AUDITION INFORMATION FOR THE 2010 FALL PLAY: From Up Here By Liz Flahive About the Play: From Up Here is a contemporary dramatic comedy. Kenny Barrett did something bad. Very bad. Months later, he must now find a way to reconnect with his family, his peers, return to school, and apologize to his community. Nominated for the 2008 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards and first presented at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City in the Spring of 2008, this play is not about the fall to rock bottom, but the moment when we awaken from that fall, realize we survived, and begin the climb back up. WHEN: Monday, August 23, 3:40pm. Tuesday, August 24, 3:40pm. (Callbacks) WHERE: Little Theatre (4200) HOW: Sign up for an audition slot on the East Theatre Call Board (outside the Little Theatre) in the fall. FIRST REHEARSAL: Wednesday, August 25th: 3:45pm - Little Theatre REHEARSAL TIMES: August 25 September 24: 3:40-6:00pm. Tech Week (September 27-30): 3:40pm-9:00pm PERFORMANCE DATES: Friday, October 1, 7:30 pm Saturday, October 2, 7:30 pm
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY Auditions for From Up Here are Monday August 23 at 3:40 pm and Tuesday August 24 th at 3:40 pm (callbacks) in the Little Theatre (4200). Performances of the play are October 1 and 2, 2010. 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, dentist, orthodontist appointments, college visits, and/or 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 or scenes included in this packet. Copies of the script are available for overnight checkout in the SHS Library. Reading the script before auditioning will put the monologues in context. Callbacks: A callback list will be posted by Tuesday morning on the Theatre Department Website. Callbacks will be held Tuesday afternoon 3:40-6:00pm. Be prepared to attend for the full time if necessary. If you have any questions please see Ms. Gecker in the Fine Arts Office, 6076 or e-mail: sgecker@d125.org
Monologue Options: Female Prepare one of the following monologues for the audition. Memorization is recommended, though not required. Copies of the full play are available in the school library and will help to put the monologues in context. Grace: In Jail (To Daniel) I didn t intent to assault anyone. I was trying to help. While you were on your break, I was trying to help everyone. I walked into the kitchen and Kenny s in there with Kate, his mentor, practicing his speech. And he s standing up completely straight. Looking out. Do you know how long it s been since I ve seen him stand like that? It was going so well. But she s like all the other people keeping him at a distance. And I wanted to kill her. I was so angry I probably could have And I tried to touch him and really, he barely looks at me. He ll look at Caroline. He ll look at Lauren. He ll look right at you. But he won t look at me. And then they left for the dance and I was sitting in the kitchen alone and I I couldn t be in the house anymore, I couldn t be in there. Caroline: A Postcard (To Kenny) Kenny! This is Katenga! I m convinced everyday that I m going to fall to my death! But then, here I am, looking out from a forgotten summit. A forgotten summit. That s what my guide Ron told me. I told Ron not to romanticize things; I d seen three Chuckles wrappers and a condom on the way up and litter is one of the first signs of mass tourism. But, my point is: Today. Today will be a good one, Kenny. I ll be there if I can. But you know, if I m not, stare right at this picture and think about me thinking about you. Up here, the wind burn hits your cheek so hard it almost feels hot. A warm smack of air right in the face, thousands of feet above the ground. Postcards are too small to hold all the things I want to say to you. No room for anything anymore. Not even my name. Lauren: The Kitchen (To Kate) Seriously? That s strange because you ask everyone questions about him, you stare at him all the time. And now you re over at our house. It looks like you really want him. I heard this teacher talking about how she was so moved by what you wrote about the Barrett boy. (To Grace) They re going to publish it in all the papers. Apparently it s very well written. Lots of detail. Mrs. Gordon said it gets inside his head, makes you realize just how disturbed he must have been. How teachers still can t get other kids to sit near him or work with him in class. You know how that medicine gave him that tic under his left eye and if he can t get it under control he gets so upset and his hand start shaking. She wrote about that because the school nurse TOLD HER and I told him not to talk to anyone. Why does everyone need to know about that? Why do you have to write about my brother? Why don t you write about something else.
Monologue Options: Male Prepare one of the following monologues for the audition. Memorization is recommended, though not required. Copies of the full play are available in the school library and will help to put the monologues in context. Charlie: The Cafeteria (To Lauren) I wrote you that song. I wrote it because when I see you, normally, it s just, it s just a mess. When I think about you I can t breathe and I look at you and I m not sure you re real. You just look like Like if someone were to say, Hey can you draw a girl and I drew you they d be like, hey, that s a perfect drawing of a girl, you re a real good artist. And my hands get all shaky when I want to touch you and you know that great hollow feeling you get in your stomach when you see someone you ve been thinking about for days and then you turn the corner and there they are. And it s like (he exhales all the air in his lungs until the breath just stops) And the bottom drops out and I feel like I have no actual mass or dimension and it s like maybe I m seeing you at that moment after having thought about you because you were, at the same time, thinking about me. And that s how we ended up at the exact same place in the exact same moment. By thinking about it that much. Do you need a ride? Daniel: The Car (To Caroline) You think I don t want to? I do. I m fun, okay? But nothing s working. I mean, I sat alone in a movie theater for almost five hours and I couldn t relax. All I do is think about all of them. I just worry about him and I think about how she s That s what I do now. All the time. It s not like they re going to appreciate it right now. Okay? But at least now they actually need me around. They don t like me? Fine. Fine. They can not like me while I make them lunch and drive them around and listen to them and then we can fight and watch t.v. and eat dinner. All together. And then we can go to bed and wake up and do it all over again. That s what I want. And one day they will like me for that. One day they will love me for that, I think. Kenny: The Dance (To Caroline) I I hate this place. They try to dress it up. It s the cafeteria. I hate the cafeteria. I hate these people. They forgot my name. On purpose. It was funny to them everytime I had to reintroduce myself. I d I d walk over to, uh, sit down with people at lunch and they d pretend they didn t know who I was, or they d say Hi Kevin. And I d say Kenny and they d laugh. The guys made me write it on all my papers, or they d write it on my papers, tell my teachers I d changed my name, so they d call me something different in class. Kevin. Korey. Kelly. Karen. And I thought they d stop but then they didn t. The girls mostly laughed and made fun of my drawings. They did it every time they saw me. Every single day. All the time. They never got tired of it they liked it that much. Now They don t talk to me. They know who I am. (beat) I ve gotta apologize to all of them. On Monday. And I can t swear when I do it. (beat) Will you still be here? Next week?
From Up Here: 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 February 1. You will not be cast without this form. Name ID Number Parent Name(s) Phone Email Year in School: 9 10 11 12 Student Directors will be asked to attend every rehearsal and will be a vital part of the creative process. Student Directors will be unable to audition for the Musical. 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. Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 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 From Up Here will be held after school from 3:40pm-6:00pm and during tech week from 3:40pm-9:00pm. 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 Fall Play and that rehearsals will be held after school during the months of August, September, and October at the aforementioned times. I am also aware that the performance dates for From Up Here are Friday October 1 and Saturday October 2 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: