The Audition
January 10, 2023
Billings Central students recently performed the play The Audition. They held the play in the basement of Billings Central Catholic High School. The music director at Billings Central, Mr. Martinez, also directed the play. He set up black curtains for the backdrops and purchased new lights for the spotlight moments. He put together a black box theater to create an intimate setting. He also set up chairs so up to 120 people could sit and enjoy the show. The play was performed seven times, including the staff showing. The teachers-only show was on Wednesday, November 30th, and the other five were shown on Thursday, December 1st, Friday, December 2nd, and Saturday, December 3rd. The Audition was about an audition for students interested in participating in their school’s musical, The Chorus Line. There were 25 students involved in the play. The students were either actors or worked with the lights and technology. The students in the play spent many months practicing and putting in time for the play.
Billings Central music teacher Branden Martinez commented on how the play went. He said, “It was phenomenal. It was a major success, in my opinion.” He added, “I liked the small, intimate setting. The dislike or frustration I had was participation which was low compared to previous years. This may have been because of the timing. We took a leap of faith in moving the play to the fall.” He also said he would love to do something similar to this style of play in the future.
The show this year celebrated four seniors at the last show. Three of the seniors were in the show, and the other was running the lights. Overall, the show was very successful, and all the actors and actresses did a fantastic job.