Audition Packet Dance Tutorial February 17 th General Auditions February 23rd & 24th Callbacks.. February 26 th Performances.. May 5 7
Curtains Audition Schedule Wednesday, February 17 th 3:00-4:30 Dance Tutorial ALL students auditioning MUST meet in the auditorium at 3:00. Tuesday, February 23 rd 2:30-4:00 Dance Auditions Tuesday, February 23 rd 4:00-6:30 General Auditions Wednesday, February 24 th 3:00-7:00 General Auditions The CALL BACK list will be posted on line @ www.wvhsmusic.org & www.wvhs/fine arts/theatre on Wednesday night. Friday, February 26 th 2:30 -??? Call Backs PLEASE CAREFULLY READ ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION! Students are required to: 1. ) prepare appropriate audition materials as explained below. 2. ) bring the Acting Audition Form/Music Audition Form/Dance Audition Form with you to the audition completely filled out. 3. ) Fill out the Conflict sheet, indicating all of your commitments/ and or potential conflicts 4. ) notify the directing staff before February 17 th of any possible schedule conflicts relating to call backs. 5. ) Be available (and prepared) for the callback audition on Friday, February 24 th at 2:30 in the Auditorium. 6. ) Fill out the Role Acceptance portion on the Acting Audition Form. 7. ) Complete all three portions of the audition process. Additional Audition Information: The Dance Tutorial will take place on Wednesday, February 17 th from 3:00-4:30 in the Auditorium. Students will be taught a routine/combination by our choreographer. They will be evaluated on Tuesday. Some students may be asked back for a dance call back on the day of call backs. We suggest wearing jogging or sweatpants for the dance call in order to move freely and avoid injury. The Acting and Vocal Auditions will take place in the Auditorium/Choir Room/Orchestra Room on Tuesday, February 23rd (After the Dance Evaluation) or Wednesday, February 24th. (choose one). The Acting Audition will consist of a monologue of the student's choice, which should be between 00 : 30 1:00 minute in length. Do not let your monologue exceed 60 seconds. In addition to the monologue, each student may be asked to perform in a short improvisation. The Vocal Audition will consist of your performance of your best 32 measures of a solo selection of your choice. It must be accompanied on piano. You may not sing a number from the show. ** The Musical staff supports all involvement in extra curricular activities at WV. However, because of the individual commitment required for the show, it is crucial that you are thorough
when filling out the conflict section of your audition forms. This means include all activities, college visitations, family commitments, etc. Scenes and settings Time: 1959 Place: THE COLONIAL THEATRE, BOSTON SHOW SYNOPSIS Robbin' Hood of the Old West, a bad Western adaptation of the Robin Hood story is reaching its conclusion. The egregiously untalented leading lady, Jessica Cranshaw is a triple threat: she can't sing, act, or dance (or remember when to say her lines). To the relief of everyone, she is murdered during her opening night curtain call. The entire company comes under suspicion, and Lt. Frank Cioffi of the Boston Police Department is called in to solve the homicide. Believing that the perpetrator is still in the building, he sequesters it. The Suspects include the hard bitten lady producer, Carmen Bernstein; her husband, Sidney; the show's flamboyant director Christopher Belling; divorced songwriting team Aaron Fox and Georgia Hendricks; Stage Manager Johnny Harmon; choreographer/leading man Bobby Pepper, ingénue Niki Harris, and ambitious chorine Bambi Bernét. The company use its spare time to attempt to fix the show's problems. Niki, Ms. Cranshaw's understudy, is passed up for the leading role in favour of Georgia, who is encouraged to take the role despite the protests of Aaron, who has fallen in love with her again. Cioffi, a theatre fan and amateur actor, becomes more involved with saving the show than solving the case. Cioffi finds himself falling for Niki, and she seems to return his affection, so he hopes she's not the murderer. Meanwhile, secrets are surfacing, the production numbers in Robbin' Hood are rewritten, rehearsed and rewritten again, and the body count is rising. Can Cioffi solve the case, save the show, and get the girl before the curtain rises without getting offed himself? This is a musical, after all! CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS LIEUTENANT FRANK CIOFFI (40s): Local Boston detective who is also a musical theatre aficionado. Aside from being exceptionally good at his job, he has also aspired to be a musical theatre performer his entire life. He falls in love with Niki. NIKI HARRIS (20s early 30s) Pretty, naïve, ingénue. Niki is a chorus girl/understudy in the chorus of the show within the show during its Boston tryout. She aspires to make it as a performer on Broadway. She meets and falls in love with Dt. Frank Cioffi who is investigating a murder at the theatre. Actress must have legit Soprano and good comic timing. GEORGIA HENDRICKS (30s) Female half of our songwriting team. Ends up taking on the leading lady role. Must sing and dance well. CARMEN BERNSTEIN (45 65) Brassy Broadway producer. Terrific comedic actress who sings well. AARON FOX (40s) The composer of the show within the show. His songwriting partner, Georgia, is also his wife from whom he's separated. He's a sexy, charming ladies man. SIDNEY BERNSTEIN (Late 50s Mid 60s): The producer of an out of town flop. Sidney is tough and self serving. Seeking a character actor with good comic timing. CHRISTOPHER BELLING (40 60) English director. Very camp. Very funny. Requires a good comic lead actor. BAMBI BERNÉT (Early 20s early 30s) Performer in the chorus and daughter of Carmen, the lead producer. Hungry to work her way up to leading performer many think she was only hired because of her mother. Bambi is a good dancer/comedienne who sings well. DARYL GRADY (30s): A Theatre critic for the local Boston newspaper, he enjoys using the power he has to make or break shows during their out of town tryouts. JOHNNY HARMON (40s 50s) The Stage Manager of the show within the show. Johnny is a character man who is gruff but lovable. He keeps the company in line and on their toes throughout the rehearsal process. OSCAR SHAPIRO (45 65): The general manager. An agreeable if slightly gruff man. He is always looking for any angle to find money. Seeking a good comic actor who sings. BOBBY PEPPER (20s to early 30s) The choreographer and lead dancer. Seeking a strong singer who dances well.
JESSICA CRENSHAW (30s 40s) Fading Hollywood star. A diva, who has no right to be one, she is a terrible singer and actress who stars in the show within a show and gets murdered on its opening night. Audition Material Selection: The Acting Auditions Seek a role in your own maturity and emotional range from material with which you are familiar. Do not attempt a monologue without first reading the entire play, if possible. Please edit any inappropriate material/words in the monologue. See Mr. Calvert with any questions regarding the monologue. NO ORIGINAL MONOLOGUES!!! No monologues from movies may be used. Monologues can be found in the library and can come from a variety of sources. Some of these sources are Full Length Plays *, Scene Books*, Play Anthologies, Collection of Monologues, or other Theatre related sources. * Best Choices Choose a piece that will highlight your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Selection should be self-explanatory with a clear beginning, middle, and end. You may edit a piece liberally to achieve clarity. Two or more speeches may be combined as long as connections are smooth or intentional. The monologue may come from any printed source of dramatic/comedic literature. Avoid expositional material, which requires great explanation or emotional intensity. Remember your material must have emotional peaks, which are used effectively and honestly. In addition, avoid dull and passive pieces, which dwell on character or plot exposition. Your character should be actively involved in overcoming obstacles in order to fulfill an immediate objective or intention. Think of your audition as a 1 minute one act play entitled "The Audition of (your name)", written by, arranged by, produced by, and starring yourself. Your audition should contain: 1) your entrance, 2) introduction of selection, Title/Author/Character 3) transition from yourself to character, 4) presentation of the selection, 5) transition back to yourself from character, and 6) a thank you. The Music Auditions Please select no more than 32 measures of a song from pop, musical theatre, or gospel style for the vocal portion of the audition. It must be thoroughly prepared, and if you select a stylized piece, be sure to reflect the uniqueness of that style in your performance. For men, the piece can include some rapping, but must also demonstrate singing range and ability. Select an excerpt, which demonstrates the optimum strengths, versatility, and quality of your instrument. For example, a piece that demonstrates your ability to access a more comprehensive vocal range will be preferential to one which is more limited in register. The excerpt should demonstrate your most resonant vocal tone quality, and the brilliance and projection of your voice. It is usually to your advantage to use a piece that you have established a comfort level with: familiarity will allow you to focus on your expression and delivery. If you are called back, the Callback Music Packet will be uploaded to the WVHSMusic.org website. It is your responsibility to download and print the music callback packet from a computer. You may find that the CD will help you to prepare these selections. The Original Cast Recording of Curtains is available to download on itunes, Amazon mp3, etc. Please see Mr. Durbin or Mrs. Best with any questions. These selections will be required performances by everyone who is called back on Friday. Unprepared performers will find little favor with the directors. Presentation Dress comfortably, but remember that image is a part of your presentation. Do not try to costume yourself; avoid apparel that contradicts your character, and hairstyles that might hide your face. Facial expression is important in your delivery, and we must SEE your face to be able to benefit from that performance technique.
Plan to use just one chair or nothing in your staging. The focus should be on you, not your set design. No props should be used unless it is something you might normally carry (hand props). CALL BACK INFORMATION Call Backs will take place on Friday, February 26 th from 2:30 pm in the Auditorium until we are finished. The call back list will be posted online at wvhsmusic.org and wvhs/theatre. If your name appears on the call back list, please meet in the Auditorium promptly at 2:30 so we can begin. The cast list will be posted Monday, February 23 rd after school outside the Choir room (121), Theatre Room (213), the Auditorium, and Online. Call Backs will consist of singing specific selections from Curtains. IF YOU ARE CALLED BACK, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PREPARE THE MUSIC SELECTIONS MARKED BY GENDER (AS MEN, OR WOMEN ) IN THE CALLBACK MUSIC PACKET. To be considered for a lead role, you MUST attend call backs. If you have a conflict with the call back schedule, you must notify Mr. Calvert/Mr. Durbin/ Mrs. Best prior to February17 th to allow us to consider possible adjustments in the way we structure the call back audition. IN THE EVENT YOU DO NOT MAKE CALL BACKS, DO NOT ASSUME THAT YOU ARE NOT BEING CONSIDERED FOR A PART IN THE ENSEMBLE. The final cast list will be posted on Monday, February 29th in the same locations as the callback list and online. If you have any questions about the audition please see Mr. Calvert (213), Mr. Durbin or Mrs. Best (121), or Mrs. DeDecker (214) Thank you and Break a Leg!!