Yearlong Audition Update: Students plan for spring break

Kate Rancka
Voice

This semester, Kate Rancka has been working on the VCU opera she is involved with, as well as the recording deal that she and her singing partner won during the winter break.

During spring break, Rancka and her friend Jessie Dunnavant will be recording eight covers for their album, in addition to finalizing details for when they will record in a studio in May.

Rancka will be traveling to James Madison University to participate in the National Association of Teachers of Singing on March 1. Rancka will be competing against Dunnavant, which neither was aware of until recently.

Rancka will also sing with the Commonwealth Singers in May, when the group will travel to Canada to compete. At the end of April, Rancka will be singing in the VCU Opera’s presentation of “The Magic Flute,” which is sung in German with English dialogue.

Andrew Kearns
French

At the end of the fall semester, Andrew Kearns made the decision to leave the art foundation program in favor of a French language major.

Earlier in the semester, he expressed no regrets for his decision, though some of his courses were not progressing at the pace he wanted.

Kearns is working at his new job at Extreme Pizza and continuing to work in the Graphic Design lab in the Pollak building.

Kearns’ boyfriend will be visiting from France for the duration of spring break. The pair will spend four days in Richmond before traveling back to Kearns’ hometown of Salem, Va. for an additional four days.

Kearns is currently researching opportunities to study abroad for an academic year starting as early as the fall 2013 semester. He is considering the Cours de Civilisation Française program at the La Sorbonne school in Paris, France, where he would study French language, culture and history.

Brooke Marsh
AFO

Having entered into the art foundation program with a strong love for photography, Brooke Marsh returned from winter break with some doubts about her intended major.

Now, Marsh is considering the potential of a more client-based major like graphic design or communication arts.

Her time to make a decision is approaching quickly. Directly following spring break, all AFO students will submit portfolios of their work completed during freshman year to their chosen majors.

Marsh admitted she still has a lot of preparation work between now and the deadline, mostly in documenting her work.

Marsh also completed a craft and material studies fiber course called “Puncture/Stitch,” which culminated with a show of the students’ work.

During spring break, Marsh will return home to Maryland. She hopes to participate in the VCUarts Boomerang Project while she’s home, which would award her with $150 in tuition money for returning to her high school and speaking about her experience at VCU.

 Rex Kennedy
Dance

Rex Kennedy finished VCU Dance NOW this week. Kennedy auditioned for the role in August, and wished he had the opportunity to perform in the show.

“It sucked because it was something I was working on all year, and it just feels like unfinished business for me not to perform it,” Kennedy said. “It was nice to still hang out back stage with everyone though.”

During break, Kennedy will not be returning home to Colorado.

Kennedy will instead stay in Richmond to relax and work more hours at his job at Bath and Body Works in Short Pump.

This semester, Kennedy has been in the class freshman repertory, which is a performance-based class specifically for freshman in the dance department.  The students in the class meet three times a week with professor Autumn Proctor and will perform a free show in May.

Tricia Wiles
Theatre performance 

Last weekend, Tricia Wiles was part of the play Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky at Shafer Street Playhouse, which was directed by Brooke Turner.

Wiles played a mythical bird by walking in a back bend with a mask upside down on her face.  Although she had no speaking parts, Wiles was excited for the role since she had never acted in a show like it before.

During her spring break, Wiles will be going to the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Louisville, Ky. There, she will be participating in workshops and auditioning for summer roles.

On the weekend of Feb. 16 and 17, Wiles went to Camp Willow Run in North Carolina with Chi Alpha as part of a retreat.

Wiles has also started working as a stage manager for Brighton Beach Memoirs with The Jewish Family Theatre at the Jewish Community Center.   Auditions for the cast started last Tuesday, but Wiles will officially start her job after spring break.