West Side Story auditions attract 300 students

Students swarmed the hallway outside an opera rehearsal room filled with nerves and crescendos as auditions for “West Side Story” took place Sunday at the Musical Arts Center.

More than 300 students showed up to sing and dance for a chance to participate in the show that will run in April.

“It’s an awesome opportunity,” said junior Margaret Musick, who attended the auditions.

Some students had previously attended “cattle call” auditions, where students showcased their singing abilities for the lead parts of Tony and Maria, as well as other shows this year.

“You prepare an aria no longer than four minutes, you’re assigned a time and you come in and audition on the MAC stage,” Musick said.

All students interested in chorus or minor speaking roles were required to attend the general audition. Students who had previously sang at the “cattle call” auditions came to general auditions for dancing, but were not required to sing a second time.

Most students, including sophomore Leslie Spitznagel,  said they would be pleased with any role.

“I would be a tree if I had the chance,” Spitznagel said.

Students sang 15 bars of music selected from the show as well as danced a small choreographed number before callbacks were selected. The most commonly auditioned songs from the show included “I Feel Pretty,” “Cool,” “Tonight” and “Maria”.

Some students auditioning said they are currently studying voice through the Jacobs School of Music or musical theater through the Department of Theater and Drama.

Senior Mandy Striph is no stranger to the audition process and has performed in “Blood Brothers” and “Oklahoma!”.  She said her advice to other students going through the audition process is to keep trying.

“Just audition as much as possible,” Striph said.

After singing auditions, students piled into a dance rehearsal room. Most sat on the floor, conversing and stretching amongst various piles of dance shoes, bags and leotards.

Laughter and vibratos echoed softly through the room while students waited for further instruction.

Many students maintained a serious attitude, since they said they plan to audition for shows at major theater companies after graduation.

“It’s like you need to prepare for the real world,” Spitznagel said.