Star Someday

If you have ever auditioned for a part in a theater production, you know the experience can be a nerve-racking one. You might not know the specifics of what the director is looking for, or what you may be subjected to.

Two local directors, Art Haggerton and Ceil Herman, held auditions recently for upcoming productions, and their styles varied. In the end, however, they were looking for much of the same characteristics in the actors they selected. .

Haggerton, a theater and language arts educator of 35 years, has been involved in 150 theater productions — both in acting and directing — throughout his life.

He recently held auditions for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," a production he starred in nine years ago with the Dona Ana Lyric Opera.

Rather than requiring that actors prepare an audition piece, Haggerton likes to have actors present cold readings from the script.

"Many people are scared away by the notice they need a prepared piece," he says. "I think that puts them on the spot."

Haggerton also likes to keep the group of auditioning actors together, rather than splitting them up into the gender and/or age ranges of the parts he is seeking to fill. The director feels that people are more at ease when singing and acting in a group.

Once the auditions are under way, the director looks at the individual actor's physical appearance first — with out asking about his or her age — and then considers whether or not the actor can play the part for which he or she is auditioning. Haggerton also focuses-on matching actors together in their roles to achieve a sense of believability. When selecting actors that are to be cast as a couple, for instance, it's a rule of thumb that the "husband" is taller than his "wife."

The director says it's difficult in Las Cruces to find enough males to fill the needs of certain scripts — especially scripts that require regular singing or vibrato. And, there are instances in which a director has to pick a different play because the desired show is not possible to cast.

But, there is a wealth of actors who prefer to be asked to be a part of a show, rather than showing up for auditions, which provides more casting opportunities.

"Theater people are great people to work with," he says. "They're there because they want to be. They're giving their own time. That's just great."

Ceil Herman, who co-owns Black Box Theater with her husband, Peter, is entering her 23rd directorship with "Wonder of the World," which will open later this year.

Herman likes to give her auditioning actors a headship on the script prior to the audition. She usually places a portion of the script on reserve at Thomas Branigan Memorial Library.

At the beginning of the audition, the director — with the help of her stage manager — sorts the actors' by the role they are seeking and by age. She then separates the group she wants to work with from the other-.groups. The other groups are sent to the lobby to wait.

When working with a group, Herman matches actors together and has them read from the script. She then has them swap parts so she can observe the actors' range. She has an idea of what she thinks the actors should look like, and assesses the choices the people are making.

"I'm looking for choices they're making even at a very preliminary stage," Herman says. "And I'm looking for chemistry. I'm looking for how the chemistry develops through the audition."

The director can sense who will work but and who will not. Herman selects people she feels she can work with over the long periods of time it takes to develop and per form theater productions. Generally, finding actors to cast in a show is easy.

"There are a lot of great actors in Las Cruces," Herman says. "It's nice to have choices."

Herman has a few pointers for those coming to audition for her. One, the actors' should come dressed appropriately for the audition. And, if there is a reserve script, actors' should read it beforehand.

"The director is not only making a decision about acting ability, but also about that person," Herman says.

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