First Provo ‘American Idol’ auditions draw hundreds downtown
Contestants cheer as they stand in line while the "American Idol" cameras are in front of them during the "American Idol" open auditions outside the Historic Utah County Courthouse in Provo on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. Hundreds showed up to have their voices heard by the judges and see if they could make it onto the show. Sammy Jo Hester, Daily Herald
Christopher Oram reacts after getting the golden ticket during the "American Idol" open auditions outside the Historic Utah County Courthouse in Provo on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. Hundreds showed up to have their voices heard by the judges and see if they could make it onto the show. Sammy Jo Hester, Daily Herald
Contestants audition during the “American Idol” open auditions outside the Historic Utah County Courthouse in Provo on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. Hundreds showed up to have their voices heard by the judges and see if they could make it onto the show. Sammy Jo Hester, Daily Herald
Rachel and Taylor Elliott (both right) await for Taylor’s turn to sing during the “American Idol” open auditions outside the Historic Utah County Courthouse in Provo on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. Hundreds showed up to have their voices heard by the judges and see if they could make it onto the show. Sammy Jo Hester, Daily Herald
Nyx Lorry poses for photo during the “American Idol” open auditions outside the Historic Utah County Courthouse in Provo on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. Hundreds showed up to have their voices heard by the judges and see if they could make it onto the show. Sammy Jo Hester, Daily Herald
It wasn’t yet 6 a.m., and aspiring singers were already lined up in front of the Historic Utah County Courthouse on Wednesday. By 9 a.m., the line was well into the hundreds. The occasion? Auditions for “American Idol.”
The hit show, which ran for 15 seasons on Fox, is being rebooted this year at ABC. Wednesday was the first time “American Idol” has hosted open auditions in Utah County. No, Ryan Seacrest and company weren’t all on hand — instead, it was various camera people and casting producers — but it was lively nonetheless in downtown Provo, as singers from across the state gathered to show their stuff. Numerous other residents were on the scene, simply to watch the contestants or take a break from their jobs downtown.
“I mean, it’s pretty comical, but also it’s pretty impressive that people are willing to put themselves out there,” said onlooker Adrienne Ventura, who works across the street from the courthouse. “My co-workers were like, ‘We’ll give you 50 dollars if you go do it.'”
Was she tempted to take them up on it?
“Yeah, a little bit. Because it’s just a fun experience to get yourself out there, and get out of your comfort zone — but also, the line is super long.”
That line eventually dwindled, with the last contestants auditioning around 4 p.m.
“We’re admiring the courage, because singing out here, with all the background noise, with traffic going by, it takes a lot of bravery,” said Provo resident Cindy Wood, who works down the street from the courthouse. “There’s a lot of amazing talent here, though. I think it’s going to be a hard choice for these judges.”
By early afternoon, only a handful of contestants earned the coveted golden ticket — a pass to the next round, where they’ll audition in front of the “American Idol” judges. (To date, only Katy Perry has been announced as an official judge for next season.) Wood and her co-worker, Jill Larsen, admired the talents of 19-year-old twin brothers Christopher and Coby Oram, who had just received golden tickets after singing a duet of Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down.”
“But these guys are adorable, and I think they’re going somewhere,” Wood said. “Even if it’s not this run, it’s something.”
Having driven up from St. George the previous night, the Oram brothers were, understandably, pretty excited. They had been in line since 6 a.m.
“We wanted to not be having to wait, so we showed up early,” Christopher Oram said. “And then we waited — 4 hours, 3 hours? How long has it been now?”
Christopher and Coby Orams’ charm and seeming ease was noticeable. Regardless, pre-audition jitters still crept up on them.
“You know that feeling when you care about something, and you want to do well with it, and your insides start to disagree with you?” Christopher Oram said. “And you just kind of go, ‘No, I need you right now!’ But you’ve just got to kind of channel it, you know, rather than let it shake you up a bit. You put it into your performance, and that’s what we tried to do — and I think it helped.”
“I’ve never known my stomach to be able to do a backflip before,” Coby Oram added. “But now, apparently, that’s a thing. Because that happened.”
Nancy Yearing, one of the casting producers on hand Wednesday, has been with the show since Season 7. She, along, with three other casting producers, made their picks as the morning continued on. Auditions had been going for a few hours before Yearing gave her first golden ticket of the day.
“And the hard thing is that there are a lot of really good singers,” Yearing explained. “But it’s that differentiation between being good or being great. And for this platform, our bar is at that great expectation level.”
Waiting in line for hours with fellow contestants, and finally putting oneself out there in front of a stranger, isn’t easy. Yearing said she and the other casting producers try to handle each audition with as much kindness and love as possible.
“The last thing I would ever want is for someone to walk away feeling like they blew their shot or something,” she said.
“I think I’ve learned that talent really comes from anywhere,” Yearing continued. “And it’s the unexpected stuff that keeps me coming back time after time. I’ve learned a lot about artists, and the qualities that make somebody that bulletproof artist that’s able to become that iconic figure, that next American Idol.”
Check back Sunday for a longer feature on some of this season’s local contestants.