Limits on Participation
Academic success is a primary goal for our theatre and dance students, therefore a minimum 2.00 GPA is required for consideration of casting and assignments of production roles.
The basic recommendation from the faculty is for students to concentrate on one theatrical faculty directed production or dance concert per semester. However, in limited circumstances, a student may be considered for more than one role (i.e., acting, designing, choreographing or dancing) in a semester.
Factors that are considered in this type of decision:
- The timing between the shows
- Non-overlap of rehearsal times
- Student displays good study habits, and a minimum 3.0 GPA
- Student is prompt, dependable, responsible and committed
- A sense of the particular show or ensemble needs and the choreographer/director’s artistic vision for a particular type of performer
Faculty members will confer with one another before auditions and/or casting to decide if the timing of their show and their artistic needs would allow them to consider a student who wishes to participate in more than one production in a given semester. This is a highly individual decision due to scheduling conflicts and the problems presented by having a split focus or limited availability. Some faculty members will not consider any student for more than one role; this decision is entirely at the discretion of the affected faculty members. Faculty members will share their scheduling requirements with the students at the audition.
Why do we cast freshman dancers only in 1st year showcase in the fall?
The intent of our dance audition policy is to be inclusive and give opportunities to as many deserving students as possible to be cast. All 1st year dance students are cast in the showcase so that we can guarantee a role for freshman in their 1st semester. We typically cast 30 freshmen in 4-6 dances that are created on them by faculty and upper level students.
Our sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible to audition for Fall Appalachian Dance Ensemble (FADE) (6-8 dances) or the NC Dance Festival, (since it is a joint venture with NC Dance project, ASU only presents 3-4 "local" dances in that show). Since we have many students each fall that we are tying to get to know, we feel that the freshman get lost in the larger audition that often has over 100 students vying for roles in 9-12 dances. We typically cast half the dancers that attend this audition.
All students can audition for the student dance club concert, Momentum Dance; the choreographer and dancer auditions typically happen mid September to October. The majority of the rehearsals are later in the semester and their performance is typically late January.
All students can audition for the Spring Appalachian Dance Ensemble; it typically auditions in late fall. The bulk of their rehearsals will be in the spring. We really try to use 1st year dancers wisely their first semester to help keep them active and in good academic standing. Most dancers at any level are only cast in one concert in the fall, simply to try to spread the roles around and to encourage them to keep academic standards high.
Student Responsibility when Auditioning
It is the student’s full responsibility to make complete disclosure of all commitments on the audition form at the time of auditions; giving incomplete or false information is a form of academic dishonesty. If a student does not make full disclosure of all commitments at the time of casting, this irresponsible behavior is grounds for replacement as it demonstrates a lack of ability to see how an individual must embrace a common standard for the good of the ensemble production.
If you are not cast…
Although we choose our season’s plays, choreographers and directors with a diversity of student roles in mind, we cannot cast everyone who auditions every semester. In keeping with the practices of performing artists, it is important to remember that roles are not always divided equally. We encourage all students to talk directly with the faculty regarding casting decisions to receive feedback and make the audition process a valuable learning experience.