The 29 Northwestern University seniors selected for this year's New York Showcase had spent winter quarter choosing and preparing their material to present to agents and industry professionals during spring break.
When the COVID-19 pandemic grounded spring break travel plans, School of Communication staff and industry leaders doubled down on efforts to help launch graduating theatre majors digitally. The show must go on, and seniors found a way, capitalizing on a trend toward more digital approaches in auditions.
Their mentors had prepared them well. School of Communication theatre faculty members Cindy Gold and Amanda Dehnert taught the winter quarter showcase course with assistance from Northwestern alumnus and director Scott Weinstein.
"Over the past decade more audition content has been moving online, and happily the School of Communication had been accustomed to putting senior audition materials on its website as a helpful tool for our graduates," said Dehnert, associate professor of theatre.
Student audition materials also were shared with BroadwayWorld's nationwide platform for college showcase participants.
