No props, no sets, only two actors sitting on two metal fold-up chairs illuminated by eight stage lights while an edgy audience of one sits on a squeaky chair in the middle of the theater and judges their chemistry.

In the hallway a dozen hopeful thespians practice posh British accents as the photo remnants of thirty years worth of drama stares down their back while a stage manager hands out twenty-two scenes from manila envelopes.

This is the sight of the callback for the upcoming Fresno City College rendition of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.

After two days of auditions, dozens of contending actors tested for a part in the upcoming play by giving a two minute monologue.

Actors paced back and forth, rehearsing silently to themselves in hopes of being asked to a call back.

“The idea of a callback is to see the chemistry between the different actors,” explained director Janine Christyl.

Deep into the night, after a four-hour long callback session, the cast was cut down to less than a dozen performers. Many of the competing actors were gathered together in the theater when Christyl finally gave the announcement.

Stage Manager Katie Simonsen, a sophomore, has supervised shows all over Fresno. Her adaptation of Small World took first place in the 2007 High School Drama Festival.

“Janine is a great and fluid director; she’s always up for anything and anyone’s ideas. She’s a bit stressed right now because of the nature of the callbacks,” Simonsen explains.

“This is hard to do,” Christyl consoled to the crowd of hopefuls, “Because many of you are right for the parts.”

As each success is named, another failure is implied; in this performance there is no part splitting and understudies are not optioned.

On August 24 the cast had its first rehearsal. They gathered together and did a read-through in order to break the ice. Christyl had the cast watch tapes on Victorian England to familiarize them with the upper class vernacular, accents and body language.

The following Wednesday the cast gathered together to have their first proper rehearsal.

Script in hand, they run through scenes trying to pin down their blocking. Because it is a play, the dialogue cannot be changed but the interpretation is up for grabs.

With an October 10 opening, the cast and crew are on a tight schedule.