College can seem intimidating for first-time students. But for first-time theater majors, college poses the fear of feeling inadequate as an entertainer.
Theater major Alexandria Lyn Davis said her main problem as a starting actor was getting caught within her own head.
When auditioning for Citrus’ Christmas production, Davis said she was anxious since she did not have a lot of friends.
“I just felt like I didn’t belong because everyone else knew each other already, but the thing about Citrus’ theater program is that everyone is very inclusive and friendly,” said Davis. “It wasn’t until the end of the process that I realized all my co actors are just normal people who eventually became my friends.”
Davis said once she began thinking of herself as part of the community, things became a lot easier.
“Now, I’m really comfortable with everyone,” Davis said. “I just walk into the room, read, perform, and it doesn’t scare me anymore. Theater majors need to realize no one is above each other. We’re all just here to learn from one another.”
Even though performing in a new and larger school such as Citrus can seem unnerving, performing arts students here have some helpful tips on overcoming self-doubt and anxiety as an actor.
Beginning theater majors often feel the plays they starred in high school did not adequately prepare them for the expectations of a college-leveled production.
Theater major Victoria Contreras said she was “completely nervous” for her first Citrus audition even though she had previously starred in plays.
“My high school did not have very many opportunities for me to expand my knowledge in theater,” Contreras said. “It was mostly because me and the other students were the actors and crew. We made up the entirety of the show, so there wasn’t much time to learn of the different techniques to acting.”
However, thanks to the encouraging words of instructor Jeremy Lewis, Contreras was able get through her first Citrus audition.
Contreras said it was Lewis who was the first person she auditioned for.
“He doesn’t know this, but Lewis is the reason why I stayed in the theater department,” Contreras said. “During my audition, I was so nervous and told Lewis I didn’t know if theater was what I wanted to go into. Lewis said back to me, ‘if I thought you should change your major, I’d tell you right now, but I don’t think you should.’ That was literally the only reason why I stayed.”
The supportive words of instructor Lewis pushed Contreras as an actor. Although she did not get casted after her first audition, Contreras managed to land a role in Citrus’ fall production, “The Amish Project”.
“Preparing was a matter of knowing who I was working with because when you know your costars, it’s a lot easier to connect with them and see what they expect of you,” Contreras said. “And even though I didn’t land the role, I eventually began meeting more people in the theater classes I took, and they all had a lot of faith in me. Everyone in the program is so supportive of each other.”
In comparison to Contreras’ experience, theater major Daniel Durkee said he was able to have a lot more fun with his roles after he had developed friendly connections with his costars.
“I didn’t really make a connection with people until I was in the spring production of ‘Moon Over Buffalo’,” Durkee said. “I was able to find a great group of friends and an even better cast to work with. Afterwards, I felt a lot more comfortable auditioning for things.”
