Hopeful students auditioned last Wednesday and Thursday for a coveted role in director Kevin Simmers’ version of Will Eno’s “Middletown,” which can be seen in the theater in building 1 at Skyline College, Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 17-20.

“Middletown” can be simply summarized as a story about an average and mundane town in America. Imagine a town where life is predictable and the main street is called Main Street. People come and go, everyone knows each other.

“‘Middletown’ is so easy to overlook. It’s as average as it can get with the names of the characters and the place in general,” Skyline student Sarah Rovai said. “But the people… If you pay close enough attention to them, you can see where they are in their life path and most of them are in the middle.”

Over the course of two days, Sept. 7-8, approximately 15 Skyline students recited a monologue of their choice in front of Kevin Simmers, the director of the play.

There were only 14 slots available for seven men and seven women to portray the 26 characters in Middletown. Callbacks were held on Friday, Sept. 9 and Monday, Sept. 12, where the student actors were required to read portions of the script with one another.

“I’m auditioning for this play because it’s the type of play I’ve never done before so I’m excited to do it,” said student Grant Crawford. “I’ve auditioned for the last two fall plays at Skyline so I had to do it again this semester.” “I really like the director,” Crawford said about Simmers.

“I’ve worked with Simmers before and I like how he does his thing and directs,” Skyline student Marco Nacay said.

The mood of the auditions was light until one actress came in and recited a monologue about not having experienced a full day of happiness in a long time. Another high point was when a student came in completely prepared and recited a dramatic monologue from Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.”

When asked what the story meant to them as a student, Rovai weighed in his opinion.

“There was a moment where I was kinda going about my average day and I was thinking what’s going to happen next in my life?” Rovai said. “I’ve come so far and I can’t even imagine what my life will be like in the next 40 years.”

Middletown’s story can be relatable to many different demographics. You don’t have to be a fan of theater in order to enjoy this production. If you have ever found yourself in a rut wondering what you’re doing with your life, this might be the perfect play to watch.

“I’m in the middle of my life too,” Rovai said. “Just like the rest of the people in the story.”