APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Northeast Wisconsin high school theatre students had the opportunity to learn from a professional at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center on Wednesday.

Adam du Plessis, who plays Happy Man in the national tour of Pretty Woman, taught a vocal audition workshop, where students learned the ins and outs of auditioning for professional theatre productions. Students could perform an audition piece and receive individual feedback from du Plessis.

Students say that it was helpful to learn from a professional in the field they want to pursue.

“I think it’s interesting to hear from someone who’s done this themselves and made it in the world that we’re all trying to make it in right now, and I think it’s pretty important to take the feedback and work with it and understand,” said Molly Paffenroth, a junior at Kaukauna High School.

“Very constructive, he’s a very unbiased person who I’ve never met before, and a professional at that. So I think it’s very constructive and it allows me to grow,” said Campbell Gies, a sophomore at Oshkosh North High School.

The workshop is part of the Fox Cities PAC’s Center Stage program. Theater programs are able to get their shows critiqued by a team that gives feedback to directors and students leading up to the Center Stage High School Musical Theater Showcase event next May. It also allows students to get to know other theatre students from around the region and take part in workshops like these.

The Pretty Woman National Tour is performing shows at the PAC until Sunday, October 29. Tickets can be found here.