It’s just an audition, Janet!

UTRGV community members showed up on Thursday and Friday for the chance to embark on the spooky journey known as “The Rocky Horror Show” where actors may face oddities. 

Richard Edmonson, UTRGV theater professor and director of “The Rocky Horror Show,” held auditions on Thursday and Friday at the Dr. Marian Monta Studio Theatre.

Actors who auditioned were expected to come prepared with 32 bars of a musical theater song, a one-minute monologue and a resume. But to someone interested in auditioning in the future, what does this all mean?

Thirty-two bars of music are typically 60-90 seconds of a musical piece; in this case, it would be a musical theater song. 

A one-minute monologue is straightforward: A one-minute speech given by a single character.

A resume to bring to an audition should include any and all past performances. This could range from acting in a theater production, if one has had that experience, to a speech given at church or school. 

“Actors will perform their monologue and their 32 bars of music,” Edmonson said. “I’ll ask them questions and then if we’re interested, I’ll ask them to come to a callback so they can do a dance audition. ”

Auditions can be intimidating and giving a performance while anxious can throw an actor off. Even Edmonson said he has had his fair share of stressful auditions.

In San Antonio while auditioning for a touring company, Edmonson heard the actor before him sing “like a five-star opera singer.” Edmonson didn’t know how he was going to follow that but said as an actor, you just have to go in and give it your best. He said it taught him a lot about how not to get thrown off in an audition. 

Kiana Saldana, a UTRGV theater senior, said no matter how many times you audition, “you’re bound to get nervous.” However, Saldana said the more auditions she has done, the more comfortable she is.

The preparation for an audition could be longer than the actual audition. For this production, UTRGV actors signed up for a time slot and had 10 minutes.  

Theater freshman Jaden Hernandez’s first ever role was a tree in a middle school production. He then got replaced by a prop tree, but he still continues to have a passion for theater.

“It’s a big trope, you know, you come in and then you automatically get the lead role, but don’t be disheartened if that’s not you,” Hernandez said.

Anyone interested in auditioning for a future UTRGV theater production can visit the UTRGV’s Department of Theater’s Instagram. 

To buy tickets to the 18-plus production of “The Rocky Horror Show,” opening October 23, 2025 click here.