All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts…
— William Shakespeare
This spring, ONU Theatre hosted the inaugural Professional Theatre Conference in Kresge Auditorium on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University. During the one-day event on April 17, all students were invited to attend and learn from seasoned professional actors. The purpose of the conference was to connect Olivet students with established artists who could provide critical feedback on how to enhance their performance techniques.
“Most BFA or undergraduate arts programs have a senior showcase as part of their curriculum. It gives students the opportunity to dip their toes into the professional industry and network with other artists,” said Director of ONU Theatre Kelsie Davis ’19/’22 MBA. “I think one of the biggest barriers from college theatre to real-world theatre is the unknown. If students don’t get exposure to the professional industry, they might assume that they don’t have the skills or talent simply because they don’t know what they’ll experience in a professional environment.”
Guest artists, George Andrew Wolff ’93, Larry Adams, Holly Stauder and James Harms, all of whom have had remarkable acting careers, generously shared their technical knowledge on how to act exceptionally, but also on how to practically steward their talents so as to manage a lengthy and enjoyable career on the stage.
The conference event was conceptualized in the fall when Prof. Davis and George Wolff, who is also the artistic director for the Office of Marketing at Olivet, met to discuss promotional ideas for the 2024-25 ONU Theatre season. Ideas regarding master classes that would feature professional actors in George’s network quickly turned into a plan for a full conference.
“Olivet is located less than an hour from one of the world’s greatest theatre cities — it just makes sense to help connect the talented students of ONU to some of Chicago’s finest,” he said. “Larry, Holly and Jim were quick to say yes — and the student interaction and collaboration was invigorating.”
The conference began with a casual time of networking over donuts and coffee. Then, the four guest artists participated in a question and answer panel in which they discussed a variety of topics including the benefits of equity vs. non-equity opportunities, how to get an agent, national tours of plays and musicals, working as a swing/understudy and how to prepare well for an audition. Following a lunch break, a select group of Olivet students performed in a showcase and received live feedback from the guest artists.
Prior to the event, junior- and senior-level students were encouraged to submit an audition video to showcase their theatrical talents including acting, singing, dancing and choreographing. Seventeen of those pieces were chosen to perform during the conference showcase. Leading up to the event, Prof. Davis and George rehearsed the performances. At the conclusion of the showcase, the guest artists selected three specific performances to provide one-on-one coaching sessions.
Ash Aurig was one of the student actors who was selected for a coaching session with James Harms for her performance of a monologue from Antigone. Ash said of her experience, “I was interested in the conference because I have been looking for more feedback on my theatrical performance skills in a professional showcase setting, in addition to receiving more insight into the theatre industry in general.”
There are plans to make the conference an annual event to encourage Olivet students to stretch their acting abilities and to participate in professional live theatre opportunities. Prof. Davis additionally saw the conference as a very practical academic platform for students to better understand how to carve a path toward theatrical careers, particularly since the interest level in the conference was so high.
“The highlight for me was seeing just how many students auditioned for and attended the event,” reflected Prof. Davis. “We ended up with 20 acts for the showcase, and just under 50 students in attendance throughout the day! It’s obvious to me that there’s a hunger for the arts at Olivet.”
The nature of Olivet being a liberal arts institution provided a great foundation for cross-disciplinary collaboration at this event. Students from all disciplines were encouraged to engage in the activities and the guest artists consistently emphasized that an academic background in theatre was not required to have a successful career in the industry.
“I’m really grateful for this type of opportunity as a college student and non-theatre major!” Ash added. “Having the opportunity to hear and take notes from professional actors in the industry as well as learn from watching the performances of fellow students is so important for our community.”
For more information about more than 200 areas of academic study at Olivet, visit Olivet.edu/Academics. For more information about ONU Theatre visit ONUTheatre.com.
