It may be out of the ordinary to see fellow students scattered around the dull lit hallways talking to themselves in what would seem to be a one sided argument.

If you looked down the hall in the Green Room just before the recent auditions, you would have seen a pair of girls doing just that with scripts in their hands having an imitated conversation. A line of people stood nervously preparing for their monologues that they had to perform in front of Director Chuck Erven.

Erven held auditions for the Spring showing of “Living Out” on Jan 9.

In the beginning of auditions Erven sat on the bare stage stripped of everything except the gray fold out chair he was seated on. The actors vying for a part listened and waited quietly for direction. Erven explained that the way he produces would be very intimate and flexible.

He told them that whoever does not get picked he would still call and notify them personally so that if they have any questions he can get them answered, something many directors do not do.

For those who do get called back, practice will five nights a week from five to nine at night. This informed all the actors that this was no small commitment whatsoever, this is going to be a day and night obligation.

All of them one by one left the vacant theatre to wait outside for their chance to audition. When the first actress walked onto the center of the stage, Erven (who was seated near front row) had her explain what monologue she was performing and to start whenever she was ready.

When she began her face changed from nervous to love sick in the blink of an eye. Her eyes seemed vacant and sensitive staring into the dark nothingness of the theatre. Only a few streams of light shone from above onto the black, wide-open stage.

She expressed how much she loved her boyfriend and how their relationship effected her life in more ways than one. After the few minutes of watching this pained woman it was bizarre to see her revert back into her normal state. She wiped the false tears off her smiling face and readied herself for critique.

Erven just said great job with a smile and asked her a few questions about herself.

While waiting in line to audition you could see all the anxious actors and actresses joking around with each other to help with the nervousness.

Lauren DelaTorre, who was auditioning said “In order to get mentally ready for a monologue I listen to music that best fits the mood of the character.” They all discussed with each other what type of music they listen to. Many jokes were made but all laughs sounded distracted by the growing anxiety.

One by one each actor or actress would come in and try their best. Many of their performances suffered because of nervousness.

When asked if he takes it into consideration that nerves may interfere with their performance, Erven said “I take it into consideration to try to alleviate them when they are nervous because I want to be able to see them at their very best, which is why I do it in private so I can help them.”

Anyone can tell by the way that Erven interacts with the actors that he wants them to do the best they can. He had some sort of constructive criticism for each person. He advised some to forget the script and improvise and he directed others on how to best relate with their character.

The auditions were only half the battle for most of the actors and actresses; they also had to show off their talents at callbacks later that week.