The plays and musicals happen every year at VMSS, and there are many important things that need to be done in order for them to go on. One step is choosing who to cast.

Choosing who to cast for the plays and musicals are unique in each way. But first things first, they must choose what play/musical they will do. After that, they must get the word out as much as they can. Then they will make the audition packet and place it outside Mrs. Gunn’s room. When you turn in your audition packet, Mrs. Laursen will make a list of the people auditioning and later, you meet for the auditions.

The audition packet is what you need in order to audition. It tells them when you can make it to auditions. “A lot of it just depends on obviously your ability to portray the character, to read the lines, kind of having that sense of confidence when your auditioning, and then your availability,” said Mrs. Gunn.

When auditions come the drama teachers will watch and listen. The people will go up in groups and one at a time, they’ll step up and say their lines. The teachers will make notes on what they saw and liked and after the auditions are done, they will make the list of callbacks. The callbacks work in the same way. Then, after callbacks, they will post the cast list.

The musical auditions have two added steps, singing and dance. So instead of just acting, they will do acting, dancing, and singing. For the singing and dancing, Mrs. Dixy and Mrs. Rail will join in. Mrs. Dixy helps with choreography and Mrs. Rail helps with teaching the kids the music.

“Each show makes the audition process a little different.” Mrs. Gunn said. For example, in Not Your Average Zombie Apocalypse, the students had to act like a zombie and react to being attacked by a zombie.

In conclusion, the audition process has many major steps to making a play or musical possible. Each is unique in their own way, and people work hard for the play. Without the process of casting, the play/musical would fall apart.