Senior Andrew Freix stands on the bare stage, facing a nearly empty auditorium as he reads over the piece of paper in his hands. Suddenly, Freix begins to project the words in a rich Scottish accent, never breaking character until the last line.

Performances such as Freix’s on Friday could be seen at TJ Drama’s auditions for their fall one-act plays, “The Real Inspector Hound” and “The Actor’s Nightmare.” Students remained in the Lecture Hall from 4 to 7 p.m. reciting and memorizing monologues until they reached acting perfection. Before presenting to the director, many students asked their peers to critique them.

“I spent a while tailoring and preparing my monologue,” senior Zach Moser said. “I chose the piece from a TV show I really like so I could get really involved in the character.”

One at a time, students went to the auditorium to perform their monologue for the guest director, Matthew Lucas. Upon completion of their monologue, Lucas would ask them to do cold readings, often accompanied by a Scottish or British accent.

TJ Drama is currently going through a transitional stage, with new plans for the year and new directors. English teacher Vincent Pollet stepped down as the program’s director last year, and choir director Molly Khatcheressian will be heading the program this year, with the help of several guest directors.

“This is the first time in a long time that TJ Drama will experience changes in its program,” senior Saloni Chaswal said. “I think we’ll make new traditions, and go in a new direction.”