Photo courtesy of: Dreyfoos School of The Arts Foundation

Theatre seniors stand in front of The Bean in Chicago.

From intense college auditions to hanging out at The Bean, the Chicago Unified trip never lacked excitement. Theatre seniors headed to the city from Jan. 31 to Feb. 4.

“[The trip] was for musical theatre, acting and technical theatre college auditions,” theatre senior Kyra Gerber said. “Many schools gather in Chicago to audition seniors for their respective programs.”

Students had between four to 10 interviews. The musical theatre auditions usually consist of a singing, acting, and dance portion. Seniors auditioning for technical theatre had to present portfolios.

“I had to get together my portfolio of all the work I have done in the past four years at Dreyfoos and outside of school in costume construction,” theatre senior Amera Spagnoli said.

The trip was an excellent way for students to audition for several schools while staying in one location. It was not uncommon for students to audition for over seven schools without having to leave the hotel. If the colleges were impressed by technical auditions, students could receive acceptances on the spot.

“The best part was getting accepted to my number one school,” Spagnoli said.

While the trip was convenient, the audition process was far from easy. Students dedicated their time by preparing for auditions with theatre dean Bruce Linser. Former theatre dean Beverly Blanchette also chaperoned the trip.

“We prepared for this trip in our Musical Theatre III class,” Gerber said.  “Every class, three or four of us would do mock auditions and practice the requirements for each school.”