Ripon College Days

Action! After their performances in last spring's play "Nickel and Dimed" or this fall's "And People Will Say," these four Ripon thespians were chosen for the prestigious Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Audition. [Click to enlarge]

Although the final curtain has been drawn and the set torn down, the experience will carry on into next semester for two actors from this year's fall play.

At a performance of "And People Will Say" senior Paul Gallagher and sophomore Colette Unger were selected to compete in the nationally-recognized Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Audition by a festival official.

Gallagher is naturally excited, but also a bit anxious. "I'm pretty nervous," he confides. "I know it's two months away, but I've never done this before. It's a little nerve-wrenching."

Gallagher's apprehension is accentuated by his informal relationship with the theatre. As a religious studies major, he dabbles in the theatre mostly for enjoyment.

"I did some community plays when I was younger and I liked them, so I thought I'd continue doing them in college," he says.

Unger, a theatre major, has attended the competition once before as the partner of a previous Irene Ryan nominee, but she notes that it doesn't make the event any less exciting for her.

"Since it will be my scene and I won't be a partner, it'll be a completely different experience," she says.

Senior Jeff Dodson, who has attended the event, calls it a chance to compete through scenework. "The main emphasis of the festival is on the competition," he says. "You compete through auditioning."

There are three stages to the competition. First, the nominee performs one scene with his or her partner, followed by a contrasting scene with the partner in the second round.

Senior Megan Mangerson, another festival attendee, clarifies, "if you do a comedic scene in the first round, you should do a tragic scene in the second. Or if you do a modern piece in the opening round, you should follow it up with Shakespeare maybe."

In the final round, the nominee performs a solo scene for the judges.

Mangerson believes that this audition-style competition is useful for actors looking to improve their skills.

"It's a really nice experience because you get interesting feedback from the judges after every round," she says. "[Some students say] it's the most useful feedback they've ever gotten."

Winners of the competition earn various prizes, ranging from scholarship money for graduate school to internships to intensive workshops.

While auditioning is the focus of the festival, there are a variety of activities, including plays and workshops.

"The competition is the first two or three days, so you have the rest of the week to do everything else," explains Unger.

Gallagher admits he doesn't know exactly what is ahead of him.

"I don't really know what to expect," he says. "Lots of people say it's a great time, that it's a lot of fun and that they learn new things, so I guess that's kind of what I expect right now."

Gallagher reveals that he hopes that the competition will be an enjoyable opportunity to sharpen his skills.

"I hope to learn new theatrical skills, expand on what I know and hopefully have a little fun," he says.

Gallagher and Unger will be joined by sophomore Becky Paske and senior Amber Kind-Keppel, who were nominated from their performances in last spring's production of "Nickel and Dimed."

The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Audition will take place in Normal, Ill., come January.

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