On Aug. 29 and 30, Stage Center Theatre made an official casting call for students interested in auditioning for November’s production of “In the Belly of the Whale.” Students were able to audition in-person or submit a self-tape, and the directors arranged callbacks for students who fit specific roles of the play. The first round of auditions and self-tapes were more general in nature, while the call-backs offered a more specific role to the upcoming production, “In The Belly of the Whale.” The initial audition suggested that auditionees prepare a one-minute recitation of text from scriptures, holy books, parables, apologues, fables, allegorical prose, poetry or faith-based literary material, and the text should allow inspiration to be drawn in favor of “In the Belly of the Whale.”
The enthusiasm and dedication of auditionees were shining bright during the evenings of the audition as two undergraduate students in Communication, Media and Theatre, Nico Olszaski, 23, and Xavier Becerra, 25, came prepared for their upcoming theatrical roles. The performing arts are not foreign to Olszaski and Becerra. They both began their theatrical journeys at Chi Arts High School, and they have both auditioned at Stage Center Theatre in the past.
“Well, number one, [acting is] not about fame or glory, it’s about telling a story,” said Olszaski. Motivation and perseverance are two notable characteristics that are necessary to succeed in the performing arts. In order to pursue the dream of acting under the spotlight, Olszaski said, “If I need help, I got a great director, a great cast and friends to help me.”
“[Performing] just seemed like the one thing that I was passionate about,” said Becerra, “I have one life to live, [and] I found my passion thankfully early on, and this is what I want to do.” Becerra is a full-time student and works over 40 hours per week while reading and learning his lines. Becerra insisted that finding time for rehearsal may be the most challenging part of the performing arts. In addition, Becerra is not necessarily aiming for any particular role in “In the Belly of the Whale,” but he said, “If [the director] feel[s] as though I fit a certain criteria, I’ll go for it.”
Beccera was an understudy and supporting cast in previous productions such as “The Grand Hotel,” “Water by the Spoonful” and “Holler River.” Olszaski has auditioned for “May of Gardens,” “The Realistic Jonses” and the Annual Nuevas Voces. Both striving actors performed in the seventh Annual Nuevas Voces on Sept. 28, 29 and 30 of 2023.
For the current production, Becerra chose to use one of the director’s recommended monologues for his audition. Becerra enjoys the intimacy of a smaller crowd in storefront theaters because during each night, “it’s the same show, but it’s a different production,” said Becerra, “With live theater, you’re not always going to get the same performance [from one night to the next].”
Olszaski describes what a storefront theater is, “it’s basically like a mom and pop shop, but in a theater sense.” As an example, Steppenwolf and Goodman are all professional theaters, while Black Ensemble and Jackalope are storefront theaters in Chicago.
The performing arts require tremendous amounts of teamwork, which includes not only the actors but also the coordination of lights, sound and set design to translate the vision of the screenwriters. Along the same lines, Olszaski stated, “Making a story is not a one-person show.” Having a team to conduct an entire live show is imperative, and Olszaski encourages more students to “just try new things [and] do something [you’ve] never done before.”
“In the Belly of the Whale (a.k.a. The Jonah Play)” by Georgette Kelly will premiere at NEIU’s Stage Center Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 9. There will be seven opportunities to watch this play up to Nov. 18. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/u-pass/6605.
