Students received a preview of this year’s student directed showcase (SDS) productions during read-throughs in performing arts department chair Laura Lang-Ree’s room today at lunch.

Senior student directors Shenel Ekici, Ian Richardson, and Namrata Vakkalagadda led their respective read-throughs, assigning roles to various people and then rotating roles throughout.

Shenel’s play, entitled “The Wonderful World of Dissocia,” depicts a woman who embarks on an adventure to reclaim a lost hour in her life. Shenel emphasizes that student directors make it a point not to pre-cast during read-throughs in order to remain unbiased and equitable.

“I don’t feel that it’s fair to the actors for me to go into the audition process with certain preconceived notions about what I want for each role beyond the skill set the character requires,” Shenel said. “Part of the joy of auditioning is the unpredictability, someone who’s ever acted before can walk into an audition and completely surprise us.”

Fellow student director Namrata agrees with this idea, reiterating that “read-throughs allow us to get an understanding of various ways the characters can be interpreted, open us to new ideas of where a character can go, and solidify the ideas we had about certain characters.”

Namrata and Ian will direct the plays “The Case of Alex Hansen” and “Beyond Therapy” respectively.

Lang-Ree believes that read-throughs help directors to better visualize their shows and allow potential performers to gauge their interest levels.

“It’s really different to be a director and to be reading your script over and over again [because] you internalize it in a much different way than how its intended, because it’s a piece of theater,” Lang-Ree said. “They allow directors to really hear what their shows are like, and they allow students to see what kinds of shows are available and what kinds of audition pieces they might consider for their SDS audition.”

Uncertainty about which show to participate in is prevalent among most students, who believe that all shows sound equally appealing.

“I don’t know, I’ll just be happy with whatever I get,” Ayla Ekici (10) said.

Sophomore Cordelia Larsen, who participated in SDS during her freshman year, echoed these sentiments.

“I like that Ian’s is a comedy, but Shenel’s is just so quirky and Namrata’s just seems earnest. I dont know, I like them all,” she said.

Madi Lang-Ree (11), who participated in SDS both her freshman and sophomore year, looks forward to the upcoming production due to her connections with current seniors.

“It’s going to be really fun because I know the seniors this year more than ever, so being able to work with people who are actually my friends will be awesome,” Madi said.

Namrata shares this enthusiasm, enlivened at the prospect of stepping out of her comfort zone as an actor.

“This project for me isn’t really about the showcase in January […] but rather is about guiding my actors to uncover their potential and grow as an an actor as well as a person,” she said.

Auditions, casting, and callbacks are all conducted by the student directors themselves, under the supervision of Lang-Ree. Auditions are open to all for two days, followed by one afternoon and evening of callbacks. Following auditions and callbacks, directors make their casting decisions and begin production of their shows.

Prerequisites for becoming a student director include taking both the Advanced Acting and Scene Study courses prior to senior year as well as submitting a written application in the spring of junior year. Following the application process, Lang-Ree interviews potential directors about their time commitment abilities and personal goals.

“It’s really just a learning experience for everyone,” Shenel said.

Read-throughs will continue on Thursday during lunch in Lang-Ree’s room again.