All Shook Up Directed by Ricky Stakem & Zach Tilkens Information Packet & Audition Application Pyle Middle School Fall 2017 Audition Application Due Date: Friday, September 8 th The application must be signed by a Parent/Guardian!
Thank you for your interest in being in the cast of All Shook Up! Please read this packet thoroughly as it includes very important information. Pyle Middle School musicals are wonderful collaborations between Pyle staff, hard-working students, and dedicated parent/guardian volunteers. Students, if cast, please be prepared to work hard! Parents/Guardians, if your child is cast, please be prepared to volunteer with us and help make All Shook Up another spectacular performance! Audition timeline: Wednesday, September 6 th : Audition Prep Session for all students auditioning o Time: 3:05-4:15 o Location: Room 123 (Chorus Room) o What to bring: Pencil; comfortable athletic or dance attire; jazz shoes or sneakers (no flip flops) students may change into movement clothes right after school Friday, September 8th: Dance Auditions and Acting/Singing Auditions for all students auditioning o Time: Dance auditions will be held from 3:05-4:15. Acting/Singing Auditions will be held at scheduled times between 4:30-9:00. Students will sign up for scheduled times at the prep session. Students whose signup time is 5:30 or later should go home at 4:15 and then return to Pyle for their scheduled audition. Students must go home immediately following their scheduled audition. o Location: Dance Auditions will be held in the Cafeteria. Acting/Singing Auditions will be held in the Chorus Room. o What to bring: Pencil; comfortable athletic or dance attire; jazz shoes or sneakers (no flip flops) students may change into movement clothes right after school Monday, September 11 th : Callbacks for some students o Time: 3:00-6:00 o Location: Room 123 o Families will be notified via email over the weekend if their student is needed to attend Callbacks. Please note: The Activity Bus is not available to transport students home after auditions. Families are expected to arrange prompt transportation after all audition times. Important Information: Performance Dates: November 2-4, 2017 Rehearsal attendance: Rehearsal attendance is mandatory and students will only be excused from rehearsals if there is an emergency situation or if there is a conflict listed on the attached Audition Application. Please be sure that the information listed on this form is completely accurate.
October 23-31 & November 1-4: No conflicts will be accepted during this time period. If your child is cast, please be prepared to clear his/her calendar for these two weeks. This includes Tuesday, October 31 st (Halloween). Family Volunteers: It takes a community to raise a curtain! Parents/Guardians will be expected to support the production by volunteering at least ten hours leading up to the production. Most theatre families go above and beyond with their willingness to volunteer. There will be information about volunteer opportunities after the show has been cast. Rehearsal calendar: A detailed Rehearsal Calendar will be provided at the first rehearsal. Principals will rehearse 2-4 days per week and Ensemble will rehearse 1-3 days per week. Mandatory Parent/Guardian Information Meeting: After the cast has been selected, there will be a Parent/Guardian Information Meeting on Tuesday, September 26 th at 7:00pm in the Media Center. It is mandatory that at least one parent/guardian of every student in the cast attend this meeting. Optional Pre-Audition Information Meeting: There will be an optional meeting for parents of interested students on Tuesday, September 6 th from 4:30-5:00pm in Room 123. At this meeting, we will review information listed in this packet. No additional information will be shared at this meeting, so you should only attend this meeting if you have any questions about information in this packet. Transportation: Families will be expected to arrange transportation to and from all rehearsals and performances. The Activity Bus will usually not be available. Casting: o o o Please remember that Pyle is the largest MCPS middle school with over 1,500 students. Over 100 students traditionally audition for our productions and around 40 students will be selected to be in the cast. Please respect the fact that we as directors volunteer many hours to foster a safe, fair audition process. We have many difficult decisions to make, and not every student who auditions will be cast. There are many opportunities for students who are not cast in this show to be involved with the performing arts at Pyle. These opportunities include Chorus Class, Drama Performance Class, Experiencing Theatre Class, Drama Club, Jr. Thespians, etc. Please don t get discouraged if you aren t cast in this show there are many additional opportunities at Pyle! Casting decisions will be made based on the needs of the show. Factors which may influence casting decisions include: behavior during audition process; ability to perform given choreography with excellent stage presence and proper dance technique; pitch and quality of singing voice; projection and diction of speaking voice; school attendance, classroom behavior, and academic performance and effort. Extreme care is taken to ensure that the audition process is fair and fun for all participants, but there are always a few students who are disappointed based on casting results. Parents, please discuss these possibilities with your child as well as appropriate reactions to casting results. We look forward to seeing you at auditions!
Audition Tips 1. Be CONFIDENT! You will probably be a little nervous that s normal - but remember that we are on your side and we want you to do well. 2. Be LOUD and CLEAR! We are looking for actors who can be heard and understood from the back of the theater without a microphone. Actors need to speak a little slower than normal speech. Project and slow down! 3. Sing in character! In a musical, a character sings to express an emotion that cannot be conveyed with normal speech. Many inexperienced musical theatre actors make the mistake of forgetting to remain in character when singing a song. Treat your singing audition like a monologue! 4. KNOW the meaning of your lines and lyrics! Remember it s your character who is saying these lines, not you as a Pyle student. You don t have to memorize (you can if you want) but be sure that you know what your character is saying and why s/he is saying it. If there are any words that you can t pronounce or define, look them up in the dictionary. 5. High Energy! All Shook Up is a very high energy show, so we are looking for high energy actors. This means smile a lot and make it look like you re having fun. It is especially important to have a lot of energy during your dance audition. 6. Be PROFESSIONAL! You may be asked to do something you re a little uncomfortable with, such as be the first person in your group to read or sing. If you complain, argue, or ask can someone else go first?, then you might not have as good of a chance of getting cast as someone else. Take direction! 7. LOOK professional! Actors tend to dress up for auditions because it makes them look professional and it makes directors take them seriously. You don t have to dress up, but it might be a good idea. 8. Be responsible! You will be given a packet of monologues and songs at the prep session. Additionally, you will be expected to turn in your signed Audition Application on time. If you lose either of these important papers, it will make us wonder whether or not you are responsible enough to be in the cast. 9. ENJOY the experience! No matter what happens, you stepped out of your comfort zone to do something challenging. Enjoy the experience and don t stress yourself too much over the cast list.
Roles in All Shook Up: Please note that we will be performing the Young @ Part abridged script, published by Theatrical Rights Worldwide. NATALIE HALLER/ED Although she s a teenager, she s an excellent mechanic. She s much more at home in greasy overalls than a dress. Acting and Singing skills must be superior (High Belt/Mix); should move well. CHAD A great lookin, motorbike ridin, guitar playin, leather jacketed roustabout. Acting and Singing skills must be superior (High Baritone); must move well. SYLVIA The no nonsense owner of SYLVIA S HONKY TONK CAFE. Acting and Singing skills must be superior; should move well. LORRAINE Sylvia s daughter. Acting, Singing, and Dancing skills must be superior (Triple Threat). DENNIS An awkward young man. He aspires to be a dentist. Singing and Acting skills must be superior (Tenor), should move well. SANDRA The beautiful, intellectual caretaker of the town s museum. Acting and Singing skills must be superior; should move well. MAYOR MATILDA HYDE The town s very conservative mayor. Acting and Singing skills must be superior. DEAN HYDE Matilda s teenage son. He has spent his youth at military boarding schools and he has never disobeyed his mother. Acting and Singing skills must be superior; should move well. SHERIFF EARL The law in town and a man of not many words. He loyally follows the Mayor wherever she goes. Acting skills must be very strong; will sing with the ensemble. TEEN DANCE ENSEMBLE: 6 8 students with extensive dance experience who will be featured in major dance breaks. These students will sing with the ensemble. Some may be assigned lines and/or short singing solos. ENSEMBLE: Approximately 20 25 students will be selected to portray a variety of roles throughout the show. All students in the Ensemble will sing in the chorus. Some may be assigned lines and/or short singing solos. Important Note: All Shook Up is a major ensemble show. If you are cast in the ensemble, you will have many opportunities to be on stage. The ensemble makes the show!
All Shook Up Audition Application Part I: Student Information Name Grade Email address Please list addresses of accounts that are checked daily I am auditioning for (check all that apply) Any role Ensemble Specific role(s): Please list the names of two teachers who will speak very highly of your work ethic, maturity, and commitment: 1. 2. You may attach a one-page list of any relevant training and experience Part II: Student Conflict Information Please X out dates on which you are not available to rehearse from 3:00 6:00. If you are not available for part of a day, please X out that day and very clearly write Must leave at or Will arrive at in the margin. Include all known AND POSSIBLE conflicts (family trips, other extracurricular activities, chorus/band concerts, etc.) SEPTEMBER OCTOBER M Tu W Th F M Tu W Th F 13 14 15 2 3 4 5 6 18 29 20 21 9 10 11 12 13 25 26 27 28 29 16 17 18 19 20 Our Rehearsal Schedule will be created based on the information provided here. Please check, doublecheck, and triple check that the information you have provided is completely accurate. No conflicts will be accepted between October 23 November 4. It is imperative that we have the full cast at every rehearsal and performance during that time period. If cast, please prepare to clear your schedule for these two weeks. Page 1 of 2
Part III: Parent/Guardian Information Student Name Parent/Guardian Name Parent/Guardian Email address Please list addresses of accounts that are checked daily Parent/Guardian Volunteer Information: Please write 1 for areas in which you have had experience and you would be willing to lead, 2 for areas in which you have experience and would be willing to support, and 3 for areas in which you do not have experience but would be willing to learn! Ticket Sales and Box Office Publicity* Set painting* Cast Meals and Cleanup Set building* Props Concessions Costumes Lights Playbill Coordination (including ad sales) Sound Hair/Makeup* Cast Party * - these positions involve supervising and chaperoning students I, the undersigned, have thoroughly read this packet of information. I authorize my son/daughter to audition for Pyle Middle School s production of All Shook Up Young@Part. I have filled out the Audition Application with accuracy. If my son/daughter is cast, I will ensure that s/he is present at all rehearsals to which s/he is called unless there is an approved conflict on file. I understand that one or more unexcused rehearsal absences may result in a cast member not being included in certain scenes of the show and/or being asked to leave the cast. I understand that MCPS does not provide transportations to/from auditions, rehearsals, or performances and it is my responsibility to provide transportation. I approve my son/daughter s image to be used in photographs and video that will be used to promote and/or commemorate the show. parent/guardian signature date student signature date Please only turn in the 2 page Audition Application. Please remove the information packet before turning in the Audition Application and retain the information packet for your records. Page 2 of 2