UPCOMING AUDITIONS

David Auburn's Proof - January 6th and 7th in the Starbright Room

Cast requirements:
1 Male in his 50's 1 Male late 20's and 2 females mid to late 20's

On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, Catherine, a troubled young woman, has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathematician. Now, following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions; the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire; and the attentions of Hal, a former student of her father's who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that her father left behind. Over the long weekend that follows, a burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all: How much of her father's madness - or genius - will she inherit?

Jason Robert Brown's Songs For A New World - January 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st in the Starbright Room.

Cast requirements:
2 Males and 2 females

Brown transports his audience from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge 57 stories above Fifth Avenue to meet a startling array of characters ranging from a young man who has determined that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich nabs her the man of her dreams and a soulless marriage. These are the stories and characters of today, the songs for a new world.

Audition Guide

What the directors are looking for:

The directors are looking for the best fit between actors and roles. They don't simply put the best actor in the biggest role. Instead, they're hoping to find people who "have it in them" to play the role the way the director wants it played.

Another criterion is how the actor takes direction; this is a chemistry thing between the actor and the director. The actor can make some improvement in this area, though, by being respectful, listening carefully, and making an effort to follow the direction given by the director. Feel free to ask questions if you don't understand. The last thing you want to do is get attached to a way to read something, and fail to change when the director gives you direction.

The directors are looking for what you do right, rather than what you do wrong. Mistakes are expected, so don't focus on them. Instead, focus on showing off what you're capable of. The directors want you to do well and they're on your side.

Before you enter the room.

Check your attitude and ego at the door. This is community theater, and directors aren't going to want to spend a month or two with someone who's arrogant, obnoxious, egotistical, or argumentative, regardless of how well they act or sing.

Generally someone will give you an audition form. At some point they'll want to take your picture. Be illustrative rather than exhaustive in discussing your experience and relevant skills. We don't need to know exactly which twelve musicals you sang in the chorus for, but knowing that you've been in the chorus for that number of shows is helpful. If you played principal roles, mention the show, the role, and try to give a sense of the scale of the production (workshop, community, semi-pro, high-school, etc). Skills (juggling, sword-play), dance, and vocal experience are also useful to put down. Again, give a sense of your experience, rather than cataloging everything explicitly.

Come prepared to write down your schedule conflicts during the production period. If in doubt, put it down.

Be honest and clear. Misunderstandings can cause trouble later, and blatant lying can get you fired from a show.

Show up warmed up if at all possible. The warmer you are, the better you'll sound.

Your prepared song

Try for something which suits your range and personality. Avoid songs with lots of non-singing bits, or figure out a way to skip over them. If in doubt, pick something which is less challenging but that you can sing well.

Interpretation is good - it shows you know what the words mean, but don't go overboard. If you need to read the lyrics off of the sheet music, that's OK, though you'll be more free to move if your hands aren't occupied.

You probably won't get to sing the full song. If there's a particular passage you want the directors to hear, arrange to get to that part soon.

The director is looking more at the whole package. Does your voice and body language suit the song you're singing. Are you entertaining to watch/listen to.

Try not to be nervous (yeah, easier said than done). No one expects perfection from you. Just do your best. If things go poorly, keep going. Don't keep restarting. Don't apologize for messing up. Don't tell us how badly you think you did.

For the most part, the pianist will try to follow you. If the music is going too slow or too fast, just adjust to the speed you're comfortable with. Make sure that the music you give the pianist has the melody and words marked on it, so they'll be able to follow or cue you if necessary.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, listen to the accompaniment before walking into the rehearsal room. Play it through yourself, or get a friend to play it out for you. Make sure it's in a key you can actually sing. There's nothing more nerve-wracking than practicing against a CD recording for hours, and then walking into an audition room only to find out that the accompaniment is written too high, or doesn't have that string section you were expecting to hear.

Readings

Read through the reading so you are familiar with the words. You don't need to memorize the passage, but you want to avoid tripping over the words. Make a choice as to how you're going to read it - what that choice is is less important than that you make a choice.

Don't make assumptions about what role you're being considered for based on the director's choice of reading.

Listen carefully to the direction the director gives you. Try to implement it. If you're not sure about something, ask.

what the director is looking for

Can you play the role the way the director has asked you to read it. Can he or she "hear" you as the character.

How well do you "take direction". Do you respond and change, or do you just do the same thing you did the first time.

Your chemistry with the person you're reading with. How well you play off of another actor. How well you listen. Are you plausible in the role you're reading (or in the role the director is considering you for, which may not actually be the role you're reading).

Audition Questions

The director may ask you a series of questions. They may be vague or specific. They may be to gauge your general comfort level with things that may come up in the production, or they may be very specific for certain roles. If in doubt, ask.

Examples:

Are you willing to alter your physical appearance (change hair color, grow a beard, etc) for the show?
Are you willing to use profanity on stage?
Would you be uncomfortable in a love scene?

Honesty is essential here. Nothing good can come of saying you're OK with something that you're not OK with.

Notification

Playhouse 19 policy requires all auditionees to be contacted within one week of auditions unless otherwise noted. That contact might be an offer of a role, notification that we are unable to offer you a role, or notification that we need more time to get back to you. Initial contact is usually attempted by telephone, so if email works much better for you, you should say so explicitly on your audition form.

For further information on auditions please contact the box office at 352-563-1333.