Resurfaced 90’s audition papers reveal history of prejudice.

Words by Roxanne Boychuk and Sadiya Kherani Art by Lang Delapa

The world of drama and acting has a dark, twisted history that goes back decades. Some of the most acclaimed Hollywood films and Broadway shows have hidden secrets from their audience about what goes on behind the scenes, especially regarding body shaming and misogyny. Although these issues have been recognized and addressed in many aspects, some of these problems still linger in the production world.

In the SU drama department, the issue of body shaming has recently resurfaced through the discovery of audition forms containing a ‘body type’ category. In a recent Instagram statement, the Syracuse Department of Drama’s student representatives addressed the discovery and provided further clarification.

“On January 23, 2023, the Syracuse Department of Drama student representatives were made aware of a social media post that involved an image of a Syracuse University audition form that contained a category pertaining to ‘body type,’” the representatives said. “As the post began to circulate, there was obvious and understandable outrage as discussions began about what ‘body type’ has to do with any one person’s ability to perform or their talents.”

According to the representatives, the department ultimately determined these audition forms were outdated, and faculty had not used them in years. However, they were mistakenly distributed during a recent audition, bringing to light the department’s history of fatphobia.

After the release of these papers, the drama department discussed the incidents with students during one of the weekly drama town hall meetings. This meeting was led by the department chair, Ralph Zito. Sophomore Haley Thompkins, an acting major in the drama department, explained what happened during the meeting.

“During the meeting, we were able to sit down and talk about the issues and the chair told us that these forms had not been used for over a decade and were accidentally printed,” she said.

“The student-to-faculty relationship is very mentor-to-mentee. They listen, they care.”

Thompkins believes the faculty has been attentive and caring in addressing this incident but that the drama department is far from perfect. “I have never experienced any negative comments about my body, but I have heard of others with different experiences than my own.

Another acting student, sophomore Annie Comegno, explains that her experiences were quite different from Thompkins’.

“I was a first-year student at the time, very nervous because I already didn’t feel like I belonged. I wasn’t as flexible as some of the other students in this class. I was told by my professor that they knew I wouldn’t be able to participate in some of the exercises because of my size,” she said. “Even today that professor brushes me off to the side and can barely look in my eyes when I ask for help when I am yearning to become better and stronger.”

Experiences like this can cause students to unhealthily lose weight, or even develop body dysmorphia. Although these outcomes may be unintentional, when students have to be as active as they are in the drama department, eating at proper times and the right amount of meals is extremely important in establishing a healthy balance.

“One of the issues that I have experienced is not having enough time in the day to eat due to the drama schedule being overbooked,” Thompkins said.

Comegno agrees with this sentiment and shared that she has seen her friends fall into these unhealthy patterns because of the program.

“I’ll see my friends walk out of class and talk about how they’ve only had an apple today or they’re not eating today because they have a costume fitting in a few days,” she said.

Throughout the conversations with members of the department, a pattern became more evident. Interviewees revealed few personal details overall, even with specific rebuttal questions that encouraged these responses.

In addition, many professors declined to be interviewed and suggested others who might be able to speak. When a professor agreed to be interviewed, a response came in after six days. The response received was a similar description to what was posted on their Instagram. Zito once again gave the response on behalf of the faculty.

“The audition form you are referencing has not been used by our department for nearly 15 years,” he said. “A clerical error led to this outdated form being printed and distributed at two auditions that we know of; however, the form was not used as part of the audition evaluation. We deeply regret the impact this mistake has had on our community and have since removed this form from any of our print and digital files. We continue to work closely with our students, faculty, and staff to ensure our students have a positive experience that prioritizes their health and well-being while preparing them for a successful career in the theater.”

Comegno sees hope for the theater industry but noted that there is still a lack of compassion towards actors of different body types throughout the field.

“I am not a gymnast, never was, never will be. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to learn how to tumble across the floor and at least try these crazy stunts,” she said. “The industry puts so much pressure on actors to be super fit and super small. It’s not just a problem here, it’s a problem at most, if not all schools, and [in] the industry. We are finally starting to see different body types on the screen and on stage, but when will the body shaming end?”