post.8.

as many of you know – and for those of you who didn’t, now you do – i am a theater major, in my last semester of my college career. it’s pretty scary, when i actually sit down to think about being thrust into the real world in only a matter of months, so i try not to (although most of the time, i can’t help it).

one of the neatest experiences i have had during my time in college has been my participation in the kennedy center’s american college theater festival – the irene ryan acting competition in particular.

the way it works is simple. when a college theater department puts on a production, they notify the organization and request a respondent. then, a representative – usually a theatre professor at another university participating in the festival – comes to view that particular production, taking notes and making observations. then, after the show, the respondent addresses the cast and crew, asking them questions about their characters or rehearsal process, and talking about his interpretation and ideas on the performance. after that, the cast leaves and the respondent and director discuss the show privately. between the two of them, they nominate two individuals, based on performance, to compete in the annual irene ryan acting competition. those individuals then pick partners (who have not been nominated) and prepare a “set” of material with which to compete. the competition is broken into five-state regions, with preliminary, semi-final, and final rounds. at the end of the festival and competition, two winners (in no particular order) are selected. those winners move on (along with the winners from the other regions) to a final competition taking place at the kennedy center in washington dc.

i have been blessed to have been nominated three times, two of which i competed at the festival. my first year was a definite learning experience for me and for my partner, tj. we were the only individuals from our university to attend, and to be honest, it was terrifying. the festival is a week long, meaning we drove ourselves and stayed in a hotel. we had no coach or school representative, but luckily, a few of the coaches from neighboring schools looked after us and gave us some tips for the week. we competed in the preliminary round only and were not selected to move on.

this year, however, was better. there was a larger group attending with us, and two other pairs were also competing. fortunately, the competition was being held in the same place – ames, iowa – so tj and i knew our way around and were able to help the rest of the group.

because we had been in europe, tj and i hadn’t prepared at all for our set. the most we had done was select literature, but even that wasn’t set in stone. we were only back for about a day and a half before we had to pack up and leave again, so needless to say, we were a bit nervous. luckily, we are used to learning quickly. the morning of the competition actually, is when we did the most work on our first selection, a scene from david margulies' "time stands still."

as i said before, the competition is divided into three rounds. during the preliminary round, a contestant and their partner are given three minutes to do either a scene or a musical duet. (there are usually between three hundred and three hundred-fifty contestants in the preliminary round. this year, there were two hundred ninety-eight.) after the preliminary round, the judges select sixty-four contestants to move on to the semifinal round. there, the pair is given five minutes to present their original scene or song, followed by another scene or song of a contrasting nature. in other words, if you performed a death scene during your first three minutes, you would take the last two minutes to present something comedic. from there, the judges narrow the contestants to a mere sixteen. those sixteen are then given the opportunity to perform their entire set for the largest audience yet – the whole festival, as well as a new group of very qualified and prestigious judges. the entire set consists of six minutes: the initial scene and the contrasting scene make up the first five, and the last minute is a spotlight on the nominee alone. the partner either turns his or her back on the audience or leaves the stage, while the nominee delivers a monologue of his or her choice. after that, the set is complete, and the stage is set for the next team.

anyway, tj and i made it through our initial performance in the prelims just fine. we were pleased with our first scene, but we had no expectations of moving on in the competition. there were at least four other amazing duos in our competition room alone, so again, we were proud, but certainly not optimistic. however, the judges must have liked what they saw, as we were indeed selected as one of the sixty-four semi-final competitors.

what an amazing feeling it was, reading our names on that list! we were on top of the world. we called mr. tener, our accompanist, and arranged to meet with him to rehearse the second portion of our set, the song “sue me” from guys and dolls. with the help of our dear friends rebekah, anna and debbi, we put together some choreography and hoped for the best. at this point, our expectations had already been exceeded, so whatever happened was simply for fun.

the morning of the semi-final round came before we knew it, and we readied ourselves and attempted to calm our nerves once more before entering the playing space. our song and scene went well – almost too well, it seemed – and in an instant our five minutes were over.

perhaps i should take a minute to tell you a little about my partner, tj. tj is a junior at the university of sioux falls, and we met his freshman year – my sophomore year. we had an instant chemistry that was undeniable, both on and off the stage. he is absolutely my best friend, and the individual that i trust the most on stage. tj has an amazing capability of making whomever he is playing opposite both look and perform better, which is the one of the best qualities that can be possessed in an actor. he is, without a doubt, the most talented individual i have ever met, and the only person with whom i would desire to share an experience like this one.

on the evening of the finals announcement, hundreds of individuals gathered in a crowded auditorium to learn who had advanced in the competition – sixty-four would soon become twelve. mine was the third name called.

to say we were over-joyed would be an understatement, and a great one at that. we couldn’t believe it. we laughed and cried and shouted with elation. it was a dream come true for both of us, and at the same time, a dream we had never dared hope for.

performing our entire set to a packed house of enthusiastic theater students was something i will never forget. as i sat in the wings with tj, waiting for our turn, i was overcome by such a sense of peace. we had both been blessed – beyond measure – to have had an experience like this one, and it solidified in both of our minds, even stronger, that this was the life and career for us. we come alive on the stage in a way that can’t be described, but that we both understand. it is an absolute gift, and i am grateful every second.

we were not selected as either of the two winners, but failure was the farthest thing from our minds. we had started as one of three hundred, and ended one of sixteen. we had grown as actors, as individuals, and as friends, and we both knew there was no loss in that.