Fall 2017 Audition Packet 6-12 th grade

Transcription

1 Fall 2017 Audition Packet 6-12 th grade Welcome to Wolf Performing Arts Center s fall 2017 season! This fall, we will bring 2 timeless stories to life on stage and will give voice to new stories created by young theatre makers. Actors/Writers interested in participating in our fall productions must read this packet thoroughly to learn about the auditions, submissions, rehearsals and performances for each production. Wolf PAC actors and writers may have the opportunity to work on more than one show this fall. In this packet you will find: Information about rehearsals and performances for The Phantom Tollbooth and The Miracle Worker Information about writing sessions and the application for The Butterfly Project: The Cocoon Audition selections Forms to be filled out and turned in during your audition Preliminary Auditions Sunday, Sept. 10 th from 1-3pm and Monday, Sept. 11 th from 6:30-8pm You can sign up for your audition time slot through our website ( All actors will audition for the directors of The Phantom Tollbooth and The Miracle Worker at the same time. Callbacks Following the preliminary auditions, each director will call back actors to audition for specific roles in each play. Callbacks will be held on Wednesday, September 13 th from 5 to 9pm and Thursday, September 14 th from 6 to 9pm if needed. Those who are needed for callbacks will be notified via by Tuesday, September 12 th. Those who do not receive a callback may still be cast. Casting Cast lists will be sent out via by Monday, September 18 th. Casting at Wolf PAC is based on three main criteria: talent, behavior and availability. Once the production staff has had the chance to assess the criteria for every actor who auditions, we will assign roles based on what is the best fit for the actor and the overall production. Please remember You may be in a performance and also take a fall class. If you have already signed up for fall classes at Wolf PAC and you are cast in a show, you have the option to credit your class tuition toward the performance tuition if the class conflicts with the performance. If you are not cast in this show and would like to sign up for a fall class, you may do so by completing the registration form on our website. This is a great way to improve your acting skills! Actor Responsibilities Wolf PAC promises a positive, professional theatre experience which can only be accomplished with your positive and professional participation. It is important to attend every scheduled rehearsal. Although at first every performer may not be needed for each rehearsal, the amount of rehearsal time will increase as we get closer to performance dates. Not everyone who auditions will be cast in a show. Earning a role is a privilege and you are expected to uphold your responsibilities as an actor. Please list all conflicts on the pages provided. Knowing your conflicts ahead of time allows us to create a productive rehearsal schedule, so please be as thorough as possible. Conflicts revealed AFTER casting may result in a change or loss of part Each director may assign other actor responsibilities (memorization deadlines, what to bring to rehearsal, general rules). Those responsibilities will be explained at your first rehearsal.

2 By Susan Nanus, based on the book by Norton Juster Directed by Tim Popp For Grades 6-12 Rehearsals: Mondays & Wednesdays from 6:15-8:30pm (Some Saturdays), September 18-November 20, Wolf Performing Arts Center MANDATORY Technical Rehearsals, November 26 December 7, Rotwitt Theater, Rosemont College Performances: Rotwitt Theater, Rosemont College CAST A: Friday, December 7pm & Saturday, December 2pm CAST B: Saturday, December 7pm & Sunday, December 3pm Tuition: Non- Member Price: $465 Member Price: $445 Payment plans are available. Scholarship is available. Scholarship applications are due before your child auditions. To learn more, please visit About the process: The Phantom Tollbooth will have two casts. Both casts will rehearse together on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Each cast will get specific information regarding rehearsals and performances at Rotwitt Theater after casting. You may be cast in The Phantom Tollbooth and be selected as a writer for The Butterfly Project: The Cocoon. Skills Developed: Ensemble Building Creating a professional quality production Script analysis Playing multiple characters Advanced Acting Techniques (creative movement, devising, object work) Synopsis Milo is a child who is bored of everything. When he finds a mysterious gift, a small tollbooth and a map of the Lands Beyond, Milo sets off on a wild journey. He learns of the argument between King Azaz and his brother, the Mathemagician that has caused unrest in the land. Their disagreement over words and numbers had led to the banishment of Princesses Sweet Rhyme and Pure Reason. Milo is dispatched to rescue the Princesses from the Land of Ignorance. The knowledge and skills he picks up on his journey help him save the princesses. Characters NOTE: There will be 16 actors in the cast. Many actors will play multiple characters. Milo: A young child who finds everything to be horribly boring Tock: A watch dog, literally part clock The Humbug: An insect who only lives to flatter others and mostly himself The Whether Man: The caretaker of Expectations. He is so busy thinking about what could be and why that he never seems to go anywhere or get anything done. King Azaz: The ruler over the realm of letters and words The Mathemagician: Azaz s brother, lives in the realm of numbers Princess Sweet Rhyme: Adopted sister of Azaz and the Mathemagician; helps to settle all conflicts with her rhymes Princess Pure Reason: Another sister of Azaz and the Mathemagician; helps to settle all conflicts with her reason Spelling Bee: A self-taught master of spelling who loves to show off his skills S-K-I-L-L-S! Kafakfonous A. Dischord, Doctor of Dissonance: A quack doctor who only prescribes horrible noises The Awful Dynne: The Doctor s assistant The Dodecahedron: A creature with 12 different faces, each a different emotion The Everpresent Wordsnatcher: A demon bird who turns words around to show off his cleverness The Terrible Trivium: A demon who convinces travelers to do trivial tasks The Demon of Insincerity: A demon who tries to scare travelers off with half-truths The Senses Taker: Robs people of their senses by bombarding them with detailed questions And many many many more

3 By William Gibson Directed by Betsy Wolf Regn For Grades 6-12 Rehearsals: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:15-8:30pm, Saturdays as needed; Wolf Performing Arts Center September 19 January 4 Technical Rehearsals, Black Box Theater, Wolf PAC: January 7-17 Performances: January 18 7pm, January 7pm, January 2pm and 7pm, January 2pm Wolf Performing Arts Center, Black Box Theater Tuition: Non- Member Price: $465 Member Price: $445 Payment plans are available. Scholarship is available. Scholarship applications are due before your child auditions. To learn more, please visit Skills Developed: Ensemble Building Creating a professional quality production Script analysis Character development Advanced Acting Techniques Dialect work Experiencing American Sign Language There will be opportunities to learn more about the blind and deaf community throughout this process. At the discretion of the directors, writers of The Butterfly Project may also be cast in The Miracle Worker. Synopsis This classic piece tells the story of blind, deaf and mute Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, in the 1880s in Tuscumbia, Alabama. As we follow the two through Helen s struggle through the darkness, a clear message of hope, survival, persistence and love rings true. While Helen s family cannot find a way to reach the stubborn, brilliant mind locked behind the silence and loneliness, Annie shows them all that there is someone in there who is trapped, waiting to be freed. This very physical, very emotional piece is testimony to the human spirit and the power of connection. We highly recommend reading the play before you audition to give you the full scope of the story. The script is available to read upon request! Characters All characters will be portrayed by performers in grades There will be 14 roles cast in this production. Helen Keller- female, 6 ½ years old; blind, deaf and mute; unkempt, stubborn, brilliant and living in a world of darkness and solitude Annie Sullivan female, 20 years old; Irish descent; Helen s teacher; strong-willed, bright and persistent Kate Keller- female, early 20s; Helen s mother; loving, kind and completely lost in reaching her daughter Captain Keller- male, early 40s; Helen s father; patriarch of the house, stubborn and protective James Keller- male, late teens; Helen s half-brother; sarcastic, challenges authority Aunt Ev- female, elderly OR teen TBD; old-fashioned but wise with many opinions Viney female, young 20s, Housekeeper; kind and reasonable; part of the Keller family Jimmie- male, 8-10 years old; Annie s brother who appears in her memories Percy male OR female; 8-10 years old; Viney s son/daughter; lively and fun; a playmate to Helen Martha female; 8-10 years old; Viney s son/daughter; lively and fun; a playmate to Helen Doctor/Anagnos- male or female; called upon to check on Helen; Annie s teacher Blind girls- female; a group of young girls ages 6-16 who are Annie s students before she leaves to teach Helen Crones- female; a group of ladies from Annie s past who appear in her memories

4 Writing Sessions: Thursdays from 5:30-8:30pm Open Showcase: Saturday, January 7pm The Cocoon Under the leadership of Janine Merolla For grades 6-12 Tuition: Member: $400 Non-Member: $420 Payment plans are available. Scholarship is available. Scholarship applications are due before your child auditions. To learn more, please visit About the process: The Butterfly Project is Wolf Performing Arts Center s touring community outreach endeavor that brings social justice theater to venues across the Greater Philadelphia Area. During our season, Wolf PAC presented The Time We Give Each Other, an original play written by students from Philadelphia Young Playwrights and Wolf Performing Arts Center, that examined social media and how we process trauma. During the next phase, The Cocoon, interested young writers will meet weekly and develop their playwriting skills. Under the guidance of a teaching artist, they will investigate current events and explore social justice issues translating their points of view into dramatic texts. They will experiment with monologues, poetry, short scenes and other creative mediums in a safe environment. At the end of the experience, writers will have the opportunity to present their work at an open showcase. Performing is not a requirement of participation. Writers of The Butterfly Project may also be cast in The Phantom Tollbooth and The Miracle Worker at the discretion of the directors. Skills Developed: Playwriting Peer Review/Editing Understanding and analyzing current events and social justice issues Social Justice Advocacy Ensemble driven devising To Apply: STEP 1) Please fill out the following form: STEP 2) All interested writers must submit 2 writing samples. 1) Any piece of your own creative writing (short story, poetry, scenes/plays, etc.). 2) Read the following article: In 500 words or less, write a monologue from the perspective of one person mentioned in the article. Things to consider when writing the monologue: i. To whom is the character speaking? (A friend, an enemy, a colleague, crowd of people, etc.) ii. What is their objective? What is at stake? iii. What is their point of view or feeling about the topic? iv. What is the setting? (Their living room, their office, a lecture hall, etc.) Please complete for your form and submit your completed writing samples to Janine Merolla via janine@wolfperformingartscenter.org by Monday, September 11.

5 Audition Material For your auditions for The Phantom Tollbooth and The Miracle Worker, choose and prepare one of the selections from the options below. There are selections from both of our fall productions. Remember, you will audition for all directors at the same time. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MEMORIZE YOUR MONOLOGUE. You may be asked to read an additional monologue at your preliminary audition, so please make sure you have read all of the options at least once. HINT: When choosing a monologue, pick the one that most excites you and shows off the best of your acting ability! From The Phantom Tollbooth: THE WHETHER MAN: NOTE: (Any gender) This character is the first person Milo meets as he enters the Land of Wisdom. The Whether Man tends to get lost in his own thoughts, following the words far far away from the point of the conversation. My, my, my, my, my, my, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to the Land of Expectations, Expectations, Expectations! We don t get many travelers these days. Now what I can I do for you? I m the Whether Man. Oh, no, I m the Whether man, not the weather man. After all, it s more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be. Now what else can I do for you? Whether or not you find your own way, you re bound to find some way. If you happen to find my way, please return it. I lost it years ago. I imagine by now it must be quite rusty. You did say it was going to rain, didn t you? Dr. DISCHORD: NOTE: (Any gender) Dr. Dischord is a strange doctor who only prescribes horrible sounds to his patients. Milo stumbles across him and his assistant, Dynne, and asks for his help finding the Princesses, Rhyme and Reason, who he is supposed to rescue. Rhyme and Reason? I remember them. Very nice girls, but a little too quiet for my taste. In fact, I ve been meaning to send them something that Dynne brought home by mistake and which I have absolutely no use for: the sounds of laughter. They re so unpleasant to hear, it s almost unbearable. All those giggles and snickers and happy shouts of joy, I don t know what Dynne was thinking of when he collected them. Take them to the Princesses or keep them for yourselves, I don t care! MILO: NOTE: (Any gender) Milo s journey has come to an end, a happy one at that! He realizes he must return home only to share with our audience what he has learned along the way. I m afraid it s time I go now. Well, goodbye. We all spent so much time together, I know I m going to miss you. I guess I would have reached you a lot sooner, Princesses, if I hadn t made so many mistakes. There s so much to learn. But it s not just learning that s important. It s learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn that matters. Good bye! I ll be back some day! I will! Anyway, I ll try. (Realizes he is home) I must have been gone for an awful long time. I wonder what time it is. (Looks at clock) Five o clock. I wonder what day it is. (Looks at calendar) It s still today! I ve only been gone for an hour?! How long it really lasts depends on what you do with it. For some people, an hour seems to last forever. For others, just a moment, and so full of things to do. From The Miracle Worker ANNIE: NOTE: (female) Annie stands up to the Kellers who allow Helen to misbehave at meal time. I know an ordinary tantrum well enough, when I see one, and a badly spoiled child--pity? For this tyrant? The whole house turns on her whims, is there anything she wants she doesn t get? I ll tell you what I pity, that the sun won t rise and set for her all her life, and every day you re telling her it will. What good will your pity do her when you re under the strawberries, Captain Keller? It does you good, that s all. It s less trouble to feel sorry for her than to teach her anything better, isn t it? More monologues on the next page

6 KATE: NOTE: (female): Helen has just overturned the cradle in which her baby sister sleeps. Kate, her mother, is beside herself and feeling out of options. Helen! Helen, you re not to do such things, how can I make you understand How can I get it into your head, my darling, my poor (Captain Keller interrupts suggesting discipline is the answer). How can you discipline an afflicted child? Is it her fault? Then whose? I don t know what to do! How can I teach her? Beat her until she s black and blue? You would confine her, in a cage? She s a growing child, she has to use her limbs! Are you willing to put her away? She wants to talk like be like you and me. Every day she slips farther away. And I don t know how to call her back. CAPTAIN KELLER: NOTE: (male): Captain Keller, Helen s father, is enraged with Annie s behavior as she tries to teach Helen. He shares his feeling with his wife. Katie, I will not have it! Now you did not see when that girl after supper tonight went to look for Helen in her room The child practically climbed out of her window to escape from her! What kind of teacher is she? I thought I had seen her at her worst this morning, shouting at me, but I come home to find the entire house disorganized by her Helen won t stay one second in the same room, won t come to the table with her, won t let herself be bathed or undressed or put to bed by her, or even by Viney now, and the end result is that you have to do more for the child than before we hired this girl s services! NOTE: Auditions for Helen, a non-speaking role, will occur during callbacks based on initial audition readings Want to feel extra prepared? Take The Art of Auditioning Workshop at Wolf PAC Friday, September 8 th from 4:30-6pm Register online!

7 PLEASE PRINT THIS AUDITION FORM BRING THE COMPLETED FORM TO YOUR AUDITION Please print information clearly You may not audition without a completed form Name: Age: School Grade: Home Address Parent s Name: Parent Phone: Student Phone: Parent s Students This fall, all actors have the opportunity to be cast in more than one show. Please answer the following questions honestly to help us place you in the cast best fit for you and your schedule. I am auditioning for the part(s) of I will accept any role that I am offered YES NO Please check off all productions for which you are available. The Phantom Tollbooth (Mon & Wed 6:15-8:30m) Check Here The Miracle Worker (Tues & Thurs 6:15-8:30pm) Check Here I am also applying to be a writer in The Butterfly Project: The Cocoon YES NO I am available to be BOTH a writer and cast in a fall production YES NO Please provide any information about your availability here: I have entered all conflicts for ALL productions (NEXT PAGE) that may interfere with rehearsals and performances. (Initial Here) I have read and understand the Actor Responsibilities on the first page. (Initial Here) Student Signature PLEASE LIST ALL CONFLICTS OR OTHER TIME COMMITMENTS YOU HAVE DURING REHEARSALS AND/OR PERFORMANCES ON THE CALENDAR ON THE NEXT PAGE. Please check your school, personal, and family calendars before you audition for this show. Include school concerts, family vacations, after school activities that go beyond 6pm or conflict with any of the dates on the list.

8 The Phantom Tollbooth Rehearsal Conflicts September - 6:15-8:30pm NO REHEARSAL October- 6:15-8:30pm SATURDAY 10/14 11am 1pm November 6:15-8:30pm MANDATORY Tech Rehearsals at Rotwitt Theater++ Sun, Nov 26: 1:30-7:30pm Mon, Nov 27: 6-9pm Tues, Nov 28: 6-9pm Wed, Nov 29: 6-9pm Thurs, Nov 30: 6-9pm Sun, Dec 3: 1-4pm OR 4-8pm (DRESS REHEARSALS) Mon, Dec 4: 6-9pm Tues, Dec 5: 6-9pm Wed, Dec 6: 5-9pm (DRESS REHEARSAL: CAST A) Thurs, Dec 7: 5-9pm (DRESS REHEARSAL: CAST B) CAST A PERFORMANCES* Fri, Dec 8: 7pm show; 5pm call time Sat, Dec 9: 2pm show; 12pm call time CAST B PERFORMANCES* Sat, Dec 9: 7pm show; 5pm call time Sun, Dec 10: 3pm show; 1pm call time ++ You will not be called to every tech rehearsal. These rehearsals will be divided up between each cast. The tech schedule will be included in the casting . SATURDAY 11/4 11am 1pm

9 The Miracle Worker Rehearsal Conflicts September - 6:15-8:30pm NO REHEARSAL October- 6:15-8:30pm November 6:15-8:30pm December 6:15-8:30pm December 21 December 31 WINTER BREAK January 6:15-8:30pm 2 4 Tech Rehearsals at Wolf PAC++ Maximum 1 Conflict Permitted Sun, Jan 7: 1-5pm Tues, Jan 9: 6-9pm Thurs, Jan 11: 6-9pm Sat, Jan 13: 1-5pm (DRESS REHEARSAL) Mon, Jan 15: 6-9pm Tues, Jan 16: 6-9pm Wed, Jan pm PERFORMANCES* Thurs, Jan 18: 7pm show; 5pm call time Fri, Jan 19: 7pm show; 5pm call time Sat, Jan 20: 2pm show; 12pm call time Sat, Jan 20: 7pm show; 5pm call time Sun, Jan 21: 3pm show; 1pm call time NO REHEARSAL 28 30

10 The Butterfly Project: The Cocoon Session Conflicts September 5:30-8:30pm 28 October- 5:30-8:30pm November 5:30-8:30pm NO SESSION. 30 NO SESSION December 5:30-8:30pm 7 14 December 21 December 31 WINTER BREAK January 5:30-8:30pm 4 11 SHOWCASE DRESS REHEARSAL Fri, Jan 12 5:30-8pm SHOWCASE Sat, Jan 13: 7pm