Gilgamesh Auditions

Our theme for the months of October and November is Ancient Civilizations, and one of our culminating experiences will be a middle school production of the story of Gilgamesh.

On Monday, we joined with Karl's class to do a table read of the script. It allowed everyone to get a feel for the play, hear how the script sounds, and get a general idea of what we're all in for.

We held our auditions on Wednesday afternoon. To warm up, we played a few improv games, which everyone seemed to enjoy quite a bit, regardless of their interest in acting. 

Laurea and Alexandra perform an acting exercise: Laurea must ask, "why won't you tell me?" Alexandra replies, "I've already told you a hundred times." They repeat this exchange multiple times, making it as natural of a conversation as possible.

Anna, Taylor, and Noah rehearse a scene together while waiting to perform.

Melissa and Kaeli rehearsing.

Though everyone in the middle school will be involved with the play in some fashion, some students weren't interested in an acting role. They still participated in the read through process, but will take on other roles behind the scenes as the project progresses.

The cast list will be released soon. In the meantime, here are some potential discussion ideas for home:

- What do you think of the script? What about the story?

- Why is Gilgamesh important? How does the play tie into Ancient Civilizations? 

- Are you interested in an acting role? Was there one in particular that seemed like it might be a good fit? How will you feel if you get a small role?

(Just to be clear on casting: It was explained that everyone who auditioned and wants a role will receive one, with the understanding that no one can then choose to decline a role if they're disappointed with what they've been assigned.)

- What behind the scenes aspects are you interested in? (Designing and building sets? Costumes? Special effects? Music? There are a lot of opportunities!)