play and have the actors read off as different characters, trying to find a good fit for both the actor and the parts. Some scenes can be read multiple times with different people as the different parts. Just because you read as one character does not mean you are guaranteed that part. The directors are just trying to figure out what fits best. The offer of a part is also not a certain commitment requirement. That comes in when the actors sign a contract with the society within two weeks after auditions. Due to COVID-19, the society also accepted filmed auditions that were submitted to the directors. Several parts this semester were cast using this method, but it is uncertain if this will continue in the future.

Finally, the Theatrical Society has made an announcement. For those of you who do not know, the major decisions of the club are made by trained leaders that cover specific needs that the society has. They are the team that is responsible for any event or announcements that you see about the Theatrical Society on campus, including selecting the plays and directors. We have been informed that several officers will be stepping down this semester due to graduation and other reasons. Because of this, those officers are searching for apprentices so they can train others in how their jobs are done. The current offices that will be opened are Props, Finance, and Hospitality. If you have any interest, please contact the society itself at theatricalsociety@tfc.edu or Caris Schoolcraft at carisschoolcraft@tfc.edu. We will do our best to let you know when these positions are filled.

We wish the Theatrical Society luck this semester and cannot wait for the performance that they have planned!