CWC holds auditions for film program

For Fremont County residents who dream of starring in a movie, opportunity awaits in Central Wyoming College’s film department – the only such program in the state. On Wednesday March 19 from 4 to 7 p.m., actors of all ages and experience levels are called to audition for CWC’s spring semester student films. 

“Every year, my students’ studies culminate in creating a short film of their very own,” said CWC Film Professor Jeremy Nielsen. “Part of that process is learning how to cast a movie, and that’s where the community comes in.”

At any given time, around 20 students are enrolled in CWC’s two-year Film Associate of Arts degree track. Wednesday’s casting call will support a group of students enrolled in Nielsen’s advanced directing class, which is the program’s capstone. 

“The trouble is, most of the students are college age, and when it comes to casting, they’re encouraged to write parts for people of all ages and all kinds,” Nielsen noted. “They need a wide variety of actors to bring their stories to life.”

Though the casting call is this week, CWC’s film direction students have not yet written their screenplays. After 13 years of teaching in the program, Nielsen has observed that students tend to create and write more interesting characters after meeting the actors who will potentially play them.

“Auditions are a great opportunity for students to get inspired by certain character traits or interactions,” he said. “After they’ve met the actors, I encourage students to write parts with a particular person in mind and see where that leads.”

If you want to be part of the action, audition for a role today in Riverton from 4-7 p.m. at the Intertribal Education and Community Center. Photo courtesy of CWC

For CWC’s aspiring filmmakers, strong attendance at Wednesday’s audition will bolster their creative possibilities. Anyone interested is invited to stop by and read through a brief scene. The whole process takes just 10 minutes and there are plenty of parts to go around.

“We’re super open minded and we’re generous with our casting,” Nielsen said. “We’ll give you a two or three page scene, run through it a couple of times, film the session, and that’s it.”

Though Nielsen will be present Wednesday to facilitate the process, CWC students are fully in charge of managing auditions. Typically, each actor will try the scene once according to their own interpretation, before trying it a second time with a director’s feedback.

“That’s the crucial part,” Nielsen revealed. “An actor’s ability to take direction is arguably their most important quality. Casting is about collaborating and finding the right answer together.”

Once audition tapes are compiled, actors may or may not receive a role during this current spring semester. If they choose to keep their name and tape in the database, they may land a role down the line.

“[Auditioning] is a fun way to get out of your comfort zone,” said Nielsen. “Plus, it really helps our students grow in their craft.”

CWC’s film program was born around 15 years ago, when the state legislature was angling to entice filmmakers to work and spend money in the Cowboy state. Financial incentives were developed to help Wyoming compete against other venues, and CWC’s film program was launched as a sort of in-house resource should filmmakers need support while working nearby.

“Since then, the incentive program has run out of money, but the film program remains,” Nielsen explained. “As the only film school in the state, we bring in students from Cheyenne, Cody, and everywhere in between. We also tend to attract folks from abroad.”

Understanding that jobs in the film industry are scarce – especially in Wyoming – Nielsen aims to empower his students with polished storytelling skills that can be applied broadly in a variety of fields.

“I’ve got former students who went off to shoot drone footage in Hawaii, and others who returned to their hometowns in Wyoming to make a living filming weddings,” he said. “Others have worked on Marvel movies or made feature films of their own. There are a lot of directions to take it.”

Every May, CWC hosts a film festival in Riverton’s Acme Theater that showcases the work of Nielsen’s current cohort. Last year, the audience-voted Best Picture explored the nuanced dynamic between two young sisters growing up together and sharing a room.

“It’s a simple premise but it was executed beautifully,” Nielsen said. “Plus, it featured two actors who came to us from the community. They had never acted before and just a few months later, their work won an award.”

The CWC film program’s casting call runs from 4 – 7 p.m. in the Intertribal Education and Community Center on the CWC campus in Riverton. Email jeremy@cwc.edu with questions.