Session 2 Auditions: Beatboxing and Knock-Knock Jokes

On the very first day of camp, auditions occur, the event that determines how the campers will be focusing their energies for the next three weeks. This exciting procedure took place in the black box, under the guidance of the counselors and the directors for this session, Daniel Kennedy (Much Ado about Nothing), Jeremy West (Henry VI Part 1), and Riley Steiner (A King and No King).
The counselors began auditions by teaching the campers a song. The song used the text of first verse from Shakespeare’s Cuckoo’s Song set to an Ingrid Michaelson melody.

When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver-white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight

After using a call and response technique and once the campers had the song memorized, the counselors led everyone in a round. The campers then divided into groups of three and made the song their own by choreographing dance moves, overlapping voices, and using acrobatics. Several groups funkified the song with beatboxing and rap. This was a way for the auditionees to show their music skills, abilities to work with others, and spontaneous creativity.

Next, the campers divided into three large groups of twelve to create a series of tableaux. Each group had a set of lines from one of the plays to act out. For each line, the group would form a different stage picture, using contrasting levels, stances, and facial expressions to enhance the text. The groups also had special rules that they had to incorporate into their tableaux. For example, on a certain line, everyone has to faint. On another, everyone is surprised except for one individual, and there must be a passionate relationship. As campers called out ideas for these stage pictures, the counselors reminded them to “Yes, and” each other, meaning to stay positive about others’ choices and to build on those choices.

Before Session 2 began, the campers were to select and prepare a ten line monologue from one of the three plays. In performing a monologue, the camper gets to showcase his or her individual talent. The campers took turns performing their pieces to the directors and their fellow campers. It was wonderful to see how supportive these campers already are of each other, even though they are technically in competition with one another during the auditions. At the end of each monologue there was an explosion of clapping and cheers for the auditioning camper.

Auditions are tough, which makes Day 1 arguably the most stressful and nerve-wracking day of the session. The directors recognized this and tried to reassure the campers throughout the auditions, telling them not to hold anything back and to have fun. Daniel Kennedy provided a final stress-reliever to culminate auditions by asking the campers to share a joke with everyone. Tension began to leave the room as campers ecstatically ran to the front of the room, eager to make their peers laugh. The audition process is now over and the shows are cast, but the talent, energy, and excitement the campers displayed at auditions are here to stay. Whether in the dorm, in rehearsal, or at workshops, these campers of ASC Theatre Camp Session 2 are full of life and a passion for theater!

--Emma Lo