Audition Notice Hair

Transcription

1 Audition Notice Hair If you would like to be involved in any capacity - ensemble lead role or backstage/crew - please register your interest as soon as possible by ing hair@geoidsmt.co.uk Geoids Musical Theatre is delighted to announce the auditions for our upcoming musical Hair. PLEASE NOTE: The first thing many people think of when Hair is mentioned is the famous moment of nudity. We want to be clear that absolutely nobody has to get naked at any point during this show! It will be entirely up to cast members, so please don t worry about this and if you have any questions don t hesitate to ask us. About the show Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out : the hippie ideology of the late 60s. They were creating a new world order based on love, peace and harmony. The scene is 1969 in a large warehouse in San Francisco, where a group of like-minded teenagers and adults have chosen to live in a commune led by the charismatic Berger. As they act out their lives, we glimpse their beliefs and vision for a better world. At a time when thousands of young men are going to fight in Vietnam, they refuse, daring for the first time to challenge authority and to ask why. A young man called Claude, Berger s best friend, is set on going to fight for his country. When the tribe cannot convince him to burn his draft card and stay, he leaves to become property of the US Army. But Claude begins to have doubts himself when he s out in Vietnam and he writes to the tribe about how easy it is to kill and how he finds himself sitting back and asking yourself why what s this gonna prove. Years later, we meet the tribe again at the Vietnam war memorial, a long black slab of granite onto which are inscribed the names of the soldiers who died in the war - including Claude s. This show is very flexible and has been performed in many different ways. We aim to develop a unique piece of theatre that is created by the cast rather than the other way around. Casting We re looking for a large, multi-talented ensemble with the different skill sets we need to bring this fun and energetic musical to life. There are plenty of opportunities for everyone to shine the whole cast will be on stage for the whole show! Performances Tuesday 24th April Saturday 30th April 7.30pm each night plus a 2.30pm Saturday matinee Auditions There will three first round audition slots, all at the Men s Club, St Gabriel s Halls, Pimlico.

2 1. Friday 29th January 7pm 10pm 2. Saturday 30th January 10am 1pm (with a 9am call for more advanced dancers see below for definition) 3. Saturday 30th January 2pm 5pm Please hair@geoidsmt.co.uk to request an audition slot. To ensure we are able to best allocate the attention of the audition panel, please let us know your preferred audition slot. St Gabriel s Halls are on Glasgow Terrace just off Lupus Street, SW1V 3AA. (They are not next to St Gabriel s Church.) The nearest Underground station is Pimlico. If you are unable to make these audition dates, please let us know. We cannot guarantee to be able to make other arrangements, but it might be possible to hold a supplementary audition if there is demand. As this would likely take place after the recall audition, those attending any supplementary audition would only be able to be considered for ensemble parts. The first round auditions will involve learning a dance piece, a singing audition, and performing a small piece of text. Dance For the dance component of the audition you will get warm! We encourage you to dress accordingly and in a manner to allow you to move freely. You don t need to bring dance shoes with you as you will be dancing in bare feet. The dancing will be modern/jazz based, but don t worry if you are new to dancing, there is plenty of time to learn. Julia will teach a fun beginner/intermediate level routine at all auditions and will offer a more advanced routine on Saturday 30th January with an early call time for advanced dancers at 9am. For the avoidance of doubt, a more advanced dancer in this context is someone who has attended jazz/ballet or contemporary dance lessons and has gained at least grade 3 or above in ISTD or equivalent. You will have mastered a full range of standard steps such as pirouettes, développé kicks and will have come across floor work. If you have any queries at all then please send an and don t worry! By the end of rehearsals everyone cast in this show will be doing all sorts of dancing! Singing The vocal audition will involve singing a small section of a song from the show: Good Morning Starshine for the girls and Hair for the boys. We will learn it together at the audition and then sing individually. You do not need to learn or prepare anything in advance, although you may request an electronic copy of the sheet music in advance. Please do this when booking your audition slot. Acting There a few lines of text you will learn in a group and perform to everyone. The text is very simple and is designed to showcase your character interpretation. It is a short passage where

3 four people from the tribe act being straight-laced parents. The audition panel will perform it first so you can understand what we are looking for. The auditions have been designed to give everyone a number of opportunities to showcase their strengths and all levels of experience are welcome. We re looking for a wide range of characters as well as a large, multi-skilled ensemble. The initial audition is designed to be in a collaborative format in order to minimise the stress of the process. We re interested in what you can do, not what you can't! This show is all about the Tribe so we will aim to make the audition as inclusive and as fun as possible. Recalls Recalls will be held at the Boys Club, St Gabriel s Hall on Sunday 31th January from 10am to 4pm and will focus on principal characters. Recalls will involve different amount of singing, dancing and script reading depending on the character you are being recalled for. Rehearsals Rehearsals will be held on Friday evenings in Pimlico from 6:30pm to 10pm, with one additional mid-week rehearsal on an ad hoc basis with lead characters to be arranged upon casting of the show. There will also be a number of weekend rehearsals. Timings are yet to be finalised but the dates of these rehearsals are: Sunday 21st February Sunday 6th March Sunday 13th March Sunday 20th March Sunday 3rd April Sunday 10th April Sunday 17 th April Saturday 23 rd and Sunday 24 th April You will be required to notify us of any unavailability for Friday and weekend rehearsals on your audition form. Availability for rehearsals is a key factor that will be considered by the audition panel. Unfortunately, too many absences may mean you are unable to be in the show. While we understand that people s busy lives may result in unavailability developing after we start work on the show, you must promptly notify the production team of any changes in your availability. In the event of significant changes from the availability provided on your audition form, your participation in the show may be revisited. You may be unable to take part in specific songs or routines if key rehearsals are missed. Fees We have a suggested audition donation of 5 for non-members, which goes towards costs of hire for the audition venues. Anyone can audition but if you re cast, you will need to be a member of Geoids. There is a 15 annual membership fee. Show fees for this production will be 85 and these are used to pay for the rehearsal spaces we will use, costumes, etc.

4 Further required availability Aside from the rehearsals above, all cast will be required at the Bridewell Theatre on: Sunday 24th April Get in and technical rehearsal (from morning until late) Monday 25th April Dress rehearsal, call time 6:30pm Tuesday 26th April to Saturday 30th April performances 7:30pm with 2:30pm Saturday matinee Principal characters Berger Leader of the Tribe and a social activist. He is charismatic, outgoing and a bit crazy Tenor Claude A good, handsome, playful young man who feels joining the army and fighting in the war is the right thing to do. Berger's best friend Tenor Sheila An intelligent NYU student. She loves Berger unconditionally and is the heart of the tribe Mezzo Soprano Jeanne Wise, sweet and creative. She is a follower and believes in the Tribe. She is the most outspoken of the girls against the war Alto Chrissy A flower child missing her former lover. She welcomes Claude to the tribe with open arms Mezzo Soprano Dionne A sassy African-American girl Mezzo Soprano Hud Energetic and the spiritual leader of the Tribe Baritone Woof A rebel who got kicked out by his parents for being a homersexual. He is sensitive but always up for some fun Baritone Kirk The newest member of the tribe. He doesn t believe in the war so leaves home to fight for peace either Baritone or Tenor Amanda, Mel and Glenda Female Tribe members. They sing I believe in Love and have other solo pieces Penny, Sandra and Shirley Female Tribe members. Solo dancers. Chris, Mark and OJ Male Tribe members. Singing and acting solos. Woman This is a male Tribe member who dresses up in drag and pretends to be a posh middle class woman. This is a wonderful acting part with a solo song Tenor Other solo duets and quartets include What a Piece of Work is Man, White Boys + Black Boys and Electric Blue. The characters will have general American accents. We are looking for a strong, diverse ensemble who will all have either solo dances, solo songs or solo acting pieces.

5 Creative team Julia Kleinsteuber-Walker Co-Director and Choreographer At uni: Resident Choreographer for UCL Dance Society for two years running. Directed and choreographed Jesus Christ Superstar, Blues Brothers, Chicago and two dance shows, all at the Bloomsbury Theatre. Choreographed the ballet in West Side Story. In Bristol with BMYP: Directed and Choreographed Rent, Hair and Fame. Assistant choreographer on West Side Story, Pippin, 42 nd Street and Starmites. Edward Steward Co-Director and Musical Director Ed has both acted in and been MD for numerous shows including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line and South Pacific. He also runs a choir, plays piano accompaniment and occasionally teaches. Will Howells is producing the show on behalf of the Geoids committee, supported by production assistant Hannah Parker Smith. For further information and to register your interest and preferred audition date, please hair@geoidsmt.co.uk. You can also find us online: Website: Facebook: