Breaking a leg has the ability to induce both pleasure and pain. As students wished one another good luck with this well-known sarcastic phrase, it was yet to be determined for whom “break a leg” would bring a positive outcome.

During the past weekend, the Ohio State Department of Theatre held auditions for the three winter quarter productions. More than 70 students came to try out, and today the department will announce the 35 people who received roles in “The Government Inspector,” “The School Tour of Escuela del Mundo” and “Theater-2-Go.”

Despite the competitive numbers, some students remain relaxed during the audition process, said senior Becky Ford, a theater major.

“I get a little nervous, but once I get in there I’m fine,” she said. “I actually like being up in front of people but if I think about it beforehand, it can be a little scary.”

Ford, who prepared her audition piece just days before the tryouts, said her theater classes help prepare her for these experiences.

“I’ve taken movement and voice classes (at OSU) and those have helped,” she said. “Right now I’m taking a class where we talk about what you’re supposed to be thinking while you’re doing your scene. I’ve tried to incorporate that a little bit while preparing and trying different techniques.”

Aside from the anxious feelings of students, auditions can be a nervous experience even for those who oversee them, said stage manager Mandy Stevens, a junior theater major who sits in on the audition process.

“We know it’s hard for everyone,” she said, “but we’re just as nervous for them as they are. We want them to do well and impress us. But overall, the process is so open and mellow. We can tell when people are nervous, so we say ‘Hey, shake it off.’ We understand, we’ve all been there.”

“You’d be surprised,” Stevens said, “but a lot of the kids who are OK and comfortable outside the door are nervous when they come in. We know it’s hard for everyone, and if it’s not, they’re not taking it seriously. But if they’re too nervous, it takes away from the performance.”

Preparation techniques vary with the student, said sophomore Emmy Allen, a theater and Spanish major.

“There have been shows where I’ve worked on my monologue two months in advance and I did it for lots of different people and I changed things,” she said. “There have been shows where I knew the monologue so well that I could have said it standing on my head, and that way I was free to think about the motions and what to put into the piece, but this audition was a little different than usual.”

Allen, who decided to audition at the last minute, did not have a lot of time to prepare her piece.

“Normally you spend a week and a half just picking the monologue, but I had to select and memorize it in that time, so I was really rushed,” she said. “But you just have to practice in front of a mirror and do it in front of your friends.”

Although the auditions generally attract theater majors, anyone can try out for these productions. Junior Damon Trammell, a strategic communications major, is a newcomer to the OSU Theatre Department auditions but has been acting since high school. Although he just began taking theater classes, they have helped his audition experience.

“With movement courses, you can apply some of the techniques to a character you’re trying to play,” he said. “If you’re trying to figure out how you want to play a role, often times, movement is a way to bring the character to life.”

The theatre program attracts a wide variety of talented students, Stevens said.

“I think the people we all see as the ‘quiet kids’ really rocked it out (in auditions,)” she said. “There are a lot of new people in the department, and they’re going to have great chemistry, high energy and excellent shows next quarter. I’m really looking forward to working with everyone.”

Even if a student does not get a part, Stevens encourages them to ask directors for feedback and then audition again the next quarter.

“Every audition you do makes you better and better,” she said. “We encourage students to come back. They are always welcome to make an appointment and sit down to see what they’ve done wrong and done well,” she said. “Everyone seems intimidated by directors, but they shouldn’t be.”

Regardless of excuses, there is no reason to skip auditions if you are interested in the productions, Allen said.

“I went into this thinking that I wasn’t going to get a part,” she said. “But in the theater business, you should always audition because it’s an experience. You should always go even if you’re not completely ready. And even if you’re positive that you won’t get a part, you should still audition because it’s great practice.”

Auditions for the spring quarter productions “The Cradle Will Rock” and “A Bright Room Called Day” will be held Feb. 9-11.