The side of art that is consistently present, but not so consistently mentioned, is opportunity. In the backseat of the creative mind is the constant search for a big break. While most Northwestern students were on spring break, a group of 13 musical theater majors were relishing in an occasion to showcase their talents to the New York theater community.
And not just New York, but Broadway. It is a musical theater Mecca, of sorts, that most undergraduate theater students put far in their futures.
Last fall, their experience began with an audition in Chicago, conducted by a panel of judges from the Chicago area. “We were given five minutes to demonstrate our best pieces at Lutkin,” says Communication senior Sean Carroll. Those five minutes led to callbacks, and, eventually, to the delight of these 13 students. They were chosen to be a part of the New York showcase.
Rehearsals started immediately. The aim was, as Carroll says, “to put your best foot forward” in two group pieces and two short cuts. The process involved group rehearsals and individual coaching.
Practice is one thing, but it does not get more real than Broadway. “You go from Evanston to New York, population 9 million and it can get very stressful,” Carroll says.
Anxiety aside, students intended to show agents and managers they were worth signing. “We try to show them what we have that they have not seen, or that we can do what they have seen better than anyone else,” Carroll says.
Arriving in Manhattan the night before the show, there was one chance to rehearse on stage, at 9 a.m., before putting on the showcases three times. Carroll and his partners warmed up at around 6 a.m.
“At the point of performing,” Carroll says, “it is all about you. You only have three chances to make an impression.”
The impression these students wanted to leave would be one that led to meetings with agents and managers. The first part of these meetings was informative, but the second occurred only if judges were “very impressed by your performance,” Carroll says.
The stress comes from understanding the realities of careers. “There are lots of kids – thousands of them graduating this year – and you have no idea what they have been doing for four years,” Carroll says.
Northwestern has a strategy that perhaps contributes to its reputation as a top theater school: Most showcases with seniors occur after graduation in May. Due to NU’s late graduation, they set up their showcase in March, leaving a first impression on many talent seekers.
Carroll stresses that Northwestern has another advantage: “Its students pursue a liberal arts degree, as well as a theater one. Other students might miss the truth about acting, that there are always other options.”
At the same time, most of the students involved in the showcase hung around Manhattan to meet with agents. “The showcase is great for all of us, and agents don’t look at people without a reason,” Carroll says. With the meetings behind them, the students can now evaluate their options, and they have contacts that will be valuable if they decide to stay in the theater world.
Carroll is decided. “I am going to Manhattan,” Carroll says, “And now I know what some agents are all about. Its like dating – you date around, but in the end, you have to commit.”
Weinberg junior JC Longbottom is a PLAY wrtier. He can be reached at [email protected].
