Sheffield societies are going full-swing into their upcoming showcases and competitions, with auditions starting as early as freshers week. Here’s everything you need to know to get involved and embark on your creative pursuits with a bang:
SUTCO (Sheffield University Theatre Company) is holding auditions in freshers week on Wednesday 23rd and Friday 25th September for their upcoming plays.
Their week 5 show is “Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean” – Twenty years after teenage-hood, a group of women reunite at the same roadside five-and-dime where they once worshipped at the altar of James Dean. As memories collide with the present, boundaries between who these women are and who they wanted to be begins to blur. Beneath the gossip, laughter and nostalgia lies a story of LGBT pride, identity, transformation and the extraordinary lengths we go to find belonging.
Their week 8 show is Collaborators – a surreal dark comedy set in the soviet union and explores the relationship between art and authoritarianism.
Their week 10 show is Little Women – following the lives of the four March sisters and exploring their journey from childhood into womanhood, navigating social expectations, the clashing of desires and their sisterly bond.
The auditions for all three shows are at Mappin Street, at 6:00 till 9:30pm.
Callbacks are on Saturday 26th September from 12 noon.
When auditioning for SUTCO you will be provided with extracts from plays throughout the evening which you will have time to practice at your own pace before performing in the audition room. Members of the committee will be around to help out. Online tapes are accepted if you are unable to attend in person.
They are holding a give-it-a-go workshop at 5pm to 6pm, before the audition on the 23rd, as an opportunity to meet new people, build skills and warm up beforehand.
SUPAS (Sheffield University Performing Arts Society) is putting on two productions in Semester 1.
In week 9 there will be a production of Rent – a musical that follows a friend group of struggling artists, activists and musicians in New York during the AIDS epidemic. It’s an emotional and inspiring musical about navigating love, purpose, ambition and what really matters in life at the end of the day.
If you aren’t hyped enough for Rent this September, a West End revival of this musical is also opening in London at the end of this month, so I’d say missing the chance to get involved would put any theatre fan in danger of some big fomo.
Auditions begin on September 28th and 29th – but you only need to go along to one of the days.
Callbacks are on October 1st.
Week 11 will feature a production of the musical Sister Act, which follows the story of aspiring performer Deloris Van Cartier who, after witnessing a crime, goes into hiding in a convent where she finds purpose in revamping their terrible choir into a resounding chorus. It is a joyous, feel-good comedy about disco-dancing nuns rising against gangsters, and using music to celebrate the ultimate power of sisterhood.
Auditions take place on October 5th and 6th – but again, you only need to attend one.
Callbacks are on October 8th.
Both auditions take place at 5:00 till 9:30pm in Hicks LT4. No need to sign up, just turn up on the day.
You’ll pick a song from their selection list on their Instagram that you feel most confident singing, wear comfortable clothing and trainers that you can dance in, and lots of food to stay fueled throughout the evening.Their top tips are to drink lots of water to help your vocal chords, and focus on energy over accuracy in the dance audition.
SUPAS are also running a give-it-a-go session for Cast on Thursday 24th September in freshers week to meet people and practice what it will be like in the cast of a show. They will teach a song and dance routine to show what a rehearsal session looks like, and tell you all about how to audition for the semester 1 shows. This will be at Mappin Street, Workroom 2 at 5-7pm.
USLES (University of Sheffield Light Entertainment Society) are also holding auditions on the September 30th and October 2nd for their next show which they have just gathered in script submissions for.
If you want to see what their productions are like, their summer show performances are running at Uni Central next Monday and Tuesday where you can go along to support student theatre and see what you could be a part of. They are also hosting a give-it-a-go session on 24th September for you to try out being in USLES. Whether you want to get involved in tech, acting or writing, this society has a place for you.
Dance Society are running auditions in October for their competition teams who will attend 3-4 dance competitions at different universities between February and March, including a home one in Sheffield.
For a chance to be choreographer for a dance team, applications are open from now until October 2nd.
Choreographer auditions will take place on October 3rd.
Dancer auditions will run from the 12th till 16th October with an hour for each dance style.
The choreographer will teach a section of the dance which you will learn, and then perform in smaller groups. Dancers can also come along for fun and choose not to audition.
The teams are intermediate and advanced levels in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, lyrical, commercial styles, as well as a wildcard dance, solos, duos and trios. You can go along to as many dances as you’d like, but freshers can only compete in 2 teams maximum – so if you get into more than two, you get to pick which ones you want. Sheffield Dance society encourages you to attend as many auditions as possible to increase your chance of making the team.
They are hosting an information evening about competitions on October 8th to provide more details and answer any questions.
Auditioning might feel daunting so soon at the beginning of the semester, but the sooner you put on a brave face and step into uncertain territory, the sooner you’ll have the evidence that you are capable of doing these things. Think of that extra boost of confidence in yourself you’ll have right from the start of this term to carry you through. And, hopefully you’ll manage to bag some very exciting productions to take part in and societies to call home – I’d say it’s the perfect way to ease into the term with excitement, fun and like-minded people on the horizon.
