This spring the Xavier and Brophy theatre department will present the musical “Into the Woods” to their schools’ communities, but the road to show day is different this year. The audition process for this production differed from that of previous shows, and pushed actors and actresses into a more formal audition style, similar to what they may experience in the “real” world. The process was more time-consuming and the cast list wasn’t determined until November 9.
“Into the Woods” is a musical that intertwines classic fairy tales while bringing reality and responsibility to their happily-ever-afters. The characters face the consequences of their actions allowing the musical to explore themes of grief, morality, loss and growing up.
The heavier themes and complexity of this production created a need for a change in the regular auditions process. Auditions took place on November 3 and 4 at Xavier, and callbacks took place on November 5, 6 and 7 in the west theatre and main stage.
“The audition process was pretty long, for this show especially. I had been listening to the soundtrack for a while and also preparing my audition song, and then about one month before auditions it was revealed that we also needed a monologue. That was definitely a surprise for me, but I was able to focus on that closer to auditions,” said Anderson Roof, who will play the lead role of the Baker.
Auditions for this musical included a monologue, a song and a dance audition. This differed from previous shows as prior auditions only required a song or a monologue, not all three.
Auditions also had three days of callbacks, which “is new to Xavier, and places the kids into a more professional environment,” said director Sarah White.
In the professional world, a lot of time is spent on callbacks. So expanding the time spent on them at Xavier allows students and the directors more flexibility. It also prepares students for a longer callback process comparable to professional acting.
“After preparing, every role is called one at a time, and it’s your very last opportunity to show off anything else you’re good at. It’s easy to understand how stressed everyone gets around callbacks,” Roof said.
