Student Blog: A Bustling Audition Day at Wagner College

If you are considering being a theatre major, I'm absolutely positive that you are aware of the time consuming and taxing process of college auditions. Hundreds of thousands of students flock to a myriad of colleges and universities for a chance to train in this fantastic field we call theater.

If you are like me, you auditioned for dozens of schools. When I went through this process, each school offered their audition day in their own special ways. One school had a mock audition that we sat in, while another school had city tours. At Wagner College, we were happy to hold our in person auditions on February 20th with lively energetic laughter throughout the day to make the auditioners amped up for their time here.

Pretty much all Wagner College Students await the moment to take part in this joyous and fun-filled day in the late winter months. Days before, over 150 students sign up and receive their job titles and tasks for the day. With bated breath, I was told that I would be leading students around while navigating their auditions. The room exploded in elation ready for February 20th to begin.

Early in the morning as the sun rises over the Verrazano Bridge, all student volunteers wake up and grab their coffees for the exciting day ahead. Taking our Clove Road Bagels in hand, we sat tight while all the auditioners arrived in our lecture hall as our exceptional department head spoke to eager parents. My partner and I listened outside the door hearing students warm up, reminiscing of our college audition days... although they felt not too long ago. Afterwards, the students begin to separate in their holding rooms. They are then greeted by a large group of Wagner students dancing on the stairs, jamming out to Harry Styles and cheering on the potential students. I remember as a high school senior, this thrilling start to the day immediately piqued my interest in Wagner.

Instantly my partner and I became aware of how fired up our group of twenty seniors were, which made our jobs even more fantastic. We were labeled as group A, so the auditioners decided to call our collective group "Awesome." While waiting to go in to sing, we played a few icebreakers to pass the time and have everyone not feel as anxious. We found that there were a multitude of students from all over the country who had never been to NYC, as this vibrant city that had become our home was the norm. We answered various questions from theater in NYC to of course... the Staten Island Ferry. It was so nice to be given the opportunity to speak on our features of the theater department, like our opportunities to collaborate with other majors in our classes, our four student run companies and our small individualized classes with professors who always offer help on material.

As we took potential students from room to room, it was inspiring to see the glow on their faces from nailing their auditions plus seeing the adjudicators in the rooms' support and elation. Although it was a lengthy day, my partner and I kept the students engaged and energized as it was important for them to feel invigorated for most of their last auditions of the season.

Overall, this was a successful day for the books. I was motivated for the future of our theater department seeing a shared love of performance and excitement for auditioning when it can be completely nerve wracking. Audition day makes me remember why I chose my school, not only for its rigorous training program that sets up students for a career but for Wagner's professionalism and family it cultivates. We all work so hard in a challenging but incredibly supportive environment as individual artists and intelligent performers. Audition day, although hectic, made me discover how much this school has made me grow as a performer and a human. Know when you're auditioning, the right school will always find you. After meeting this senior class, I know that they will have great success, whichever school they choose.

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