As part of Bama on Broadway, Valleroy, a senior majoring in musical theatre, and 29 other University seniors will head to New York City to showcase their talents to agents and casting directors next week.
Bama on Broadway was created 12 years ago by Raphael Crystal, a musical theatre professor at the University. There will be two shows Monday and Tuesday, in which each student performs twice – any combination of scenes, songs or monologues – with hopes of catching an agent or casting director’s attention.
“It’s more of an anxious, ‘I’m ready to do it,’ than an, ‘Oh God, don’t make me go out there,’” Valleroy said.
Taylor Schafer, a senior majoring in theatre, said the students have been preparing since fall semester. The showcase preparation class allowed students to narrow down scenes that highlight their personalities.
Kevin Ryan Williams, a senior majoring in theatre and telecommunication and film, said he lost countless hours of sleep preparing for the showcase in New York City. Williams said he’s determined to succeed at acting and plans to move to New York City in the fall to pursue his career.
“I have never been so sure about a decision that I have made in my entire life,” he said. “I love this city and what it has to offer young actors like myself.”
Valleroy will perform an original comedic scene and a ballad from the musical “Dracula” for his showcase.
Valleroy will be performing the scene with Andrea Love, a classmate who wrote the scene. Valleroy’s mother, who loves theater, sent him the ballad a few years ago, and he recently stumbled across it again.
“I started singing [the ballad], and people said, ‘That is a great song for you,’” he said.
Seth Panitch, an acting professor at the University, said the showcase gives students a chance to experience what life will be like after college. In addition to the showcase, students attend workshops with casting directors and have professional acting coaches.
“It’s their first toe in the ocean that is their career,” Panitch said. “They get to test the temperature and see what it’s like. New York is still the center of theater in the country, so if they’re interested in theater, that’s their city.”
Panitch said showcasing is different from performing in that the actors are not trying to tell a story, but show a glimpse of who they are as actors and people. When making casting choices, he said casting directors often make a decision in the first 30 seconds.
“What I see them respond to a lot is bold choices and personalities,” Panitch said. “I noticed an agent check off someone in the first 30 seconds, meaning they’re going to call them back, and in the second 30 seconds cross it out and not call that student back. I’ve never seen the reverse.”
Being an actor requires balancing both the business and artistic sides, Panitch said. When actors are first starting out, they spend more time auditioning than acting. Panitch said the showcase helps prepare the students for the real world.
“Every actor is a Jekyll and Hyde. We’re just asking them to be Hyde right now,” he said. “In some respects, they have more cylinders running when they graduate than someone who has not had a professional showcase experience before leaving college, and it may take them years to get in front of the agents that we can get them in front of before they even graduate.”
Valleroy said breaking down characters and embodying them on stage is what he finds fascinating about theater.
“I just love being on stage, delving into the world of another person and taking the parameters of script and turning that into a real story that can move an audience,” he said.
