Theater students prepare for competition
Jessica Denney
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Features
As most students are coming back to campus, one group of St. Ambrose students is preparing to leave. These students are getting ready to battle it out against some of the most talented students in the area. They have been preparing for months.
Through sweat, tears and a lot of drama, each competitor hopes to come out victorious in the competitive sport known as theatre.
The SAU theatre students will head to Omaha, Neb. to showcase their talents in the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF).
The students will compete with others from seven different midwestern states in their region.
Six students from SAU have been nominated for the Irene Ryan scholarship auditions. Each student must prepare two scenes with a scene partner and one monologue.
St. Ambrose senior Sean Tweedale will audition at the festival for the first time as an Irene Ryan nominee. He said he's spent a lot of his time just trying to find the right
material to use.
"I have a lot of work to do to be prepared for the Irene Ryan's," Tweedale said. "I've read close to 100 plays just to find two special scenes and one very special monologue."
The students haven't been alone in their rehearsal process.
They've had the help of their professors and peers in choosing the right material to use and how to approach the auditions.
Near the end of November, the nominees performed their pieces for the first time for their professors, peers and fellow nominees. The audience gave feedback on the actors' performance.
SAU junior and Irene Ryan nominee Jovon Eberhart said the feedback has helped her feel more comfortable going into the auditions.
"Everyone's feedback has been so helpful," Eberhart said.
"Sometimes it's hard to tell what an audience will take from what is happening on stage."
At last year's festival
16 people advanced to the final round out of the 323 nominees. One of those nominees came from St. Ambrose.
St. Ambrose alum, Andrew Harvey, is back as a nominee this year and ready to perform.
"My mindset last year was, "I'm just here to tell a few stories," and I'm sticking with that," Harvey said. "I definitely feel more pressure this year, but it's all self-induced and doesn't do me any good. How well I do is up to me but how far I progress is determined by a handful of judges each round."
Many theatre performers are superstitious but Harvey chose to work with the same scene partner from last year for different reasons. He said the two have a certain dynamic.
"We're kind of like those guys from The Odd Couple," Harvey said. "He's 6'3'' and laid back. I'm 5'9'' and bouncing off the walls. We just look kind of funny together."
The festival is held January 21-26 in Omaha, Neb. The students that win in their regional competition advance to the national audition in Washington, D.C., where they compete for the Irene Ryan scholarships.
Through sweat, tears and a lot of drama, each competitor hopes to come out victorious in the competitive sport known as theatre.
The SAU theatre students will head to Omaha, Neb. to showcase their talents in the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF).
The students will compete with others from seven different midwestern states in their region.
Six students from SAU have been nominated for the Irene Ryan scholarship auditions. Each student must prepare two scenes with a scene partner and one monologue.
St. Ambrose senior Sean Tweedale will audition at the festival for the first time as an Irene Ryan nominee. He said he's spent a lot of his time just trying to find the right
material to use.
"I have a lot of work to do to be prepared for the Irene Ryan's," Tweedale said. "I've read close to 100 plays just to find two special scenes and one very special monologue."
The students haven't been alone in their rehearsal process.
They've had the help of their professors and peers in choosing the right material to use and how to approach the auditions.
Near the end of November, the nominees performed their pieces for the first time for their professors, peers and fellow nominees. The audience gave feedback on the actors' performance.
SAU junior and Irene Ryan nominee Jovon Eberhart said the feedback has helped her feel more comfortable going into the auditions.
"Everyone's feedback has been so helpful," Eberhart said.
"Sometimes it's hard to tell what an audience will take from what is happening on stage."
At last year's festival
16 people advanced to the final round out of the 323 nominees. One of those nominees came from St. Ambrose.
St. Ambrose alum, Andrew Harvey, is back as a nominee this year and ready to perform.
"My mindset last year was, "I'm just here to tell a few stories," and I'm sticking with that," Harvey said. "I definitely feel more pressure this year, but it's all self-induced and doesn't do me any good. How well I do is up to me but how far I progress is determined by a handful of judges each round."
Many theatre performers are superstitious but Harvey chose to work with the same scene partner from last year for different reasons. He said the two have a certain dynamic.
"We're kind of like those guys from The Odd Couple," Harvey said. "He's 6'3'' and laid back. I'm 5'9'' and bouncing off the walls. We just look kind of funny together."
The festival is held January 21-26 in Omaha, Neb. The students that win in their regional competition advance to the national audition in Washington, D.C., where they compete for the Irene Ryan scholarships.
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