Ohio State students may show off their acting talents in a new television series portraying the many adventures of life in the OSU campus community.
“Kollege,” a student-produced soap opera, is scheduled to premiere at 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 13 on BUCK-iTV, OSU’s student-run television station.
“It is called a humor soapy or a melodrama,” said Pat Dwyer, a senior in political science and producer of the show. “Life at OSU is the main theme, but every episode is going to have a different goal or plot.”
There will be at least five common characters and 10-15 new characters with limited roles in each episode. A round of auditions will take place this week.
“We want anybody with any talent to audition this time,” Dwyer said.
The main characters will be selected from this audition, along with spot roles for future episodes.
The first two episodes are already written, and filming is expected to be completed before the holiday break.
“The main character in the first episode is moving into a south campus dorm a week after winter quarter started,” said Nate Han, a junior in film theater and head writer of “Kollege.” “The show takes off from there.”
Filming will take place in residence halls, classrooms and off-campus apartments, along with shots of the Schottenstein Center, Ohio Stadium, Mirror Lake and The Oval.
Five cameras will be used to shoot the action.
“We want a real independent feel to our show. We do not want it to look like another Hollywood production,” said Chris Langer, a senior in theater and executive producer.
The production team is also seeking story ideas.
“Anyone who has a unique story about campus life, they can e-mail it to us and they will receive on-screen credit if their story contributed to the script,” Dywer said.
Dwyer said this television show is for everybody. It is a chance to get on television whether the participant wants it to be the starting point of an acting career or just a chance to have fun.
Langer said he hopes the show ignites BUCK-iTV.
BUCK-iTV currently produces four shows. A morning show, entitled “Wake the Buck Up,” consists of comical skits and music videos. “BUCK-iLIVE” is a newscast at the top and bottom of every hour during the morning and afternoon. There is also an evening news broadcast of campus and Columbus news and weather. The fourth show is a pre-game commentary that airs before OSU football games.
One episode of ‘Kollege” will be broadcast at 8:30 p.m. every Monday on the BUCK-iTV channel in the residence halls during winter quarter.
Han said he hopes the show can accomplish a lot more than being just a college soap opera.
“Hopefully people will catch on to the show and we will get many people involved,” Han said. “Maybe by next September there will be a local station interested in carrying our show, and who knows where we can go from there?”
The first auditions are 6:30-9:30 p.m. tomorrow and Thursday in room 2066 of the Drake Performance and Event Center. Participants are expected to bring their own monologue to the auditions. The show’s e-mail address is [email protected].
