Preparing for the various exercises and trials, last Tuesday on August 27, 2013, our community’s own thespians got their “act” together as they ascended up the steps center stage to prove their skills in acting. Performing in front of their peers and directors, sixty outgoing and brave students overcame their fears and anxiety to audition for Jesuit’s fall drama production, The Crucible, directed by Mr. David Myers, head of the theatre department.
The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, is a play depicting the religious struggles during the developments of early American colonies, and the problems of conformity and power that accompanied it. Mr. Myers explains that although The Crucible is originally “set in 17th-century Massachusetts in a Puritan village,” it has been “changed to fit the setting of the mid-20th century, as few professional productions have done before which reminds the audience that the issues Miller presents in his writing are still with us today.”
Wanting to perform this production for years, the theatre department has waited for the “acting base in the program to have enough quality actors to fill all the roles,” roles split into two casts which were filled last Tuesday in the auditions.
Mr. Myers describes the general atmosphere and moods of the students during the auditions: “Auditioning is always a nerve-wracking ordeal. It’s not easy to put yourself out there and potentially face rejection. I’m really proud that so many students risked their ego and performed.”
By the end of the auditions, Mr. Myers had one thing to say about the students who auditioned: “They’re all outstanding.”
He attributes the success of the auditions to the drama summer program and the work from previous years: “Last year — and during our summer program — I offered a few workshops on how to audition, which were well attended. As a result, our auditions have a very polished quality to them. They now look and feel like college auditions.”
Even though the auditions were held at Jesuit, several other schools had participated in the auditions process. Mr. Myers says, “The real headline from the auditions is that we cast students from seven local schools. That’s a wider reach than any other high school in Dallas has now — and we’re proud to be a home for actors from so many parts of the city.”
Filled with a cast from all over the city and a faculty team, consisting of Mr. Christopher Patterson, Mr. Tim Howard, Mr. Jeff Murdter, and Mr. Max Von Schlehenried, this collaborative team, whom Mr. Myers is looking forward to working with this year and potentially many more, will work diligently throughout the fall, memorizing lines and working on character to continue providing phenomenal productions to Jesuit community.
Free your calendars and tell your friends, teachers, and family, because on the second and third weekends of November, the lecture hall of Jesuit College Preparatory School will be filled to the top of the steps with an eager audience waiting to see this truly unforgettable production of The Crucible!
