For anyone auditioning for their first show, the process can be scary. But ISU theater has developed a way for its auditions to be fun and painless.

Matt Foss, lecturer in music and theater, said the auditions are open to any major and encourages anyone willing to try out for any of the shows this season.

“Our students are from a wide variety of backgrounds and experience levels. So all it takes to do a play with us here at Iowa State is the desire to give it a shot and the courage to take that risk,” Foss said. “[The auditions] are usually very low-impact and we try to be as welcoming as possible.”

“There are a lot of plays next year that will be using a lot of students. It’s a great year to become part of the community and the theater department.”

This season’s list of shows include “Hedda Gabler,” Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” “A Christmas Carol,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a series of short stories by Anton Chekhov and the musical “Rent.”

Because each show is different, Foss said not all the auditions are the same. Typically, the audition requirements are specific to the play.

For a typical audition, Foss said students need to sign up for a time in the theater office on the second floor of Pearson Hall. For some shows, students are asked to prepare their own monologues and be ready to perform a scene from the play at their audition. If the show involves singing and dancing, students should prepare a song and expect to dance in the audition.

“For every audition, there’s an announcement and it’ll make clear what we’re looking for: a monologue, a song, reading a scene … usually, it’s pretty clear instructions or who to talk to if you’re confused,” Foss said. “If you’re interested in auditioning, all you really need is to show up and ask some questions, make good on your curiosity and there’s no real way you can mess it up. If you want to be there and you’re willing to take a risk, it usually works out just fine.”