On Saturday, March 5, the BFA Acting Class of 2022 premiered its senior showcase.
As digital showcases become more popular, creating a product that highlights the individual is increasingly important.
Originally, the Elon University BFA Acting showcase would be presented live. Due to the pandemic, the decision was made to transition to a virtual showcase.
“Through Actors Access, our showcase remains in the top tier of those viewed by industry professionals from around the country and the Class of 2021 have made significant connections through their showcase,” said Kim Blair Shively, assistant professor of performing arts.
The first effort was so successful that it was decided to continue in this format. This showcase is available to agents and casting directors across the country to view at their convenience.
Each senior class spends over a year creating their showcase. Students begin looking for material during their junior year, rehearse during the summer and early fall, and film the entire showcase by the end of the fall semester. Then, with help from students in the Cinema and Television Arts program, they begin to edit and assemble the final product. The process is student-led, and is up to the class to organize and plan.
“Most of the beginning process was calculating our funds in order to pay these [Cinema and Television Arts students] and assigning roles to each person in the class to make the actual film process much smoother,” said Naiya Banks ’22.
Over time, students in the Acting and Cinema Television Arts programs have formed very close relationships. They need actors to be in their films, and Acting majors want experience on camera.
“One of the first things we established as a class when making the digital showcase was that we wanted to hire Cinema Majors to be on the crew for us,” said Banks.
Callie Fabac ’22 said the beauty of a virtual showcase is that you can send it directly to agents and casting directors.
“Elon has a wonderful Acting for the Camera class that most students take in either their junior or senior year. In that class, we gain valuable on-camera skills, and the digital showcase puts those skills to use,” Fabac said. “We’re looking at Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. A digital showcase can easily reach all of those places.”
The Elon BFA Acting Class of 2022 showcase can be found by visiting the class’s website.