2008 Woodie Awards
JSU 2005 drama season opens with Shaw
Lori Lawson
Issue date: 9/15/05 Section: Features
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Emotions were running high. Some of those auditioning were very comfortable, like old pros at work, while others were very nervous. At 6:55 p.m., 10 people sat in "the black box," the room where auditions are held, but by 7 p.m. the room was filled with an overwhelming 30 people. All auditioning for a part in this play. Out of the 30, only eight would get a part.
"Thirty people auditioning for a straight play with a fairly small cast is excellent," director Dr. Wayne Claeren commented.
About half of those who came to try out were either freshmen or recent transfer students. Among them was Eden Riddlespur, who acted in high school, but was nervous because this was her first time trying out for a JSU production.
"I got my roommate to come along with me for encouragement and moral support. Riddlespur said. She was unsure what to expect, unlike Seitel who, has done about 12 plays here at JSU and is now a graduate student.
During the auditions, students were asked to get up and perform a specific part chosen by the director.
"Even though they don't get to read from all the characters, I'm considering you for several characters," said Claeren.
As Claeren watched the auditions, he was looking for an actor or actress who most resembled the character as he saw them in his mind's eye not only physically, but also emotionally.
Performers who have "a certain flare, a certain disposition," as Claeren puts it, and who let their personality come through the character are appealing.
Seitel usually plays the villain in the more dramatic roles he has held and is trying out for the comedy because he wanted to approach something different.
Arms and the Man is an epic poem in the old tradition of Homer, written be George Bernard Shaw in the time leading up to Word War I.
The JSU drama department always likes to begin their season with either a well-known playwright or a well-known play.
In this Shaw comedy, the hero, Bluntschli is known as the "Chocolate Crème Soldier" because he carries chocolate in his cartridge belt instead of ammunition. He is a professional soldier who has begun to see the silliness of war.
The heroin, Raina, is a dreamy romantic character who will be played in this production by Lauryn Brook, a freshman majoring in English Language Arts.
"Acting is my passion," said Brook. "When I wake up in the morning I can't imagine myself doing anything else. I found love for it."
Justin Ridgeway, who was talked into auditioning for this play by another drama major, will play her hero, Bluntschli.
"He's very old school. He uses his sense of humor," said Ridgeway of his character. "No matter what's going on, he'll find something [humorous] about it."
Arms and the Man opens October 20 and runs through October 23. Tickets are $5 for students and military personnel and $9 for general audiences. JSU faculty and staff as well as senior citizens can get their tickets for $7.
For information, contact the JSU drama department at 782-5623.