Editor’s note 8/31: This story has been edited throughout.

The buzz pulsing through the halls of Meadows during this audition season hints at the exciting performance season to come.

From music to dance, students are preparing for the upcoming auditions that will affect the rest of the semester and potentially the school year.

The pressure to perform is felt by students from the first day of school.

While the dance department has just finished casting pieces for both their fall dance concert and the always-popular brown bag dance series, music majors are still in the preparation period for their opera auditions.

Grace Jennings, a junior in vocal performance, has set her goals on a specific role in the opera “Alcina,” which she will be auditioning for in just one week.

“It’s definitely a high-stakes audition,” Jennings said, “since this audition will determine all of our performances for the semester.”

The theatre department follows a slightly different schedule, with students auditioning the semester before the plays will actually be performed.

Theatre major Sam Black finds this audition process especially beneficial in reducing anxieties over auditions.

“I think because it’s only one day for a semester’s worth of shows,” Black said.

“it’s actually pretty easy and doesn’t really get in the way.”

Still, Black and his classmates will continue to prepare for the spring auditions occurring at the end of the fall semester, which will involve an exciting partnership between SMU and the Dallas Theater Center.

For most of the student body, syllabus week is considered a relatively stress-free period.

However, Meadows students are challenged to delve straight into a high-intensity audition and rehearsal process.

In this way, Meadows students mimic the rigors of the professional arts, similarly to conservatory programs across the nation.