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Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to some frequently asked questions:

 

We are always happy to give a tour to prospective students and their parents.  We can usually give tours to school groups and community groups too, unless it’s an especially busy time of the year.  Just call the Theatre & Dance office at (270) 745-5845 or contact us at theatreanddance@wku.edu. You may also schedule a tour online. 

If you are a prospective student, we would be glad to arrange a classroom or studio visit.  Just contact us at (270) 745-5845 or contact us at theatreanddance@wku.edu. You may also schedule a tour online. 

 Our department maintains a listserv for our students and those interested in our activities.  If you have an announcement for an audition, performance, or job opportunity, you can send it to us.  We will review it and post it to the list if appropriate.  We can sometimes also offer you a space in our building to hold an audition. 

STEP 1: Reserve a Room.  (Skip right to STEP 2 if you don’t want to reserve a room in Gordon Wilson Hall for your audition.)

WKU students, staff, and faculty are welcome to request a room reservation in Gordon Wilson Hall for an audition.  In some cases, we can also reserve a studio for an audition to be held by a professional theatre or dance company.  Requests should be sent at least a week in advance.  To reserve a room for an audition in Gordon Wilson Hall, please email theatreanddance@wku.edu.  We will need to know the date and time, as well as your name and contact information.  Late afternoons usually work best for room availability.  If you don’t hear back from us within a couple of days, please call us at (270) 745-5845.  An even faster way to reserve a room is simply to come to the third floor of Gordon Wilson Hall and sign out the room on the clipboard next to the door.  And then email theatreanddance@wku.edu the room, date, and time you have scheduled to avoid duplicate bookings.

STEP 2: Create an Audition Announcement.  Put everything in the body of the email.  It’s probably okay to include a small graphic or photo, if you like, but the listserv will reject big files or attachments. The announcement should include:

  • The name of the Theatre/Dance/Film/TV/Web project.  
  • The date, time, and location of the audition. 
  • Your name (or the name of the person heading up the project.)  Let us know your title.  Are you the director, producer, choreographer, writer, etc.?   Are you a student or faculty member at WKU?  
  • The email and/or phone number of who to contact if someone has questions.
  • A brief description of the project.  Just a few sentences are usually enough.  
  • A breakdown of the actors, technicians, or other participants you are looking for.  The more specific, the better.
  • The tentative dates of the shoot.  If there will be a rehearsal period, you should also include those dates.   
  • Auditions requirements.  Do folks need to have anything prepared for the audition?  Or will it be an interview or cold reading?  Should they bring a headshot and resume?  If so, is that required or just requested?

STEP 3: Send the Announcement.  Make the subject line read exactly as you wish it to read when it is distributed.  (In other words, don’t make the subject line read something like, “Please distribute my announcement on your list.”  Instead, make it read, “Film Audition-Thursday the 15th at 5:30 pm!”    Send the announcement to: td.students@lists.wku.edu

STEP 4: Follow Up.  We would be glad to put a copy of the script, or sides, in our greenroom for perusal.  Just send that to our Office Associate, Rachel Cato, at rachel.cato@wku.edu or call (270) 745-5845. Or you could drop it by our office in Gordon Wilson Hall room 300.  If you have posters for the auditions, you can drop us some of those too.

We are usually willing to allow local non-profit dance and theatre companies to advertise their productions on our listserv.  One announcement per show.  The announcement should contain:

  • The name of the production
  • The dates and times
  • The location
  • The organization producing the show
  • Ticket prices
  • Box office contact info

 Send the announcement to: td.students@lists.wku.edu.  Make sure the subject line reads exactly as you wish it to read when it is distributed.  (In other words, don’t make the subject line read something like, “Please distribute my announcement on your list.”  Instead, make it read something like, “Funny Girl at the Roxy Theatre, Sept 1-5.”  Announcements will be reviewed for content before being forwarded on to the listserv.

If you have a job opening in the performing arts, we might be willing to send it out it on our listserv.  Please include: 

  • The name and location of the company
  • A Brief description of the job
  • The begin date and end date of the job
  • Instructions on how to apply
  • The pay

Send the announcement to: td.students@lists.wku.edu.  Make sure the subject line reads exactly as you wish it to read when it is distributed.  (In other words, don’t make the subject line read something like, “Please distribute my announcement on your list.”  Instead, make it read something like, “local theater looking for Costume Designer.” Announcements will be reviewed for content before being forwarded on to the listserv.

 

Sorry, but we simply can’t loan or rent costumes to individuals.  At slower times of the year we can sometimes rent costumes to other theatre organizations in the region.  That will depend on the time of year, what is needed and who is interested.  For more information about costume rental to arts organizations, please contact shura.pollatsek@wku.edu.

We simply don’t have the time or manpower to handle rentals.  On rare occasion, we’ve been able to help out other theatre organizations in the community with props, but that will depend on a number of factors.  At busy times of the year we have generally have to say no.  For more information, email our Professor of Theatre Design and Technology, Michael Frohling, at michael.frohling@wku.edu.

 

Not during the school year, we’re just too busy.  The Lab Theatre (approx. 120 seats) and Russell Miller Theatre (approx. 280 seats) are sometimes available for rental when classes are not in session. Also, lighting operators, sound operators, and accompanists are contingent upon availability.  For more information contact our Production Coordinator, at theatreanddance@wku.edu. 

Click here to see WKU-affiliated and Non-profit organizations' rental fees.
Click here to see for profit organizations' rental fees. 

Van Meter Auditorium is managed by the WKU Special Events Office: special.events@wku.edu. 

 

Not during the school year.  We barely have enough room for ourselves when classes are in session!  For possible summer or winter term use, contact us at (270) 745-5845 or contact us at theatreanddance@wku.edu.

Click here to see WKU-affiliated and Non-profit organizations' rental fees.
Click here to see for profit organizations' rental fees. 

As much as our students do love performing, you also have to realize how busy they are here at WKU.  They are full time college students, many of whom are involved in the approximately 25 shows we produce every year.  Lots of them work part time.  And once in a while they even sleep.  So trying to find the time to put together a show, even a small one, for an outside event is very difficult.  There’s also the need for costumes, sound equipment, props and all the other necessities.  On occasion, we have been able to create shows for WKU events such as the President’s Circle Gala.  But that takes lots of preparation and resources.  Unfortunately, we usually don’t have the time or resources to put together a performance for an upcoming event.  However, if you would like to still like to explore this option, you can contact the Department Head, David Young at david.young@wku.edu. 
 

No, we do not allow any type of photography during our productions.  It’s distracting to your fellow audience members.  Even if you don’t use a flash, the noise and movement is still bothersome, and our first commitment is to our audience.  It also violates copyright and licensing rules. 

After a production we often post photos on our website and on our social media pages:

Twitter - @wkutheatredance

Facebook: Theater & Dance, Dance, Costume Shop

Instagram: @wkutheatredance

If you are a representative of the press, we will gladly make arrangements for you to visit and photograph a rehearsal, or interview students and staff involved in a production.  Just call the Theatre & Dance office at (270) 745-5845 or contact us at theatreanddance@wku.edu.

 No, that definitely violates copyright and licensing laws.
 Any WKU student is welcomed to audition for our shows.  We produce about 20 to 25 shows every year, so auditions are happening all the time.  We have no set policies that give preferential treatment to anyone at our auditions.  Auditions announcements are posted to our listserv: td.students@lists.wku.edu.  Any WKU student may subscribe to this list.  You don't have to be a major.  To join our listserv, send an email to td.students-subscribe@lists.wku.edu. The subject and body of the email can be blank. You will get a message back asking you if you meant to subscribe to this list.  Reply to this message, keeping the subject header intact (click on reply, then send.)  After we have received your request, you should get a message confirming that you are now on the list.
 Every audition is open and every director or choreographer can run the audition anyway he or she wishes.  That means sometimes you may be required to do a cold reading from the script, sometimes you might be taught a dance combination and asked to repeat it, sometimes you might be asked to prepare a scene from the script with a partner, sometimes you might need a prepared monologue, song, or bit of choreography, and sometimes you just have to show up and improvise.  The specific requirements for each audition are included in the audition announcement.  In general, if the audition is for a scripted play or film, a copy of the script will be available for perusal in the Greenroom, Gordon Wilson Hall, room 314.  It's always smart to read the script before auditioning.  Auditions announcements are also posted in the Greenroom.  If you have a headshot/resume, bring it to the audition.  If not, you can just fill out an audition form when you arrive. 
 Think of show tickets as course materials that you need to purchase in order to adequately complete the course with a passing grade, just like a textbook.  Our theatre and dance productions are financed entirely through ticket sales. The university does not provide funding for any of our production costs.  All costumes, sets, props, lighting and sound, as well as royalties and licensing, are paid for through ticket sales.  We do try to keep the ticket prices as low as possible, and we do offer special discounts for Theatre and Dance Appreciation students.

 

 

 

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 Last Modified 11/20/19