Auditions: the most nerve-racking time of the year for thespians. Whether you’ve heard about or not, this year’s musical is Bye Bye Birdie, and it’s going to be better than ever. Many upper level students came to audition, including Julia Habiger who said auditions were “terrifying, but felt better once it was over.” Easy to understand, since auditions are the crucial tests of acting, dancing, and singing to determine the roles in the play. Although everyone does well in the end, it takes a lot of courage to showcase yourself in front of your peers. A real sense of teamwork and understanding could be felt in the auditorium on both days, and students helped and critiqued each other as they practiced their acts.

After the initial auditions, came the next task: callbacks. A short list of girls and boys, all with promising ability, came to compete for the main roles. Mumbi Wainaina of the callbacks says that everyone was “trying to show [their] best, and that the directors saw a lot of chemistry between the actors.”

But it all came down to Thursday, the day the cast list was officially posted. Many were curious as to who got which part, and were anxiously awaiting the list all day. When the moment came to see the list, a crowd quickly surrounded the anticipated piece of paper with excitement. There was heartbreak and triumph in the minutes that followed, and their worries were calmed. With this strong cast, this fall’s Bye Bye Birdie is sure to be a great performance.