NYSTEA School of Theatre Auditions

The New York State Summer School of the Arts, 2020 NYSSSA School of Theatre will be conducting acting workshops and auditions during the January 10-12, 2020 student conference.  NYSSSA Theatre faculty member James Luse will be the workshop presenter and audition adjudicator.  

Audition time slots are available upon arrival. There will be three audition sessions: Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening. 

Mr. Luse holds an M.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University and is a graduate of the Michael Chekhov Acting Studio and the Baikal Theatre School, Irkusk, Russian Federation.  He has been on the faculty at the NYSSSA School of Theatre from 1986 to 2010, and is currently a guest artist at the program.

Students should register for an audition time at the Conference.  Applicants must present both a memorized classical and contemporary monologue, each no longer than 2 minutes in length. Selections should be from well-known, published plays (not musicals), and should reflect contrasting moods and/or characters. Students will be rated on honesty, interpretation, diction/voice, relaxation/concentration, and movement. Please visit the NYSSSA website for a list of recommended scenes and the on-line application form.  Application forms will also be available at the NYSTEA conference.

Click here for a list of suggested monologues. 

NYSTEA NYSSSA Workshop Title & Theme:

"Be Bold and the Mighty Forces will Attend You"- Goethe: Revenge and Tragic Moments: Bloody and Quivering

Workshop description and curriculum:Have you ever imagined yourself a superhero with invisible powers that can avenge and heroically restore world order and  balance? Have you ever imaged yourself vanquishing negative energies as an unsung, noble hero, or an avenging angel /warrior?

If you have  had these daydreams, please enter the world of Jacobean Revenge Tragedy and Shakespearean Revenge plays, based on the works of the Roman master Seneca that are introduced in this workshop.

Using the principles and techniques of Michael Chekhov, Stanislavski, and Rudolf Steiner, this workshop will bring to life the actor's invisible body of energy as we pursue texts of revenge and torture to set the Jacobean and Elizabethan world  aright with angels and heroes in heavenly goodness----slaughtering devils and demons. 

Gestures, objectives, invisible body, imaginary body, images, sensory details, obstacles, centers, radiating and receiving will be employed using the texts of MACBETH, HAMLET , and  KING LEAR , among others. Rules of the ensemble, such as: no judgment, no competition, increased faith and  group trust and support-- will be strictly  enforced.

Prerequisite: ONLY FOR THE HIGHLY ADVANCED acting student who is capable of great heights of the imagination, belief, faith and a willingness to participate.  It is encouraged that students have a basic knowledge of imagination, belief, Stanislavski, Shakespeare ,  basic acting technique and the drive and curiosity for self-expression and  specificity.