Welcome new theatre students!

Welcome to NAU Theatre! We hope that your summer is going well and that you are looking forward to the upcoming year. Please follow see our New Student Letter outlining important information as you enter this phase of your education at NAU.

Please take notice:

You will be expected to review the NAU New Student Handbook prior to the fall Majors/Minors Meeting. The handbook can be found through the link above.

Auditioning

All students interested in performance and all freshmen and recent transfers must audition for the productions. So, what do you need to prepare for the auditions?

• Read the plays and prepare for the audition thoroughly, which means practice!
• What we find important in an audition is that the student actor is prepared and memorized. We like to see that you cared enough to prepare in advance.
• We are also looking for actors who are willing to take a risk or make specific choices, and who are willing to experiment with various directions/options, whether “right or wrong” for the character.
• Be open, creative and flexible.
• You might consider meeting with the faculty director to see what they are looking for in the role. Dress for the audition and arrive early!

For the specific requirements please see the performance information page.

Production Positions

For those of you who are interested in working on the shows either as a crew member or in the shop, you will have the opportunity through your TH 123: Stagecraft, TH 122: Lighting and Sound or, TH 124: Costume Construction courses and the TH 113: Production Practicum applied courses to fulfill lab hours in one of the shops and backstage.

During that first week of classes you will attend a mandatory Majors/Minor meeting and complete the appropriate paperwork for the lab that meets in conjunction with your course (TH 122, 123 or 124) and then you will meet with the appropriate faculty member in the area of study.

If you have not added the TH 113 class, please contact our office and we will make sure that you are enrolled. Additionally, we encourage incoming students to gain experience by volunteering for a crew or for work in the shop if they are not in a TH 113 lab class.

You will have the opportunity to meet the designers and technical staff either at the New Majors/Minors meeting or when classes begin.

For more information, see the production workshop page.

Other Opportunities

In addition to the faculty directed, mainstage productions there are other opportunities for you to perform, work behind the scenes, and to make the most of your education.

NAU Theatre prides itself on giving each student within their major a way to solidify and test their knowledge and craftsmanship before entering the “real” world; this is known as the STUDENT SENIOR CAPSTONE PROJECT.

Every graduating Senior will have to complete a project within their area of interest. Occasionally, a student director achieves the opportunity (after considerable hard work) to direct a project. We will have a series of projects that will be cast (after mainstage casting) in the fall and in the spring.

A few of these projects are full-length works and others are smaller but equally exciting projects.

The Callboard

In the Theatre Hall (located in The Performing and Fine Arts building 37) you will find the most important communication center for your four years at NAU. This is where the call board is located.

The board (next to the costume shop) is the control center for the department. You will find audition notices, daily schedules for rehearsals and production meetings, work calls, social events, and other pertinent information.

Additionally, you will find a bulletin board directly across from the Theatre offices and next to room number 125 where outside auditions and job announcements are posted.

Both the call board and the department board should be checked at least once a day in order for you to stay informed. Make it a habit by adding it to your routine as you pass by for a class that way you won’t have to remember each day.

Please visit the Callboard page for more information.

Once again, welcome!

The Faculty and Staff are very excited to meet you. Please remember that even if you are being advised in Gateway you should stop by and talk to the Theatre faculty about your course of study. We would like to get to know you better!

The study of Theatre is accumulative; meaning that you begin the study immediately in order to advance and develop as a craftsperson and artist. You will take your liberal studies core as well as major course work together throughout your degree studies at NAU.

I hope you are just as excited as we are about the coming year. We look forward to getting to know each of you. Have a safe summer and we will see you soon!

Kathleen M. McGeever, Chair
NAU Department of Theatre