Auditions are the tough part in theater. No one knows it better than Mary Jo Levesque, the drama teacher at West Springfield. Recently she sat in the auditorium, watching students read their lines for their fall production "Plaza Suites," she had some tough decisions to make.
"I agonize over it, you don't want to hurt kids, we are self-esteem builders. You could be extremely talented and not be right for that part," she said.
Christine Hollenbeck and Casey Myers sat in the fourth row reading lines. Christine had her eye on the part of Gene.
"I like the part of Gene, she's kind of mischievous and fun," she said.
They all liked characters that are not like they are in "real life."
"I would get more into it and have more fun with it," said Ashley Linder about a part that is not like her.
Rudy Telson, 15, liked the part of Roy because of the dialogue.
Levesque noted that even though there's only 12 parts, she's doing two different casts and changing them from night to night.
"I'm making sure both casts are equally balanced," she said.
Even though the students know an audition isn't a sure thing, they'll get to take part in one way or another when the curtain goes up.
"Everybody gets a little part in the play so you don't feel bad," Christine said.
WEST SPRINGFIELD High School theater is doing Neil Simon's "Plaza Suites" in the fall and "Footloose" in the spring, which will be its Cappies entry. Levesque picked "Footloose" because it fits the motif she's chosen for this year's theme of modern plays, and it employs a lot of parts so their will be 170 students involved.
"That's the show more kids are involved in," Levesque said.
Ashley likes another aspect of the plays chosen for this year. Last year, she was in "Alice in Wonderland," and "Anything Goes," but now that she's been introduced to a play with mature themes — marital infidelity in "Plaza Suites" — she can relate to it better. She's another year older as well and looks at Levesque's interpretation of modern as a trend.
"Ever since 'Anything Goes' we've been more risky. It has more things students can relate to," she said.
Levesque reinforced the student's feeling toward the fall play.
"It's the kind of thing you'd see at a dinner theater, it's a New York comedy, it's not a children's play, that's for sure. I think our kids see more mature stuff on TV," she said.
The fact that it's a Neil Simon play isn't a big factor for Ashley.
"You look more for content than who writes it," she said.
The auditions for "Footloose" are scheduled for mid January and the show will be April 30 and May 1-3. Casey was in last year's Cappies show, "Anything Goes" and noted the increased pressure.
"It just makes you want to do better," she said.
THEATER IS an integral part of the high school experience, according to Levesque. The lessons are deeper than term papers and exams, the students agreed.
"I think that theater's the most important part of school," Levesque said.
Nayna Gupta works for the Oracle, the school newspaper. Last year she was involved in the Cappies production and this year she's reviewing productions at other schools that are being submitted for the Cappies competition. Work ethic, organization, confidence and team work are elements she's learned from theater.
"It teaches you more than just theater," Nayna said.