The Fresno State University Theatre attracted new and returning acting students for preliminary auditions on Aug. 20 for the Fall 2019 Mainstage season productions.

The three play productions available for students to audition for were “Anon(ymous),” “Fat Pig” and “As You Like It.” All plays will be directed by Fresno State professors.

Students could be seen chatting with each other, practicing monologues for their chosen characters and adjusting their attire as they waited to be called into the John Wright Theatre, where auditions were being held.

Fresno State student Hannah Berry is a returning actor from past productions on campus and hopes to be welcomed back to a positive environment from older students, as was the case during her first year.

“I started my freshman year doing plays here, and it was awesome. Everyone was so welcoming,” Berry said. “They [older student actors] taught us everything we needed to know. We made friends, and we got into shows.”

In an interview with Brad Myers, acting professor and director of “Fat Pig,” he discussed the timeliness of the play’s topic, and the fact that it has never been produced in Fresno, to his knowledge.

“I want to tell the story well. I want to approach the characters with compassion,” Myers said. “The two major themes of fat shaming and tribalism are something that Neil LaBute [playwright] really wants to focus a very harsh light on, and I hope we can do that with the production.”

“Anon(ymous)” will play in the Dennis and Cheryl Woods Theatre from Oct. 4-12; “Fat Pig” in the Dennis and Cheryl Woods Theatre from Nov. 1-9; and “As You Like It” in the John Wright Theatre from Dec. 6-14.