The feeling of anticipation fills the air as the next group of ten is called into the theater room. Each student grips his or her monologue and try to look as confident as possible as they take their seats. Nervously tearing at their papers, they wait as their fellow group members ascend the stage and perform. Once the performances are concluded, the group files back out the door and commence their stressful wait for callbacks and eventually the results for the roles of the play.
Junior Vanessa Strahan is no stranger to the audition process. She has been in plays practically her entire life.
“I actually did a lot of acting and theatre camps when I was a little kid, but then stopped from around the ages of 7-12. What got me back into it was when my aunt bought me the soundtrack to Wicked, and listening to it brought back a lot of memories and I realized that I really loved being on stage and acting and singing, so I started doing shows in 8th grade,” said Strahan.
Her first lead role was in “Two by Two” which is a show about Noah’s Ark that she performed at her theater camp, Frenchwoods Festival for the Performing Arts. Since then, she has been cast in many plays such as Sister Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet and Miss Snivellicci in Nicholas Nickleby which she won a Cappie for last week.
“Working with Vanessa is great because she’s so dedicated to theater, but still has fun with it. Every time I was on stage with her during Nicholas Nickleby, it was difficult to keep from cracking up” said sophomore Kirsta Hackmeier.
However, what separates Strahan from most of Langley actors and actresses is that she does not take theater as a class, instead, she takes chorus.
“I decided not to take theatre as a class because I thought I would get more out of taking choir as a class, and. I could still do theatre after school but there is no after school choir,” said Strahan.
This year, she is in both madrigals and concert choir which requires her to take two chorus classes respectively.
Her friend, fellow madrigal, and castmate, junior Madeleine Chalk said, “Although Vanessa doesn’t take a theatre class, her persistence in auditioning has landed her some substantial roles anyway, which goes to show you that the only way to guarantee not getting cast is by not trying out.”
During her freshman year, Strahan felt auditioning was slightly harder without a Langley theater class background, but that didn’t stop her from being one of only two freshmen to be called back.
“Obviously, it would probably be a little easier if I had taken the class but I’m really glad I take choir because I learn so much there. I try to put a lot of thought into my auditions because I’m considering that she doesn’t see me act outside of the shows,” said Strahan.
Strahan isn’t the only non-theater student to be cast in Langley plays; such as former senior Chris Paul, junior Kathleen Welch and junior Rachel Mayman.
“Most kids who take theatre and do the shows are kids who don’t sing, pretty much everyone who sings takes choir,” said Strahan.