Theatre arts holds auditions for musicals ‘Emma,’ ‘Tiny Tim’

Emma: No One But Herself and Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol will premiere at the McKinney Theatre. Christian Roberts | Lariat

Saddleback students auditioned for two upcoming shows, “Emma: No One But Herself The Musical” and Tiny Tims Christmas Carol.” 

Auditions went from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building’s studio theater on Aug. 27 and 28. Candidates performed a 90-second monologue and sang 32 bars to showcase their singing and performing abiilites.

“Emma,” based on the novel by Jane Austen, is about a young woman named Emma who matchmakes for her friends. However, while trying to matchmake one of her friends, she would later meet her own match, that would lead to several romantic frenzies. 

“Tiny Tims Christmas Carol” is an adaptation of the classic story by Charles Dickens in which Tiny Tim tries to have his father home for Christmas, but his father’s boss Ebenezer Scrooge forbids him from leaving work. So Tiny Tim staged a spectacle with ghosts to convince Scrooge to let his dad come home for the holidays. 

Theater majors Sierra Thomas and Danny Enders, who both auditioned for “Emma” and “Tiny Tim,” both agree that talking with peers alleviates stress felt during the audition.

“I think it’s a great educational opportunity for people trying to pursue theater or even just like it as a hobby,” said Danny Enders, a theater major who auditioned for “Emma” and “Tiny Tim.”  “I just think it’s a great place to do it. The community here is also incredible.” 

Hedi Ochoa, theater director at Saddleback since 2006, said during the audition process, she used specific tactics to get the best out of the candidates. 

“I do believe that a lot of storytelling is building around the cast,” said Ochoa, who also teaches speech. “And so what ends up happening is as I’m hearing them audition, my creativity starts going, right?” 

During the process, she asked the candidates to do silly things in order for them to see how willing they are to be comedic and find opportunities to connect with the audience, Ochoa said.

Theater chair Bill McGuire said why he picked these particular shows can help students help develop skills before they graduate

 “My vision is basically for the students to have a very accessible and yet challenging learning experience, challenging in the fact that, you know, it’s important,” he said. “So my vision is that the shows are really fully realized as best as they can be.”

For Brendon Sutoris, a theater major who auditioned for “Emma and “Tiny Tim he hopes performances and storytelling help impact the audience.

“I want their joy, their feelings, their excitement, their worry, all of the things you know,” Sutoris said. “I love to make people feel what the story tells.” 

Ochoa said the stories from both performances affect the audience deeply when they walk out the theater.

“How is it that we can teach people how different humans live their lives, and how we can teach audiences a new sense of the world every time we tell a story,” Ochoa said. “I’m hoping that the audience will leave with the newfound understanding of the world.”

“Emma: No One But Herself the Musical” will run from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2 and “Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol” will run from Nov. 21 to Dec. 7. Tickets for both musicals will be released soon.

“I’m just hoping people are inspired when they leave,” she said.

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