AUDITION INFORMATION FOR THE 2011 WINTER PLAY: The Sparrow By Chris Matthews, Jake Minton & Nathan Allen About the Play: In 2006, The House Theatre of Chicago found critical success with their original play, The Sparrow. It is the story of Emily Book, a small-town girl returning home ten years after a tragic accident that claimed the lives of her entire class. As the town struggles to accept the strange girl who reminds them of what they lost, Emily attempts to hide the special powers that make her different. WHEN: Tuesday, January 18, 3:40pm. Wednesday, January19, 3:40pm. (Callbacks) WHERE: West Auditorium HOW: Sign up for audition slot on the East Theatre Call Board (outside Little Theatre) FIRST REHEARSAL: Thursday, January 20th: 3:45pm West Auditorium REHEARSAL TIMES: January 20 March 4th: 3:40-6:00pm. DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE MULTI-MEDIA ASPECTS OF THE PLAY, THERE WILL BE 2 WEEKS OF TECH REHEARSALS (March 4- March 17). These rehearsals are mandatory. Tech rehearsals may run from 3:40 to 8:00pm. Please note that there will be rehearsals on February 21 and March 4 and 7 even though there is no school. There will also be some Saturday rehearsals to cover the show s choreography. PERFORMANCE DATES: Friday, March 18, 7:30 pm Saturday, March 19, 7:30 pm. (There will also be an in-school performance on Thursday, March 17)
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY Auditions for The Sparrow are Tuesday, January 18 at 3:40 pm Callbacks are Wednesday, January 19 at 3:40 pm in the West Auditorium. Performances of the play are March 18 & 19, 2011. Before you try out, check these dates in addition to the listed rehearsal dates with your parents/caregivers and be sure that you do not have prior commitments including doctor or orthodontist appointments, college visits, and other family travel plans. Please list all known conflicts on your conflict sheet. When you audition for a show at Stevenson High School, you are auditioning for every role. It is the Director s job to cast you or not cast you as he/she sees fit. If you drop out of the show after you have been cast, you will NOT be eligible to audition for another show at Stevenson unless you can prove through work in theatre classes and crew that you can accept the responsibility of being cast in a show. Do not damage your reputation by dropping out of a production. Sign up for an audition slot at the Theatre Call Board located at the outside of the Little Theatre (4200). Do not leave open slots. Sign up in the first available opening. If a slot is not available just show up and we will accommodate you. All cast members are required to help in building sets, hanging lights, etc. Crew dates will be announced at the beginning of the rehearsal process. You may be asked to furnish your own costume. The budget does not always allow the luxury of designing costumes for each character. Additionally, if and when costumes are provided for you, you must take care not to damage your costumes. Any rented or borrowed costume or costume piece for which SHS is charged excessive wear and/or replacement fees, the student will be expected to cover that cost. So, please take care of all the garments you are issued for production. THE AUDITIONS: Prepare one of the monologues included at the end of this packet. Copies of the script are available for overnight checkout in the SHS Library. Reading the script before auditioning will help you understand the characters and story. Callbacks: A callback list will be posted by Wednesday morning on the Theatre Department Website. Callbacks will be held Wednesday, Jan. 19: 3:40-8:00pm. Be prepared to attend for the full time if necessary. If you have any questions please e-mail Mrs. Rawitz at: breakalegx4@me.com
Monologue Options: Prepare one of the following monologues for the audition. Memorization is recommended. Copies of the full play are available in the school library and will help to put the monologues in context. Take your time. Please be aware there is a reason for the style and punctuation. JOYCE: (To Emily) About the other night.i know you re not my daughter, Emily Book. But I ve been calling you Sweetie Because I want you to feel loved here. I want you to feel safe And I want to kiss you on the head and make you feel loved Even though we don t know each other yet Because I think that you should have a place where you can feel that way. And I m sorry if I I come into Sara s room when I feel Overwhelmed, because I don t want to bring that into the rest of the house But this is your room now, Emily, and I won t bring that in here anymore. I justi look at you and I I start to think about What happened It s not fair to you, and it s not your fault, but when I look at you I think about Sara I get stuck I want to be better than that for you But I get stuck.. Emily I m looking forward to getting to know all about you.
ALBERT: (To Emily) That s for you. That s a- That s a corsage. It s, uh, it s for your wrist. I thought you could If you wanted to wear it Tonight for the dance, That s what we used to. If it s not too corny. Listen. Emily. I m glad you re here and I m glad you re here and I hope you feel like you re home because I feel like you re home. I m glad you re home. I didn t think I d feel like that So I haven t been But I You make this feel like home. You know you oughta put on a dress and Go down there and just Have a good time and Dance with everybody and It s the homecoming dance, you know? And you re home So And Margaret Rosenthal talked me through that Corsage deal And if you don t use it I ll hear about it Okay?
JENNY: (To Emily) Hi. I was just- Sorry. Nobody else ever comes out here. I m sorry about your grandmother. It must be hard to be back here. Everyone knows you. That must feel good. You know me. People are going to stare at you, Emily. You remind them They re all so heavy. But you can remind them that there s life You can Be what people need you to be. You can help them. Well, you picked the right week to come back. We ve got the big homecoming game tomorrow, and the dance on Friday You could be a cheerleader! Usually, you d have to try out But I m the captain, so Or the boys need a bench manager for the game We could hang out together on the sidelines. Tweet! You re officially involved. It ll be fun, I promise.
EMILY: (To Mr. Christopher) I m so sorry. I m embarrassed. Mr. Christopher, I didn t mean to- I didn t mean for that to happen. I can control it. I m in control. It does what I Tell it to do, I just Sometimes If I get overwhelmed or over Excited. It can get a little Unmanageable. And just now in class I got excited. It s just that it s not easy to be here But you- Everybody looks at me like I m a-. But you understand and You make me feel normal And special at the same time. I feel like I can just be myself with you And like I belong here. I m sorry.
PRINCIPAL SKOR: (male or female) Hello, Students, Skor here Happy Homecoming everyone, Bug Game Tonight Against our biggest rival The Greenview HORNETS They ve beat us every year for the past twenty years and That victory banner of theirs hangs in our gym to shame us Hangs way up in the rafters there, defying us to tear it down! But this year, I feel it, This is our Homecoming This is the year we Tear That Hornets Banner Down! So let s spell V for Victory! And P. for Sparrow Pride And remember If you need guidance on your principles You can always talk to.your principal. Teachers, back to you.
Mr. CHRISTOPHER: (To Emily) Okay. The first thing I want to tell you, Emily, is that I think you re wonderful. Absolutely. Completely apart from the fact that you have Astonishing magical powers, You re smart, and funny You re pretty. You re dark and mysterious in a kind of Well I just think you re the cat s pajamas. You re a catch. But I m not the guy that you should be EmilyI put a lot of thought into trying to be That cool teacher, you know? I mean, hey---i remember when I was your age The point is, it s okay to acknowledge what you re feeling. There s nothing wrong with feeling---things. It s just a matter of what you do with it, We, all of us, just have to be responsible with our feelings. We have to stay in control. Tell me you re going to the dance tonight Of course you are. You re gonna cut some rug, slow-dance with a boy- You knowa cute boy, without a receding hairline. And have some fun. We ll leave the dancing on the dance floor And the biology in my classroom Now get outta here, Supergirl.
MR. CHIRSTOPHER: (To Emily) Emilythat wasn t supposed to happen. Jenny was feeling She came in there And I was trying to She needed someone----she needed me to be There And she looked at me like She I said all those things to you today about Being responsible---and being in control. I believe those things I said And I didn t Think that was going to happen But I let it happen. I could see how it I could see how it was about to go And I let it go. How does that happen? When you see it coming And you know you re about to hurt someone And you let it happen? I know I hurt you too, Emily But I m glad you were there. I don t know what else. I should tell someone. It was my fault. I should stay here and I have a responsibility to.. I m a good person. I should tell everyone.. I wish I could tell my wife.
The Sparrow: Student Information Sheet Fill out the following information neatly (I must be able to read your name and ID number clearly) and bring it with you to the auditions on Jnauary 18. You will not be cast without this form. Name ID Number Parent Name(s) Phone Email Year in School: 9 10 11 12 Dance experience in ballet, modern, jazz and tap (use back if you need more room) Student Directors will be asked to attend all rehearsals and will be a vital part of the creative process. Are you interested in Student Directing? YES NO Please check which positions besides acting you are interested in: Lighting Set Construction Props Costume/Make-up Stage Management What possible conflicts might you have with after school rehearsals? Be VERY SPECIFIC AND HONEST about times and dates. Availability is crucial and will impact casting. Conflicts are NOT permissible during tech week. Please list Saturday during the day conflicts. Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 3:30 4:00 4:30 5:00 5:30 6:00
Other Conflicts (Please check with your parents/guardian regarding medical and dental appointments, college visits, family trips...etc.): I have read the audition packet and fully understand its contents. I also understand that rehearsals for The Sparrow will be held after school from 3:40pm-6:00pm and during tech weeks from 3:40pm-9:00pm. There will also be some Saturday rehearsals and non-school day rehearsals on Feb. 21 and March 4 & 7. It is clear to me that my participation in the audition process indicates a willingness to accept any role that I am cast in. I understand that if I audition and then decline a role I have been given, I will forfeit the privilege of auditioning for other Theatre Department productions until a crew or staff position has been served. Student Signature I am aware that my son/daughter is auditioning for the Winter Play and that rehearsals will be held after school during the months of January, February and March at the aforementioned times. I am also aware that the performance dates for The Sparrow are Friday March 18 and Saturday March 19 at 7:30p.m. Parent Signature *Senior Option: (Only fill out if you are a Senior) Signify which statement applies: I will accept any role. *I will accept only certain roles. *Signify which roles: Please be honest. I would rather not cast actors as ensembles members who don t really wish to be there.