Milton Keynes Theatre Stage Experience Fame Mon 25 Jul Sat 6 Aug 16 Stage Experience is a unique summer holiday performance opportunity produced by the Creative Learning Department of Milton Keynes Theatre. Fame will be the theatre s fifth critically acclaimed youth production previous credits include West Side Story (2011), Guys and Dolls (2012), Footloose (2013) and The Wiz (2014). The project is designed to be a stage experience giving young people the chance to learn what a professional rehearsal period is like and experience what life is like as a professional musical theatre performer for two weeks. We bring in a professional creative team to produce the show including director Robert Marsden, choreographer Laura-Ann Smith and musical director Matthew Reeve. We hire in a professional set and employ a live orchestra to ensure that our youth productions are always of the very best possible quality and an unforgettable experience for all of our young cast taking part. Rehearsals for Fame take place at Milton Keynes College with three performances of Fame at the end of the project on the Milton Keynes Theatre stage. We have 100 places available for young people aged 10-21 years to be in our cast of Fame. To audition for Fame you must be available for all rehearsal dates, including weekends, between Monday 25 th July Saturday 6 th August 2016. We have a huge amount to rehearse and achieve in less than two weeks, which means that to be in our cast of Fame you must be prepared to work very hard, take part in long days of rehearsals and expect there to be periods of down time where you will have to wait around for your scene to be rehearsed. However, don t let this put you off because being part of this experience and performing on our stage is an exciting opportunity not to be missed! Places to take part in Stage Experience are by audition only, no previous musical theatre experience is necessary but you must be talented and prepared to sing, dance and act in front of a panel at your audition and a love of performing is essential. We also hold re-call auditions for those in year 12 or above who we are considering for a principal role the day after. Audition Information Thursday 7 th April at Milton Keynes College, Chaffron Way Campus, Leadenhall, Milton Keynes MK6 5LP 10am - For students in school years 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 in the academic 2015-2016 year (or equivalent) We regret that we are unable to accept any students in year 4 or below 2pm - For students in school years 12, 13, or university years 1-3 (or equivalent), max age 21. If you are in school year 12 or above you may be required to attend our re-call auditions, which will be held the next day on Fri 8 th April to cast the principal roles in Fame. Names will be called out on the audition day of those requested to attend. Re-call Auditions Friday 8 th April at Milton Keynes College, Chaffron Way Campus, Leadenhall, Milton Keynes MK6 5LP 10am Parents are welcome to wait in the canteen area of MK College outside the auditions, parents will not be allowed to accompany children into their audition. We expect the auditions to last for approximately two hours. There will be a number of licensed chaperones present on the day to supervise children auditioning and to supervise anyone waiting to be collected. Audition Criteria You must be in school year 5 up to the age of 21 You must be prepared to sing, dance and act at your audition in front of the panel and other people auditioning You must be available for all dates of the project outlined above, including weekends (no exceptions) You must be able to get yourself to and from Milton Keynes College for rehearsals and Milton Keynes Theatre for show performances You do not need to prepare anything in advance of our auditions. Please note we are unable to offer an alternative audition date to the 7 th April. Auditions are by application only and forms must be received by Milton Keynes Theatre before or on Friday 1 st April 2016. Please note that due to the volume of audition
application forms we receive you will not receive an acknowledgement back from us, you just need to turn up at the correct time on the 7 th April. Stage Experience Fame Fees If you are successful at your audition the fees to take part in Stage Experience are: 200 for students in school years 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 in the academic 2015-2016 year 250 for students in school years 12, 13, or university years 1-3 (or equivalent), max age 21. If you are successful at your audition you will be notified by post will be required to pay a deposit of 80 by Monday 2 nd May to secure your place, with the remainder due to be paid by Monday 6 th June. To perform in Fame you will also be required to provide, and on some occasions purchase a small amount of costume items. We will endeavour to keep costs down as much as possible. Please note that we do have a limited number of bursaries available to cast members. The bursaries are awarded to those who apply from the lowest income families to cover the participant fee. Application forms will be available on request once you have successfully auditioned. Frequently asked questions: How to register Please complete the application form below in full and return by Friday 1 st April to: Stage Exp Application, Milton Keynes Theatre, Marlborough Gate, Milton Keynes, MK9 3NZ Or alternatively you can scan and email your application to mkcreative@theambassadors.com How much does it cost to audition? Auditions are completely free of charge. If selected to take part in Stage Experience there will be a fee of 200 for junior cast members and 250 for senior cast members, bursaries are available. Does everyone who applies get an audition? Yes, if you register for an audition by returning the application form along with 2 passport sized photographs to us by Friday 1 st April you are eligible to audition on Thursday 7 th April, please note that due to the number of applications we receive you will not get a confirmation acknowledgement of your application form. Do I need to prepare anything for my audition? No you do not need to prepare anything, everything will be taught to you on the day. We recommend that you have a basic knowledge of the most popular songs from Fame prior to your audition. What do I need to wear for my audition? Please make sure you wear loose comfortable clothing that you can dance in and trainers or dance shoes. Please keep jewellery to a minimum and if you have long hair please tie this back. What is a re-call audition? Selected auditionees in year 12 or above will be invited to attend our re-call auditions on Fri 8 th April. The re-call auditions are to cast the principal roles in Fame. If you have not been asked to attend the re-call day you may still have been cast in an ensemble role and please note that the director s decision is final. What happens after my audition? You will be written to with information on whether you have been given a role in Fame, are on our reserve list (in case any places become available) or whether you have been unsuccessful. Do you provide feedback on auditions? No, our creative team are only with us for two days where they have a very limited time to cast our show. If you have been unsuccessful we regret that due to the high volume of auditionees (in previous years there have been up to 500 audition) we are not able to provide feedback on your audition.
Milton Keynes Theatre Stage Experience Audition Registration Form Please complete form in block capitals Staple 2 passport photos here, failure to do this will result in us having to contact you for photographs until we receive them. Full Name: Gender: Male Female Parent/Guardian Full Name: Date of birth: School/College/University Year School/college/university you attend (if applicable) Home address: Post code: Contact Telephone Number: 1 st Emergency Contact Name: Relationship to child: Number: 2 nd Emergency Contact Name: Relationship to child: Number: E-mail address: (our preferred method of communication, please write as clearly as possible): Medical Information/Access Requirements Please specify any information of which we ought to be aware of e.g. asthma, allergies, injuries, hearing impairment etc Performance Licence Regulations In order to comply with MK Council performance licensing regulations we need to know the number of professional performances (if any) you have or will perform in between Feb - July 2016 at a professional licensed venue such as a pub or a theatre, this does not include any school performances. Please state how many professional performances you have performed in between Feb July 2016 Please note it does not matter if you will not perform in any productions, we are asking the question for licensing reasons, not to find out how experienced you are at performing. Who is your local authority? (i.e. Milton Keynes Council, Bucks County Council)
Photography and Film Consent The Ambassador Theatre Group recognises the need to ensure the welfare and safety of all children. In accordance with our child protection policy we will not permit photographs, video or other images of children and young people to be taken without the consent of the guardian/carers and children. During the Fame auditions, rehearsals and performances photography and filming will take place by MKT staff and/or visiting media and sponsors for use by the Theatre and/or local press. Please note that this year we will be filming the performances of Fame in order that parents can purchase a recording of the show to keep. I.... (guardian/carer) consent to Milton Keynes Theatre photographing or videoing.. (name of child). Signature: Date: I.. (name of child) consent to Milton Keynes Theatre photographing or videoing my involvement in Stage Experience Fame. Signature:.. Date: Fame Permissions: Please highlight/delete I do/do not give permission for my child to leave MK College/MK Theatre unaccompanied during lunch breaks I do/do not give permission for my child to leave MK College/MK Theatre unaccompanied at the end of the day Please note that if you have marked I do not give permission for my child to leave venue unaccompanied at the end of the day then we will expect a parent/guardian to personally collect your child from our chaperones at the end of the day. We will not be able to allow your child to meet you in the car park or anywhere off site. If you intend for your child to leave our building to buy themselves lunch then you must have given us permission above to allow your child to leave our buildings at lunch time. Please return your completed registration form to: Stage Exp Application, Milton Keynes Theatre, Marlborough Gate, Milton Keynes, MK9 3NZ or scan and email to mkcreative@theambassadors.com by Friday 1 st April 2016. Please note that due to the volume of applications we receive you will not receive an acknowledgement of your application or any further information from us on your audition, you just need to turn up at the correct time/date (see page 1). For further questions or enquiries please contact mkcreative@theambassadors.com or call 01908 547606/547651. Follow us on twitter for Stage Experience updates - @mkt_stage_exp or search Milton Keynes Theatre Creative Learning on Facebook.
BOPA Statement of Fitness to be completed by child s parent Child s name: Child s home address: Child s date of birth: Name and address of the school the child currently attends: OR If the child is not attending school, the name and address of the child s private teacher: Does your child have: Asthma Any allergies Any skin conditions Hearing impairment Visual impairment Any learning disability Any physical disability Any medical conditions? Taking any regular medication(s)? If yes please provide details including any treatment or medication: Been to see or had a referral to a hospital consultant in the last 6 months? I confirm that I have parental responsibility 1 for this child. Signature of parent: Print Name: Date Postal Address (if different from child) Parents Email Address Telephone number 1 As defined within section 3 of the Children Act 1989, parental responsibility means all of the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property.