Autrey Mill Drama Students Present 'The Audition'

Drama students at Autrey Mill Middle School are working hard at rehearsals for their upcoming production of The Audition by Don Zolidis. Students stay after school most afternoons to practice their lines, work on the set and implement feedback given by their director, Amy Creamer.

“I am thrilled to be returning to the school that launched my directing and designing career, and most of all to the wonderful students I have grown to think of as family. Leaving the warm AMMS community was the most difficult part of retiring last May. Now I get a chance to not only work with the students again but to witness their growth as actors” commented Creamer.

The Audition is a great vehicle for middle school students to explore the experience of putting yourself out there through the eyes of different characters, and to understand how real life situations frame that experience. The show is loosely based on Michael Bennett's innovative A Chorus Line, which was created through a series of taped sessions Bennett held with Broadway dancers, or gypsies. These men and women shared their stories with one another about how they got started in dance, what obstacles they had to overcome and what lay ahead in the future, especially in the context of the outcome of their next audition.

In The Audition, the characters are high school students auditioning for A Chorus Line. Just like at any high school, some of the students auditioning are experienced actors, while others are trying out for their first show. And yet, for some reason have found themselves standing on stage facing out into the dark auditorium, talking to an unseen director, in this case, Mr. Torrance, played by 8th grader Luke Michaelis. During their limited time center stage, the actors reveal their talents and personalities to varying degrees. At times hilarious and other times soulful, The Audition will be a guaranteed enjoyable time for the entire family.

Preceding the show will be a short skit presented by six students that was written and directed by 8th grade student Laura Buice. The skit features the stories of the "backstage crew" of the show.

Tickets on sale in the front rotunda of the school at 4110 Old Alabama Rd. beginning April 24th daily from 8-9 AM and will also be available at the door on the nights of the performances, Friday, May 5th and Saturday, May 6th. Showtime is 7 PM. Tickets are $10 each.