PJC students do well at Annual North Texas Drama Auditions
Published or Revised January 14, 2015
PJC students attending the North Texas Drama Auditions in Plano included, in front from left, Tyaisha Allen and Haley Hines; and in back from left, Rheston Sills, Riley Collard, Cody Rice and Andy Johnson.
Six Paris Junior College students with widely varying interests recently attended the Annual North Texas Drama Auditions in Plano and came away with many transfer offers to four year universities.
Tyaisha Allen, Haley Hines, Rheston Sills, Riley Collard, Cody Rice and Andy Johnson were accompanied by PJC music instructor Philip Briggs and drama instructor William Walker to the auditions.
The students received interest from institutions such as Oklahoma City University, University of Mississippi, West Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University, Texas Women's University, University of Tulsa, Sam Houston State University and the National Theater Institute's Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterbury, Connecticut.
"They all did very well," said Walker, "it was a long day, but it was good. They were exhausted when we were done but it was well worth it."
Designed to showcase actors, actor/singers, and design/tech students, the auditions allow performers one and a half minutes to showcase their talents. Allen says she is a pre-law major interested in music and dance, Johnson is an art major interested in technical theatre, Sills and Collard are drama majors while Rice and Hines are taking the musical theatre concentration at PJC.
The auditions also allowed Briggs and Walker to talk to about 25-30 prospective students, which is more than last year than they talked to last year, according to Walker.
A number of scholarships are available for students interested in the fine arts at PJC. To find out more, contact Walker about drama at 903-782-0488 or wwalker@parisjc.edu or Briggs about music at 903-782-0343 or pbriggs@parisjc.edu. Music scholarships are also available to non-music majors, for participating in events such as the PJC Christmas concert. To ask about art scholarships, contact PJC art instructor Susan Moore at 903-782-0438 or smoore@parisjc.edu.
