Auditions begin November 15, 2015 Rehearsals begin December 7, 2015 Performances February 18-20, 2016
About Les Miserables Winner of over 100 international awards and seen by over 65 million people worldwide, Les Misérables is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit. In 19th century France, Jean Valjean is released from years of unjust imprisonment, but finds nothing in store for him but mistrust and mistreatment. He breaks his parole in hopes of starting a new life, initiating a life-long struggle for redemption as he is relentlessly pursued by police inspector Javert, who refuses to believe Valjean can change his ways. Finally, during the Paris student uprising of 1832, Javert must confront his ideals after Valjean spares his life and saves that of the student revolutionary who has captured the heart of Valjean's adopted daughter. Epic, grand and uplifting, Les Miserables packs an emotional wallop that has thrilled audiences all over the world. Auditions & Casting Auditions for Blue Water Theatre Company s production of Les Miserables are open to all actors who are currently students in grades six through twelve (2015-2016 school year). Actors who wish to audition should show up to their choice of one of the following three audition times: Sunday, November 15 from 6:00-8:30 Monday, November 16 from 7:00-9:30 Wednesday, November 18 from 6:00-8:30 Please be on time and be prepared to stay for the entire audition session. Note that parents and other guests are not allowed in the studio while the auditions are taking place. Auditions will be held at Blue Water Theatre Company s studio in the lower level of the Wayzata Home Center (1250 East Wayzata Boulevard). Actors do not need to prepare any audition material in advance. Please, however, come to the audition with a completed and signed Actor Information Sheet and Rehearsal Conflict Sheet to turn in. You will find both of these forms at the end of this packet. Please note that a parent signature is required. Also, please dress for your audition comfortably, in clothes and appropriate footwear in which you are able to freely move and dance. Callbacks for Les Miserables will be held on Sunday, November 22 either from 3:00-5:30 or 6:00-8:30. There will be a spot on your audition form to indicate which of those two times works best for you. A list of actors required at callbacks will be posted on the audition page of the Blue Water web site by noon on Thursday, November 19, following Wednesday night s final first round of auditions. The final cast list will be posted on the Blue Water web site by noon on Wednesday, November 25. We intend to cast approximately 45 actors in Les Miserables. Depending on how many audition and what our needs are cuts may be necessary. Please note that while we are inviting students in grades 6 through 12 to audition, we expect that (due to the difficulty of the music and the overall tone of the show) the majority of the cast will be made up of high school students. Middle school students who audition, but do not make the show, will have a different opportunity this winter to be a part of a 3rd-8th grade production that we will be announcing soon.
Rehearsals & Attendance Expectations Rehearsals for Les Miserables will begin on Monday, December 7 with a full-cast meeting and read-through. Regular rehearsals will generally be held on the following schedule. Mondays from 7:00-9:30 Tuesdays from 7:00-9:30 Thursdays from 7:00-9:30 Saturdays from 9:00-4:00 In an effort to be respectful of our actors time, we do not call every actor to every rehearsal. A schedule will be emailed to the cast each Sunday afternoon detailing the upcoming week s rehearsal schedule. We do expect our actors to be at every rehearsal for which they have been called, unless proper notification has been given to the director prior to the weekly schedule being completed and posted. While we recognize that emergency conflicts do arise, the directing team reserves the right to deal with situations appropriately if attendance becomes a major issue. All regular rehearsals will be held at Blue Water s studio in the lower level of the Wayzata Home Center (1250 East Wayzata Boulevard). Parents should note that we generally take an hour lunch break on Saturdays (usually from 12:00-1:00). There are a number of eating establishments within walking distance of Blue Water's studio. Unless parents specifically email Charlie Leonard to tell him otherwise, it is assumed that students have permission to leave Blue Water (unsupervised) for lunch. Note that, if they do leave campus, Blue Water is not responsible for your kids during this time. Please discuss this with your son or daughter, and bring any concerns to Charlie's attention. Dress/Tech Rehearsals & Performances We will have three dress/tech rehearsals and three performances, at which attendance is mandatory. It is expected that all cast members will clear their schedules for these dates and times. The only acceptable conflicts on these nights are those that the directors are told about on your audition forms. Monday, February 15 from 4:00-9:30 (dress/tech rehearsal) Tuesday, February 16 from 4:00-9:30 (dress/tech rehearsal) Wednesday, February 17 from 4:00-9:30 (dress/tech rehearsal) Thursday, February 18 from 5:00-10:30 (performance @ 7:00pm) Friday, February 19 from 5:00-10:30 (performance @ 7:00pm) Saturday, February 20 from 2:00-midnight (performance at either 4:00pm or 7:00pm/TBA) All dress/tech rehearsals and performances will take place at Eisenhower Community Center in Hopkins (1001 Highway 7).
Production Fee The fee for a student actor to take part in Les Miserables is $355 (please make checks out to Blue Water Theatre Company). This helps cover our show licensing, theatre rental, rehearsal studio rent, set/prop/costume needs, insurance, and staffing. The registration fee is due at the first rehearsal (Monday, December 7), unless special arrangements have been made with us in advance. Refunds are not available. If a student drops out of the production, the registration fee will be considered a donation to Blue Water Theatre Company. A limited amount of financial assistance is available, provided a family can demonstrate reasonable need. If you would like more information, please contact Charlie Leonard (charlie.leonard@bluewatertheatre.com) prior to your student's initial audition. You will be provided with additional paperwork that will need to be turned in at the time of the audition. We cannot, however, guarantee the availability of financial assistance. Questions If you have any questions about Blue Water Theatre Company's production of Les Miserables, or if you have any questions about Blue Water in general, please contact: Charlie Leonard Executive & Artistic Director charlie.leonard@bluewatertheatre.com (952) 855-9147
ACTOR INFORMATION SHEET (please return at the time of your audition) Name Date of Birth (MM/DD/YY) / / School Age Cell Phone Grade (2015-2016 school year) T-Shirt Size (Adult) Street Address City/State/Zip Student Email Address Parent/Guardian #1 Name Phone Parent/Guardian #1 Email Parent Guardian #1 Employer (Optional*) Parent/Guardian #2 Name Phone Parent/Guardian #2 Email Parent Guardian #2 Employer (Optional*) In the space below, please describe your past performing experience (theatre, music, dance, etc). Use the back of this sheet if necessary: ************************************************************************************************************ PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE: I have read through the entire Les Miserables production packet, and am fully aware of all that the production entails (auditions, rehearsal schedule, performance dates, registration fee, deadlines, etc). I have also proofread my student's conflict sheet to make sure everything is included. My son/daughter has my permission to take part in this production. In addition, I grant permission to Blue Water to use rehearsal/production photos that may include my son/daughter in any online and print marketing, including press coverage of the production. (parent signature) (date) (print parent/guardian name) (phone) *As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the state of Minnesota, we are frequently made aware of grants, matching fund opportunities, or other donations from Minnesota companies/corporations to nonprofits. Frequently, these opportunities require some connection between the company/corporation and the nonprofit. For the first time, we are asking parents to share with us the name of their employer so that we are able to idenfity the individuals who are part of our Blue Water community who work for these companies when those opportunities arise. Sharing this information is much appreciated, but totally optional.
REHEARSAL CONFLICT SHEET (please return at the time of your audition) Name Please list all known rehearsal conflicts clearly on the lines below. Include any event (school, personal, religious, or otherwise) that would keep you from attending the scheduled rehearsal on any given day. Please double-check with your choir/band/orchestra teacher to find out when your winter concerts take place, and carefully note them. We have taken the liberty of noting the ACT/SAT dates to remind juniors and seniors of when those are. Our assumption is that if you are signed up to take one of those tests, you will still be able to rehearse in the afternoon on those Saturdays. We do have rehearsal on Monday, January 18 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) and Monday, February 15 (Presidents Day). In fact, February 15 is one of our dress/tech rehearsals. Callbacks on Sunday, November 22 will be held either at 3:00-5:30 or 6:00-8:30. It is very important that we have no absences at the callback auditions. Please check which of the two times (hopefully both!) work for you. 3:00-5:30 6:00-8:30 Both work! Monday, December 7 Monday, January 18 Tuesday, December 8 Tuesday, January 19 Thursday, December 10 Thursday, January 21 Saturday, December 12 (ACT) Saturday, January 23 (SAT) Monday, December 14 Monday, January 25 Tuesday, December 15 Tuesday, January 26 Thursday, December 17 Thursday, January 28 Saturday, December 19 Saturday, January 30 Monday, December 21 Monday, February 1 Tuesday, December 22 Tuesday, February 2 Thursday, December 24 NO REHEARSAL Thursday, February 4 Saturday, December 26 Saturday, February 6 (ACT) Monday, December 28 Monday, February 8 Tuesday, December 29 Tuesday, February 9 Thursday, December 31* Thursday, February 11 Saturday, January 2 Saturday, February 13 Monday, January 4 Monday, February 15 DRESS/TECH REHEARSAL Tuesday, January 5 Tuesday, February 16 DRESS/TECH REHEARSAL Thursday, January 7 Wednesday, February 17 DRESS/TECH REHEARSAL Saturday, January 9 Thursday, February 18 PERFORMANCE Friday, February 19 PERFORMANCE Monday, January 11 Saturday, February 20 PERFORMANCE Tuesday, January 12 Thursday, January 14 Saturday, January 16 *Rehearsal on Thursday, December 31 (New Year s Eve) will take place from 12:00-3:00 rather than 7:00-9:30.