Auditions for “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens were completed on Oct. 7 and 8. “A Christmas Carol” can be seen at Fisher Theater during December 5 through 14.

“A Christmas Carol” is presented every three years by Iowa State University Theater, and this December marks the eighth year of performance.

“We have a lot of people show up for ‘A Christmas Carol’ auditions,” said director Jane Cox. “There’s a lot of small roles and the chances you’re going to get a role are pretty good.”

Even though there are many spots, there are qualities the director is specifically looking for in actors.

“[A] clear strong voice, some kind of connection with the character,” Cox said. “These characters are all kinds of iconic characters, so I usually try to match the body shapes to the characters. Some of it is the way you look, but that’s theater for you.”

In order to get a spot during the audition, the actor needs to do something unique to be remembered by the director. During the audition, each actor was asked to bring two monologues. Cox also gave them a short excerpt from “A Christmas Carol,” and they would perform an improvisation act.

For the improvisation, the actor is told to act like they are receiving a gift they have always wanted, act out what they were given and express how they felt about the gift.

Kendra Liska, sophomore in Hospitality Management, performed the first audition and her gift was a mixer. Cox was filled with nothing but surprise.

“Lots of guys do cars or pets, women do jewelry or a dress,” Cox said, referring to the improvisation part of the audition.

Cox gave the example of Liska receiving a metaphorical mixer to every actor during the improvisation part of the audition. It was an unexpected anecdote that Cox continues to enjoy telling.

Brady Whitney, senior in industrial design, loved his acting class at Iowa State, which inspired him to audition for the play. Whitney had never auditioned for a play until ‘A Christmas Carol’.

Nervousness did not stop him from projecting his memorized monologues. Whitney was not required to memorize the pieces, but he was one out of a handful that chose to do so and accomplished it.

Whitney was not the only person to audition and try something new. Amanda Carnahan, senior in Communication Studies, decided the day of audition to try out for her first play at Iowa State. Her younger brother, Brady Carnahan, inspired her to try out for the play since he was involved in Iowa State Theater.

Lauren Parrot, junior in political science, has a past in musicals and wanted to try out for the play. Parrot is originally from England and will spend an entire year studying abroad at Iowa State.

During auditions, anxiety was apparent with shaky hands, trembling vocal cords and constant gulps, but each actor expressed themselves differently. A variety of actors ranging from experienced to amateur auditioned, but each student expressed their desire to make an impression.

“A Christmas Carol” will perform at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5-6 and 12-13, 1 p.m on Dec. 7 and 2 p.m on Dec. 14 at Fisher Theater. Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors and $11 for students. Tickets are available online at ticketmaster.com, Iowa State Center Ticket Office or at the door in Fisher Theater before the play.