Auditions

You know how at the end of Orientation Week (or Welcome Week, or whatever your university calls it), you think, "wouldn't it be great if this was what college was about, and we didn't have to go to class"? Well, MIT recognises that, and sets aside January for that purpose. It's known as the Independent Activities Period, and is basically set aside to have fun in whatever way you like. I'm sure I'll post more about it when it comes.

One way people have fun is by performing. The Gilbert and Sullivan Players are putting on 'Trial by Jury', the shortest of the G&S operas (and, in fact, the only one that is truly an opera). Being on the executive committee, I volunteered to help run the auditions, which started on Saturday and continue tomorrow evening (if anyone in the Boston area is reading this in time, you should come to the West Lounge on the second floor of the student centre between 6 and 9pm tomorrow to audition). It's been an interesting experience. An audition can be rather confronting: it's just the performer and the selectors (ok, and the accompanist). It's certainly less so from the comfort of the other side of the table, but the environment still has the ominous feeling.

Some of the people who auditioned are members of the Mikado cast, and I noticed that people don't sing as well at an audition as during a production. I guess that's only to be expected, as is the observation that it makes less of a difference for more experienced singers.

Judging by the auditions I've seen so far, we should be able to put together a good cast, although I hope we get a decent number tomorrow so we can have a little flexibility and more than two person choruses!

We perform on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 January. I say we, although I won't be performing this time. I'll offer to help out in whatever way I can be useful (probably not all that much, because it will have a far less ambitious set, etc. than our usual productions), and still have time to study for Part II!