Community College Acting for Adults
Read more articles on Let Me Share With You.February 21, 2008
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
February 21, 2008
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
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There are probably many folks who acted in high school college productions, only to have their dreams of stardom placed on the back burner of real life. Their time in the spotlight has become a memory in between house payments, babysitting and overtime. But at some point, the desire to get back on stage returns. Let’s face it: if a person enjoys acting when young, chances are” it’s in their blood.”
Then there are those who may have wanted to act, but never had the courage to try out in school. However, the fascination remains, and the desire to perform is still as strong as ever.
The answer for most of the adults is the local community college. Sometimes, the adult can audition only if they are enrolled in an acting class, but other times casting is open to the public. Both are great opportunities!
Found in almost every medium to large sized city, a community college really is for the community in terms of class diversity and life experience. Inexpensively priced courses (for credit and non-credit) are held in the evenings and on weekends, and adults comprise a good percentage of the student population.
It may be daunting for an adult to go to an audition, but he or she should remember that they are not in competition with the 20 year olds for the starring roles, and they don’t need the job to pay the rent, so there really is no pressure! Community college productions are mostly attended by students, teachers, and their friends and families and are thus an excellent place to acquire experience and skills. If a community college acting class is attended at the same time, there will probably be several actors from the play there as well. In fact, the director may even be the teacher! Class is the time to work on accents, stage movement, character interpretation, and other aspects of acting if the adult has not had previous training, and it’s usually held once or twice a week.
Normally, community college tryouts do not request prepared pieces. A script will be provided and the person will told which part to read, after a brief overview of the characters. Different role reading or a “callback” for a second audition may be requested. Since older characters are always in demand in these productions, there is a good chance that someone with previous acting experience will be given a role. Adults who have never acted should simply relax, put themselves into the character, project their voices loudly and cleanly, and apply any training learned from the acting class.
If cast, a person will be notified about their rehearsal schedule-usually by phone. This is the time that any conflicts must be discussed; when one actor isn’t available, the rest of the cast cannot work as well. It may be necessary to give up the role if child care or work obligations present difficulty. Just because community college productions do not pay cast or crew does not mean they are unprofessional in carrying out obligations, and it is not fair to expect leeway for individual situations.
Rehearsals are normally twice a week in the evenings, increasing to almost daily the week before opening night. In most cases, shows run for a weekend or two. This is an important consideration, since many hours and a lot of energy will be invested in what may amount to be only a short time on stage. Normally, no money will be required for costumes or tickets, but makeup and special props are an actor’s responsibility.
Since much of the cast will be around college age, the adult should not expect the same environment as found in their workplace. However, the younger adults do care about the performance and are usually on time and prepared. There is mutual respect for what everyone brings to their roles, and thus there is less separation between age groups as one may expect.
Performing in a community college production is a truly special experience! It offers adults the chance to relive a great thrill, or finally live out a dream. There is always an appreciative audience, supportive staff, and at least a few other adults around to offer encouragement. Taking part in such a creative effort is the ultimate in teamwork and achievement in a non-competitive arena.
There is room for everyone in community college acting classes and their theatrical productions!
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