Describe yourself in haiku. No, you don't have to do it right now, but those who showed up to audition for the First Year Players' presentation of "Godspell" did.
"Is a haiku 5-7-5 or 7-5-7?" someone mused.
"This haiku thing's going to kill me," another student muttered.
Upon heading down into the basement of Newcomb Hall last Saturday, students were greeted with a few forms to fill out before the actual audition process began. The forms, including the haiku question, gave a taste of FYP's unique character, offering a reminder that "FYP is fun and not scary. Break a leg!"
The greeters sat around the table, reading over the names on the sign-in sheets.
"We got a lot of new people," someone pointed out.
While students were filling out the forms, music blasted from a stereo beyond the greeters' tables as a small group of students practiced for the dance part of the audition.
"Boom, God SAVE the people two three four five six seven eight," choreographer Anna Lee counted out as those auditioning rehearsed the piece.
Some of the greeters even danced along with the music behind the tables.
"You sit here all morning, you pick up a few things," someone said as he proceeded to show off his new moves.
Lee encouraged those auditioning not to worry about the audition for which the director would be present; the choreographers would be watching throughout the entire practice to see how the students were catching on to the dance.
Beyond the area where the dance auditions were being held, the try-outs for singing and acting were taking place in Newcomb Theater. Each audition timeslot was divided into two groups; while one group worked on the dance portion, the other performed their prepared monologues and songs.
This semester's auditions brought some 50 first years wanting to be involved in the musical. To be deemed a "first year" for FYP, a person must be in his or her first year at the University -- a rule that allows transfer and graduate students to get involved as well.
"FYP is one of those organizations that changes your time at U.Va.," Director Eric Eyerman said.
Third-year College student Scott Keith, who was helping to operate the greeting table, offered some solid proof of FYP's influence on his experience at the University.
"I'd never done drama before, and now I'm a drama major," he said, reflecting back on when he first joined FYP in his second semester.
Many of the students that were involved in FYP's production of "Sugar" last semester found it to be just as Eyerman described, and came back to audition for another semester.
"I was in 'Sugar,' and it was just like the most fun thing I've ever done," first-year College student Kevin Knickerbocker said.
First-year College student Evyn Bressler, who also was a cast member of "Sugar," could relate to that sentiment.
"I was a lot more nervous this time because last semester I was like, 'Just go and have fun and if I don't make it it's okay,'" Bressler said. "But now I know if I don't make it, I'll be devastated."
Lee said that FYP's intentions for the auditions were "to make them as not-scary as possible. We really want to make people feel accepted and feel like they had the best audition possible."
Beyond the audition itself, Lee explained that FYP aims to give all hopefuls a sense of belonging to the group.
"We really want to create that informal, friendly atmosphere to let them know that even though they might not make the cast, we still want them to remain involved and become a part of our community," he said.
That relaxed and welcoming ambiance, whether singing in the theater or dancing in the hallway, was evident throughout the day's auditions. When it was time for groups to perform the dance piece in audition, Eyerman emerged from the Theater, dancing around to the music as if to emphasize the casual environment.
First-year College student Vincent Mendiola, a cast member of "Sugar," expressed his approval of this semester's audition process.
"I liked the singing part because we actually got to be on a stage, so it felt a little bit more natural," Mendiola said.
For the singing portion, those auditioning were handed over to Vocal Director Andrew Leahey and Assistant Vocal Director Boriana Bakaltcheva.
"We test their range, we look for their voice quality and then, when they perform their song, we're also looking for acting within the song," Bakaltcheva said.
She went on to say that the auditions were promising.
"We like what we've seen," she continued. "We're very happy to see a big group of boys because usually musical theater tends to lack in the male department."
Leahey jumped in, adding that the lack of guys "is really, really silly because all the women are cool, and if you're a guy and if you're smart, you'd use that to your advantage."
The songs people sang for their auditions ranged from "Dashboard Confessional to just the usual Broadway songs," according to Leahey.
Although auditioning students usually prepare the vocal and acting portions of the audition in advance, the dance portion is taught on the spot.
"I think a lot of times when people go into a dance audition, they think they have to be perfect, dead on, but basically we just want them to smile and express themselves," choreographer Horace Ballard said. "And if they forget the movement, it's okay, but have fun."
For the audition piece, the choreographers chose "Save the People," one of the big group numbers in the show.
"It's probably one of the most upbeat songs they've got, so if they can rock out and have fun on this, we know that the other stuff will come," Ballard said.
There was one slight issue with the dance audition, though: the location. The fairly sizeable space became crowded, leading to some mishaps during certain movements.
"It seemed like a big space, but when you had to line up it was actually pretty small -- you've got to learn to work with your space," Mendiola said. "I actually got smacked the last time we had to do the dance by two people on both sides."
Remaining determined, he added that "you've got to smile, you're auditioning."
First-year College student Jamie McCelland, also a "Sugar" cast member, encountered the same problem with the space. McCelland said that being in an audition group composed entirely of other "Sugar" cast members led to an even more laid-back atmosphere, which in itself could have been the cause of the issue.
"I was in the dance audition, and in one part of the dance I have to throw my arms out in this swooping motion, and I hit a fellow auditionee in the hand," he said. "We both screamed and hilarity ensued."
With the auditions aside and casting now over, Eyerman eagerly envisioned the future of "Godspell."
"It's going to be awesome, it's going to be unbelievable, it's going to be fantastic -- you're going to love it," he said. "And that's in terms of the audience's expectations, but from within the group, I'm just really expecting to make this an unforgettable experience"
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