On Saturday, April 26, a handful of Montoursville theatre students had their auditions for the Community Theatre League’s annual Merit Performance Competition.
“[I] enjoy getting to push myself to learn new music that I have never heard before and broaden my musical knowledge,” said senior Brooklyn Hazen, who earned a bronze medal her sophomore year, when asked why she participates in the Merit Competition
An addition to the CTL’s Ray of Lights Ceremony, this merit competition is held every year for students to compete in either a dramatic or musical category to have the chance to win medals for their performances.
“Even if I don’t get an award, I wouldn’t care because I’d be proud I did it,” said senior Naomi Alexander, who won a silver medal her sophomore year and a bronze medal her junior year.
The students prepare either two contrasting monologues (dramatic category) or two contrasting musical theatre songs to sing (musical category), and perform them in a five minute audition in front of a panel of judges from the CTL. These judges then score the student’s performance based on a rubric.
The scoring goes as follows: 30-33 gets Bronze, 34-37 gets Silver, and 38-40 gets Gold. Any student who is awarded Gold also gets the chance to perform a live solo at the Ray of Lights Ceremony.
A lot of preparation goes into this competition. Hazen described how she usually prepares, saying, “I practice my music a LOT, talk to Mrs. Gist and ask her for advice on my songs, and practice with my friends and see what they think of my musical choices.”
The day before auditions, the competitors in the musical category had the opportunity to practice their songs with the provided accompanist, Mrs. Marisa Hickey.
“I think it is very helpful to practice with the accompanist before,” said Hazen. “It gives you a feel for how they play and what it is going to sound like the next day.”
The Merit Competition is also a way for students to get comfortable with an audition setting, stay calm, and learn how to deal with performance anxiety, a useful skill for members of the theatre community.
“Before an audition I just try to remember that I’m there to perform. A lot of the people in the room for the audition have heard me sing before so I just need to perform how I practice!” said Alexander when asked how she handles nerves prior to auditioning.
During the CTL’s Ray of Light Nominations livestream on Thursday, May 1st, the medal winners of the merit competition were announced. This year’s medalists are as follows:
SILVER MERIT IN MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Naomi Alexander (Senior)
Addison Confer (Senior)
Andrew Ware (Senior)
Alice Ravert (Junior)
Christian Berwanger (Freshman)
BRONZE MERIT IN MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Brooklyn Hazen (Senior)
Andrew Truman (Senior)
BRONZE MERIT IN DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE
Grace Barkauskas (Junior)
Estella Smelko (Freshman)
These winners will go on to be recognized and receive their respective medals onstage at the Ray of Lights Ceremony on Saturday, May 10.
FEATURED PHOTO: (at top): The Merit Competition is associated with the CTL’s Ray of Light Awards, a program that features local high school theatre productions in a small, “Tony’s-esque” ceremony. Montoursville won many awards for its play and musical last year. Photo by Community Theatre League
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