The Student Performing Artists

Countless Opportunities!

There are many ways to get involved with SPA and the various activities we host and take part in each year.

This page is an overview of some of the ways you can be an active participant!

Acting!

For many people, leaving high school also means leaving behind hobbies you may have enjoyed that you do not intend to pursue as your focus in college. If this hobby was acting, you now have an outlet to perform and take part in shows at USM where you DON'T have to be a theatre major!

Each year we put on two full-length plays in the black box space of the Russell Hall Theatre on USM's Gorham Campus.

Auditions for the full-length shows are generally within the first two weeks of each semester, so check our calendar for exact dates, times, and locations!

We also hold a cabaret night in December of each year! Do you sing? Dance? Write scenes? Play in a band? Bend in strange ways? Umm..anyway...if you said "yes" to any of the above, this night is all about you! We want original acts to grace the stage for one night and one night only! Write to us at usmspa@gmail.com for more info!

Another great opportunity for acting without the time commitment of a full-length play is our Annual Student-Written 10-Minute Play Festival! With a yearly average of 10-12 plays penned by USM students selected to be performed at this event, there is ample opportunity to act! Last year over 50 people were involved with the festival!

Throughout the year we also hold improvisation nights and scene/monologue nights. These workshops are just about getting out there and acting. Improv nights are generally closed sessions where you will get to experiment and have fun doing different improv games. Think- Who's Line is it Anyway? Scene/ monologue nights are about artists coming together to practice and get advice towards improving your craft. Many people are intimidated by a prepared monologue audition. This is a way to get some feedback before you present it in public. Faculty members, student directors, and other student actors will all be there to give any help you might need!

Directing!

One of the hardest fields in the world of theatre to break into is directing. Just to be considered to direct on USM's mainstage you must assistant stage manage a mainstage show, stage manage a mainstage show, direct a show for SPA, direct a blackbox slot, and take the directing class. You are then eligible to propose a show to the department. They must decide whether you are ready to direct a show for the department. This process usually takes 4 years to complete, and the student director generally comes back for a 5th year to direct. And believe it or not, it is even harder once you are outside in the real theatre world to be hired as a director.

Why not skip all those steps and just propose a show for SPA? Though experience leading people and having a background in theatre are helpful, there is nothing to stop any USM student from becoming the next SPA director if they are prepared, organized, and convincing enough! Proposals generally happen sometime in the last 3 weeks of the Fall semester (for the Spring slot) and the Spring semester (for the Fall slot of the following school year). If you want to direct a show, here is what you need to do:

Select a show that you would like to direct
Read it to see if it could be done for a minimal budget
Go to the black box space in Russell Theatre on the Gorham Campus... could your show be done in this space?
You must write a proposal for your show stating why you chose it, why you think it would be a good choice for SPA, who you are as a leader and any experience you have had with leading or directing
You must come up with a detailed budget including the cost of rights (usually for 4-5 performances), ACTF ($250), lights, sound, costumes, props, publicity, and set. The average show for SPA costs $800 and includes all of the above.
On the day we are voting for the new director/show bring in typed copies of your proposals to hand out
Each potential director will have the chance to make a presentation to the group on why they should be chosen to direct the next show
After presentations, there is a question and answer period from the group
Once all questions have been answered, there is a discussion about the proposals with speakers for and against
After discussion has been exhausted, a simple majority vote is all it takes to become the next director for SPA!

Directing a show is a challenging, but rewarding process. You must be organized, have a clear vision of what you want your show to be, and have the ability to lead and work well with your fellow actors, designers, and technicians. If you are interested, keep an eye out in the announcements and calendar sections of this sites for important deadlines and dates for directing proposals. Who knows...YOU may be the next person to direct a show for SPA!

There are also opportunities to direct what are called "black box slots". These shows are usually not financed by SPA, but some people have petitioned to get funding from the group. These shows are generally done for minimal to no budget, and require a lot of determination. Black box slots that have worked well in the past have included staged readings, and minimally blocked original student works. You are give 3 days to be in the black box space for dress rehearsal and final performances.

Another way to get your foot into the directing door is by directing a Student-Written 10-Minute Play for the 10-Minute Play Festival in the Spring Semester of each year. This is a great opportunity if you have a limited amount of time to commit to rehearsals. Many people who direct 10-Minutes go on to direct full-length shows for SPA! Keep an eye out for calls for directors at the beginning of the Spring Semester!

Stage Managing!

Have you ever wanted the power to control a room full of people? If the answer is yes, you may be interested in stage managing for SPA! The stage manager is the organizing force behind an entire production, and can make the difference between an amazing show, and a show that just does not gel. Stage managing for SPA is a herculean task with amazing rewards.

As the stage manager for our full-length productions, you will attend all rehearsals and production meetings. You record all blocking and help the rehearsal process stay on task and move smoothly. During the run of the show, you are responsible for calling all the cues and organizing your crew. You are truly a leader and an integral part of the shows that we put on.

There are also opportunities to stage manage black box slots, the cabaret, and the 10-Minute Play Festival. Many SPA stage managers have been nominated to compete for scholarships at ACTF and have moved on to stage manage for the department. SPA is, and has always been, a wonderful way to get your name heard in the department and get your foot in the door!

Designing!

There are many opportunities for designers within SPA. Whether your forte is scenic design, sound design, lighting design, costume design, or props design, we have a job for you! On top of the 2 opportunities for designing our full-length plays, there are also black box slots, our cabaret night, the Student-Written 10-Minute Play Festival, and the SPA Awards, for which we always need an artistic flair!

To design one of our full-length shows, the person you need to get in touch with is the director. As for the other events, come to meetings and make yourself available! We always need good help, and many SPA designers have gone on to design shows for the mainstage!

Fundraising!

All student groups need money, and SPA is no exception. But fundraising doesn't have to be a drag! Our fundraisers can become F-U-N-draisers with a little creativity and involvement from Y-O-U! In the past we have held community nights at local businesses that we turned into free improv shows, scene/monologue nights, or crazy dress-up nights! We have also had bowl-a-thons, coffee houses, SPA-sponsored headshots, haunted houses at Halloween, and SPA t-shirts and sweatshirts!

Becoming an Officer!

Do you love SPA? Do you have lots of ideas to improve it? Do you want to be a leader of a group of wonderfully creative and motivated people? Are you wonderfully creative and motivated?

Then SPA wants you to run for office!

There are 7 ways to be on the E-Board of SPA:

2 Co-chairs: Co-chairs are responsible for overseeing all SPA meetings and all SPAfficers meetings. They also oversee all events planning and work closely with the theatre department faculty and staff. They create and update the calendar for the group, and are responsible for keeping the group organized and sticking to deadlines.

Treasurer- The treasurer has the hardest job of all. They must keep detailed accounts of all finances and fundraised money, and work closely with the BSO to follow all procedures regarding purchase orders and requesting budgets and special funds.

Secretary- The secretary must attend all regular SPA meetings and SPAfficers meetings, and keep detailed notes, or "minutes", to be published on the web and available to the BSO if ever they request them. The secretary must be organized and attentive to details.

Publicist- The publicist is in charge of getting the word out there, as far and wide as it can be spread. They are responsible for all advertising for shows, events, and fundraisers, and also for making the programs for each of the full-length shows, the cabaret, and the 10-Minute Play Festival. They are also responsible to maintaining and updating the website.

Fundraising Chair- This is a new position within SPA, and it is all about bringing in the benjamins. To function as highly as we do, we need to bring in as much money as possible, and this person is responsible for organizing and creating opportunities for us to raise funds.

Student Representative- The student rep is the liaison between the theatre department faculty and staff and the students. They are responsible for updating the department about what we are doing, and bring any concerns of the students to the faculty, and any concerns from the faculty to the students. They must attend all faculty meetings.

Elections are held at the end of each Spring semester for the following year. Keep a lookout for the dates of this meeting, and who knows? You may be the next officer for SPA!

at the University of Southern Maine