Making the Team to Create the Next Varsity Show

It may seem early to be anticipating a theatrical production that won’t open until next Spring. But as anyone who has ever been involved with the Varsity Show knows, preparations begin a long time before that.

Every April, the Varsity Show opens to sold-out audiences with a series of performances that satirize life at Columbia. A group of extremely talented individuals works to put on such a memorable musical comedy theater production.

Currently, auditions for the creative team of the 114th Annual Varsity Show are in full swing. Over 50 people came out to audition over two nights two weeks ago. The initial auditions have now ended, and callbacks have now occurred for all of the positions. By early October, there will be a new director, producer, writer, composer, lyricist, choreographer, and art director chosen. They will all play an integral role in shaping this year’s production into the notable genius of a show for which it is known.

For the initial auditions, last year’s creative team asked students a variety of questions in a short interview. One of the most vital questions that they presented to the students was to criticize last year’s show or past shows, if they had seen them. They were also allowed to compliment the shows, but as Rob Trump, CC ’09, and one of the writers of last year’s show, said, “You have to be able to look critically at anything in order to be able to do it well, and we want them to be able to look critically at past shows.” After filling out an information sheet about themselves, the prospective creative team members were free to leave.

The auditioning process for the writers was slightly different. The writers were asked to fill out the information sheet and then were free to leave. They then received a writing prompt through e-mail, to which they were asked to respond so that the judges could analyze their writing ability. Out of the over 20 people who replied, six were chosen to respond to a second prompt in order to narrow down the selection.

Olivia Gorvy, CC ’08 and one of last year’s producers, said, “It was a really young crowd this year. There were hardly any seniors.” Mostly sophomores and juniors came out to audition, which may provide a different outlook for the show. Last year, six out of nine of the members of the creative team were seniors. Even with such a young group, last year’s creative team is very excited and pleased with what they have seen so far.

When asked what they look for in choosing the creative team members, Gorvy, said, “In general, some of the big things we look for in every position is a person who is really a team player. It’s an intensely collaborative process.” Peter Mende-Siedlecki, one of last year’s writers who graduated in 2007, added, “We’re looking for people who would never ever say, ‘That’s not my job.’”

Last year’s creative team is looking forward to seeing what this year’s team will put together. It was no wonder that those auditioning were just as thrilled to be there. Many of them have performed in past Varsity Shows and hope to continue this year.
Jeff Schwartz, CC ’10, who is auditioning to become one of the producers, said, “The Varsity Show is great for several reasons. The one I love the most is that you bring together several people on campus that usually wouldn’t go out. It encourages them to see a fun show and it’s a great time.”

Katie Hathaway, BC ’10, and Benjamin Velez, CC ’10, are both auditioning for composer/lyricist as a team. Hathaway said, “We both love composing, and we’ve dabbled into writing in musical theater before.” Velez said, “Music is what makes a musical a musical, and to be able to create that experience is amazing and a lot of fun.” Although the students were seconds away from their audition, they were still more than willing to share their thoughts.

Everyone seems to be thrilled for the upcoming Varsity Show, and from what’s been seen so far, it looks like it won’t disappoint a single fan. The younger crowd appears to have what it takes to make this show just as memorable than ever before.