SU’s Drama Program Seeks out Students with Animalistic Acting Instincts
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CITRUS TV NEWS) The SU Drama Department’s audition process has caught applicant’s attention. The unique audition segment is acting like an animal. With College Decision Day coming up in May, SU’s admissions recruiters are sorting through applicants’ interpretations of the prompt: embody an animal of your choosing and a series of actions they may engage with.
“When I was looking at the prompt, I asked myself, ‘which animal would I feel the least silly doing? I picked a squirrel,’” said Musical Theater major Madison Manning.
The content of aspiring theater major’s auditions translates directly into their class material. Students engage with courses ranging from drama in context to movement classes that have students to roll on the ground for a grade.
Syracuse Drama Students can be spotted practicing the traits of animals and other characters in and between classes at the Syracuse Stage throughout the school day this semester. Students are assigned projects throughout their time at SU to build on the fundamentals of their animal auditions.
“Freshman year in movement, you do a lot of floor work, animal work, and using different parts of your body to portray different things,” said Manning. “Now that I’m moving into more advanced courses my junior year, your physicality for a role has to come from somewhere, so you can choose to bring animal techniques with you.”
Students at the Syracuse Stage are hard at work when it comes to perfecting their passions in class.
“When you’re in a theater program as good as Syracuse’s it’s all about failing. It’s like, can you fail and then fail and then fail better next time? And it’s all about like, building that armor and kind of branding yourself when learning new skills,” said Manning.
As the class of 2029 is beginning to receive their acceptance letters, incoming students can only prepare to expect the unexpected when getting ready for their classes.
Reporting by: Sophia Braun
