Emayatzy Corinealdi

03.31.16 • BACKSTAGE.COM
Emayatzy
Corinealdi
WHY THE “MILES
AHEAD” STAR
RE-EVALUATES
HERSELF EVERY
SIX MONTHS
16+ PAGES
OF CASTING
NOTICES!
THE BENEFITS
OF NETWORKING
LOOKING AT THE
TOP DANCE
CONSERVATORIES
PREVIEWING “THE BOSS”
WITH BEN FALCONE
CONTENTS
vol. 57, no. 13 | 03.31.16
NEWS
6 ​Writers Guild of America, West released 2016
Hollywood Writers Report
7This week’s roundup of who’s casting what ​
starring whom
8​TDF’s autism-friendly initiative reached ​
B’way’s “Aladdin”
ADVICE
COVER STORY
page 14
THE SIXMONTH PLAN
“Miles Ahead” star Emayatzy Corinealdi is behind on her
biannual self-evaluation—but for all the best reasons
11 NOTE FROM THE CD Clothing not optional
11 #IGOTCAST Quartay Denaya
12 SECRET AGENT MAN The start of drop season
13 #IGOTCAST Rachel Alig
FEATURES
4 BACKSTAGE 7 WITH... Ciarán Hinds
10 MEET THE MAKER Ben Falcone, “The Boss”
12 SPOTLIGHT ON... Cliff Curtis
13 INSIDE JOB Bonnie Gillespie, casting director at Cricket Feet
18 GO BULLDOGS How to get into one of the most competitive ​
graduate acting programs in the country
19 STEP TO THE NEXT LEVEL Ten stellar dance conservatories ​
to consider for college
20 WHEN YOU GRADUATE FROM HERE, YOU’RE FAMILY Four of the nation’s top acting schools ​
break down the art of networking
40 BACKSTAGE LIFE ​
“Life in Pieces”
CASTING
22 New York Tristate
30 California
BRIA N DOUGLAS
34 National/Regional
On the cover: Emayatzy Corinealdi photographed by Benjo Arwas
in Los Angeles. Styling by Lizette Pena. Hair by Marcia Hamilton.
Makeup by Kirin Bhatty. Dress by Caterina Gatta.
Cover designed by Jessica Balaschak.
BACKSTAGE.COM
03.31.16 backstage
1
Chief Executive Officer
Peter Rappaport
President &
Chief Operating Officer
Joshua Ellstein
Vice President,
Director of Digital
David Grossman
Chief Financial Officer
Michael Felman
Vice President of
Engineering James G. Reynolds
Corporate Controller
Scott Wilson
Graphic Designer
Jeff Lilley
Vice President &
National Casting Editor
Luke Crowe
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief
Mark Peikert
ART
Design Director
Jessica Balaschak
CASTING
Managing Casting Editor
Melinda Loewenstein
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customer Service Manager
Richard Burridge
Senior Digital Editor
Rebecca Strassberg
Art Director
Margaret Ruling
Supervising Casting Editor
Veronika Daddona
Customer Service Associate
Danny Camporeale
Associate Editor
Briana Rodriguez
Assistant Editor
Jack Smart
PRODUCTION
Production Manager
Mark Stinson
Film & TV Casting Editors
Riley Fee
Lisa Hamil
ADVERTISING SALES
Director,
Integrated Marketing
Kasey Howe
Staff Writer
Benjamin Lindsay
Theater & Performing
Arts Casting Editors
Michael Coughlin
Anna Paone
Community Manager
Britney Fitzgerald
Casting Editor
Elijah Cornell
Copy Editor
Brandy Colbert
Regional Casting Editor
Byron Karlevics
Contributing Writers Matt Busekroos
Molly Eichel
Marci Liroff
Casting Specialists
John Berkowitz
Molly Matthews
MARKETING
Marketing Associate
Ryan Remstad
Research Editor &
Call Sheet Editor
Rebecca Welch
Director of Education
and Events
Tom Lapke
Group Sales Director Allen Buhl
Senior Manager,
Business Development
Gerry Sankner
Backstage was founded in 1960 by Ira Eaker and Allen Zwerdling
EDITORIAL OFFICES
45 Main St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
[email protected]
CASTING DEPARTMENT
323-525-2358
[email protected]
DISPLAY ADVERTISING
[email protected]
CUSTOMER SERVICE
917-725-6367
[email protected]
PERMISSION
For one-time use of our content,
as a full article, excerpt, or
production prop, contact
[email protected]
BACKSTAGE, vol. 57, no. 13 (ISSN#53635 USPS#39740) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY (except the fourth week of December) by Backstage LLC, 45 Main St., Brooklyn, NY 11201, $3.99 per copy, $99 per year.
Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY 11256 and additional mailing offices. Printed in USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Backstage, 45 Main St., Ste. 416, Brooklyn, NY 11201.Publication Mail
Agreement No. 40031729. ©2016 Backstage LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Backstage LLC: Peter Rappaport, Chief Executive Officer; Joshua Ellstein, President and Chief Operating Officer.
2 backstage 03.31.16
BACKSTAGE.COM
BAC KS TAG E 7 W ITH . . .
Ciarán Hinds
by Mark Peikert
Tell us about this production of ‘The Crucible.’ Ivo starts from the
very beginning. And my character [Deputy Gov. Danforth] doesn’t
come in until the beginning of the third act, so I came in today for
the first time after the read-through two weeks ago. Some directors
do a read-through and some improvise around it. Some sit around
a table for weeks discussing and analyzing, but Ivo just starts at the
beginning and works very precisely. And when it’s time to turn up,
you’re called for rehearsal.
What do you wish you’d known before you started acting? That it
was going to go on for so long in my case! But then some people find
me very fortunate to have the continuation of work. But every time
you find another job, you’re back with a pick and shovel hacking away
at the work. You have to start at the bottom all over again.
On whom do you have an acting crush? Mark Rylance, Cate
Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Toby Jones, Adrian Lester. And, of course,
Jim Norton.
What was your most memorable survival job? Working in Harrods’
packing department in the ’70s when I was a student for no money
a week, packing up very expensive pieces of elegant crockery to be
sent to very exotic places.
Returning to Broadway for the first
time since the 2013 production of
“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” Ciarán Hinds
is part of an all-star cast bringing
to life a very different production of
Arthur Miller’s iconic drama “The
Crucible,” directed by Ivo van Hove.
Hinds talks to Backstage during the
rehearsal process about van Hove’s
directorial style and why Sam Mendes
led to his SAG-AFTRA membership.
How do you typically prepare for an audition? To be honest, I
haven’t auditioned for a while. When I left theater school, I did about
four or five auditions and I was terrible at them. I was fortunate that
[Glasgow Citizens Theatre Company] took pity on me and gave me a
job and kept me on for seven seasons. Without that, I don’t know if I’d
ever get to work at all. I didn’t really know the art of it at that time. It’s
all different now. In the ’70s, you went on a hope and a prayer, really.
In the alternate universe in which you aren’t an actor, what would
you be doing? I might do a spot of gardening, planting and stuff—but
not in the winter. A fair-weather gardener.
How did you get your SAG-AFTRA card? I suppose you could say it
was out of loyalty. I worked for Sam Mendes in the ’90s [in London]
a couple of times and he was filming “Road to Perdition” in Chicago,
about an Irish gangster family, and he fought very hard to get me
involved in it. And it really stuck out to me, because nobody knew who
I was but he really fought to get me into it. •
JOEL KIMMEL
“EVERY TIME YOU FIND ANOTHER JOB, YOU’RE BACK WITH A
PICK AND SHOVEL HACKING AWAY AT THE WORK.”
4 backstage 03.31.16
BACKSTAGE.COM
NEW YORK
STELLAADLER.COM
212-689-0087
31 W 27TH ST, FL 3
NEW YORK, NY 10001
[email protected]
THE PLACE WHERE RIGOROUS ACTOR
TRAINING AND SOCIAL JUSTICE MEET.
PROFESSIONAL CONSERVATORY
3-Year Conservatory
2-Year Evening Consevatory
1-Year Musical Theatre Conservatory
2-Year Los Angeles Conservatory
SUMMER CONSERVATORY
10 Weeks, June 6 - August 12, 2016
The Nation’s Most Popular Summer Training
Program for the Serious Actor.
SUMMER INTENSIVES
5-Week Advanced Level Training Courses
Shakespeare Intensive
Chekhov Intensive
Physical Theatre Intensive
Musical Theatre Intensive
Actor Warrior Intensive
Film & Television Acting Intensive
Teen Summer Conservatory (ages 14-17)
The Stella Adler Studio of Acting/Art of Acting Studio is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and is accredited with the National Association of Schools of Theatre
LOS ANGELES
ARTOFACTINGSTUDIO.COM
323-601-5310
1017 N ORANGE DR
LOS ANGELES, CA 90038
Photo by: AK47 Division
[email protected]
Follow us @backstage
NEWS
UPDATE |
Like us facebook.com/backstage
Follow us on Instagram @backstagecast
AFTER PROTEST from some of Hollywood’s biggest players, including Disney and the Weinstein Company, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal
will veto a controversial “religious liberty” bill supporting state-sanctioned discrimination against the LGBT community.
unable to get a second or third job. Many people
can get their first job but how do you have a
long-running career?”
As an employer, Mazzara added that while
inclusion efforts met some pushback in “a
system resistant to change,” they improved
the quality of work coming out of his writers’
rooms and challenged stereotypes or clichés he
“wouldn’t have thought of.”
“[This] report makes it
emphatically clear that [the
Writers Guild of America, West]
needs not just to mirror a broken
system, but to work to change it.”
Who’s in the
Writers’ Room?
WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, WEST RELEASES ITS 2016 REPORT
T
BY BRIANA RODRIGUEZ
he Writers Guild of America, West
released its 2016 Hollywood Writers
Report, revealing the state of gender,
race, and age inclusion in writers’
rooms across the industry.
Based on the WGAW’s 8,704 member reports,
the HWR showed a 2 percent increase (from 27 to
29 percent) in women’s employment in television
between 2012 and 2014, with minorities occupying 13 percent, making it around a 3-1 ratio.
Minorities writing films saw a 1 percent increase
in their numbers to 7 percent since 2012, but are
still underrepresented by a factor of about 5-to-1.
Older writers ages 51 to 60 went from 18 to 19
percent employment in television and 17 to 18
percent in film between 2012 and 2014.
6 backstage 03.31.16
“[This] report makes it emphatically clear
that our Guild needs not just to mirror a broken
system, but to work to change it,” said WGAW
President Howard A. Rodman in a statement.
He also highlighted the guild’s access projects,
which put diverse television and feature film
writers through a competitive selection process
for mentoring and guidance. The projects were
launched in 2009 and 2011, respectively, and this
year saw 17 TV writers’ scripts honored, including seven women, eight minority writers, one
disabled writer, and one older writer.
“It puts a lot of new untapped talent on my
radar,” said Glen Mazzara, former “The Walking
Dead” showrunner and current showrunnerwriter for supernatural A&E series “Damien,”
of the projects. “I’m constantly reading scripts
from people who are hungry, who have been
BACKSTAGE.COM
S A M A R O N OV/ S H U T T E R S T O C K . C O M
TELEVISION
“It’s about different perspectives,” Mazzara
said. “Because I have a particular viewpoint,
it’s about listening and talking and having
conversations that constantly challenge your
core perspective, and realize that that’s what
we do as writers—we need to examine those
different perspectives.”
Mazzara has made inclusion a core value that’s
implemented early on in the production process.
It’s a step which echoed feelings during an ABC
panel late last year about diversity on television.
“A lot of times, unfortunately, inclusion
comes in tacking on casting...and then what you
wind up with is the token friend, especially in
comedy,” said Jamila Hunter, the network’s head
of comedy development. “It has to come from
your creators. If those writers, people like John
[Ridley, who was also on the panel] don’t envision a world that includes characters that are
well-rounded and multidimensional, what you
end up [with is] not fully rendered characters.”
Mazzara told Backstage that actors can
also affect positive change by respectfully
approaching writers with concerns about stereotypes or negative tropes.
“[Don’t] accuse the material of missing the
mark but ask the question, ‘Is this really what
you meant? Because I’m interpreting it this
way,’ ” he advised. “Put that in front of the
writers to make the characters and storyline as
rich and nuanced as possible.” •
G EO R G I A : R O B W I L S O N ; W R I T E R S : G O L D E N P I X E L S L L C/ S H U T T E R S T O C K . C O M
— HOWARD A. RODMAN, WGAW PRESIDENT
news
Check the Casting section for full details on top theater roles, or visit casting.backstage.com
INDUSTRY NEWS
SPRINGING
INTO CHRISTMAS
KATE MCKINNON GETS A HOLIDAY BASH
BY REBECCA WELCH
oliday office parties
always have a tendency
to get a little crazy, and
“Office Christmas Party”
is no exception. Kate McKinnon,
Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman,
and T.J. Miller are about to get
in the Christmas spirit for a film
about a branch supervisor who
fears his team may be the next on
the chopping block. He decides
to break the rules and give the
office a small Christmas party, but
the festivities soon turn to chaos.
(Someone’s getting a lump of coal
this December.) McCarthy/Abellera
will cast the film due out this
holiday season. Filming will take
place in both Chicago and Atlanta
beginning mid-April.
No one wants to be 12 again,
unless you’re Nasim Pedrad. The
“Saturday Night Live” alum is
about to return to adolescence
for her new Fox pilot, “Chad: An
American Boy.” The story will
S A M A R O N OV/ S H U T T E R S T O C K . C O M
G EO R G I A : R O B W I L S O N ; W R I T E R S : G O L D E N P I X E L S L L C/ S H U T T E R S T O C K . C O M
H
follow a young boy (played by
Pedrad) from an Iranian family living in Delaware whose
attempts to “man up” leave
him failing in spectacular ways.
The project, set to shoot in Los
Angeles this April, also features
youngsters Ariana Molkara and
Matthew Mindler. Additional
roles for the show are being filled
by Dava Waite Peaslee Casting.
Throughout the centuries,
many have sought the ability to
time travel, and while “Doctor
Who” may have cornered the
market most recently, three
friends will discover just how
stressful it can be to turn back
the clock on the new Fox pilot
“Making History.” Set to shoot
from the end of March into the
first week of April, the pilot will
follow a couple of buddies as they
visit some of history’s most iconic
moments but find the leap into
the past disrupts their presentday lives. Leighton Meester,
N.Y. THEATER
Step Into the Bullpen
NEW YORK THEATER-MAKERS: ARE YOU LOOKING TO ADD MORE
networking events and workshops to your schedule? The Farm Theater
offers bimonthly opportunities to gather for intimate discussions led by
various industry professionals—completely free of charge.
Attendees of Bullpen Sessions include emerging artists and established thespians, while topics of discussion span branding and marketing,
BACKSTAGE.COM
Kate McKinnon
Yassir Lester, and Adam Pally star
in the Atlanta-based pilot cast by
Telsey + Company.
There’s one superhero who has
yet to see his revival, but Amazon
is about to change that with “The
Tick.” While Patrick Warburton
may forever remain the iconic
image of the blue superhero—and
is still attached as an executive
producer—Amazon is giving its
pilot a new face. Peter Serafinowicz
will don the blue leotard of justice
in the new project that is largely
based on the live-action comedy
that ran for nine episodes in
2001–2002. Also included in the
Felicia Fasano–cast project are
Valorie Curry and Griffin Newman.
Production is set to start in Los
Angeles in early May.
Everyone loves a good wedding
toast filled with past tales, but
what if those stories could be factchecked? “Toast,” ABC’s new pilot
pickup, will jump back in time and
recount the actual stories before
they had the gleam of nostalgia.
Jerrika Hinton, Jono Kenyon,
Punam Patel, and Tessa Ferrer will
star in the Tim Payne–cast project
that is set to shoot in mid-April in
Los Angeles.
For the latest news, check out
backstage.com/resources to find
thousands of production listings,
casting directors, acting classes,
agents, and more!
staging solo shows, the art of casting, and much more. Past speakers
include such industry vets as Tessa LaNeve, Paul Schnee, Halley Feiffer,
Qui Nguyen, and Anne Washburn.
The next Bullpen Session, titled Producing For Your Community, will
take place April 5 at Punto Space and feature Ty Jones, artistic director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem; Lou Moreno, artistic director of
INTAR; and Maria Goyanes, an associate producer at the Public Theater.
To reserve your spot, RSVP to [email protected], or visit
thefarmtheater.org for more information. —JACK SMART
03.31.16 backstage
7
news Check the Casting section for full details on top film, TV, and Web series roles, or visit casting.backstage.com
N.Y. THEATER
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
TDF WORKS WITH BROADWAY TO BRING
ACCESSIBILITY TO AUTISTIC AUDIENCES
O
needs to leave the theater, there is
always a break area nearby.
“We want families to feel that
they are in a supportive and judgment-free environment,” said Lisa
Carling, director of TDF’s accessibility programs. “Every family
member is important.”
Prior to showtime, the volunteers and behavioral specialists
take their places in various parts
of the orchestra, mezzanine, and
balcony. Each volunteer holds a
tote bag filled with sensory toys,
earplugs, and even snacks, should
an audience member need them.
Among the volunteers on March
6 was Candice Lewis, a high
school special education teacher.
“Aladdin” marked her second time
helping out at an autism-friendly
performance. “There’s a lot more
tolerance for people having to get
up in the middle of the show,”
she said. “The fact that these
parents can—if their kid is having
a meltdown or crying or has to go
to the bathroom and needs to get
up and leave in the middle of the
show—just that accommodation in
itself is huge.”
“The theater experience is hard
PERFORMING ARTS
Train With the Best
IN A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND RANKING OF THE WORLD’S TOP PERFORMing arts programs, the Juilliard School was crowned cream of the crop.
Covering 42 disciplines in all, Quacquarelli Symonds’ sixth edition of its
QS World University Rankings by Subject marked the largest and most
definitive ranking to date. The rankings were determined by the “expert
8 backstage 03.31.16
Leah Diaz, Lisa Carling, and Philip Dallmann
to predict,” said Carling. “Our
development director just came in
to say that a friend of hers brought
her nonverbal son to ‘Aladdin’
and dropped him off at his school
today, and he was singing a song
from ‘Aladdin’! This nonverbal
kid, age 6. So there’s a tremendous impact. Theater does that in
unexpected ways.”
“We want families
to feel that they
are in a supportive
and judgment-free
environment.”
—LISA CARLING, DIRECTOR OF
ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAMS AT THE
THEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND
Autism-friendly Broadway
shows have been so successful that
theaters in England, Australia,
and Scotland are launching them
as well. Last season, instead of
a Disney musical, the Autism
Theatre Initiative tried something
new: a straight play.
Simon Stephens’ Tony-winning
drama “The Curious Incident of
the Dog in the Night-Time” was
a perfect fit according to Carling,
and the experience remains a
highlight. The story’s protagonist,
a young boy named Christopher
who’s fervidly fixated on a
mystery involving the death of
a neighborhood dog, is on the
autism spectrum.
“The play resonated so deeply
with the community,” recalled
Carling. “You could see that in
the way audience members were
engaged and the immediacy of
talking back to the characters:
Christopher’s question to his
teacher, ‘Does this mean I can do
anything?’—and then this young
teenager in the audience shouted
back, ‘Yes you can!’ ” •
opinion” of 76,798 academics and 44,426 employers in addition to analyses from 28.5 million research papers and upward of 113 million citations
sourced from the Scopus bibliometric database. After considering 1,008
institutions with performing arts courses, QS published its top 100 via
topuniversities.com on March 22.
Juilliard was just one of 26 American schools breaking the list, making
the United States the top-rated nation for performing arts universities.
For more information, visit topuniversities.com. —BENJAMIN LINDSAY
BACKSTAGE.COM
C O U R T E SY T H E AT R E D E V E L O P M E N T F U N D
BY RACHEL WEISS
n a recent Sunday morning, a sea of volunteers in
matching T-shirts made its
way down Eighth Avenue.
Their chatter halted only momentarily upon arriving at the New
Amsterdam Theatre, where the
marquee for “Aladdin” beckons its
onlookers inside.
But before the journey to
Agrabah can commence, there’s
work to be done.
The Theatre Development
Fund hosted its Autism Theatre
Initiative performance of
“Aladdin” on March 6, marking the
16th autism-friendly show since
the series began in 2011. These
performances make the theatergoing experience accessible to those
with special needs and their families. In these performances, house
lights remain on, strobe lights are
eliminated, and the show’s sounds
are no louder than 90 decibels.
Simple alterations like these can
make a huge difference to individuals with autism, who may be
overstimulated by intense special
effects or sensitive to loud noises.
Even so, if an audience member
while you are training for
of
d
e
m
a
e
r
d
e
v
a
h
u
o
y
r
e
e
r
a
c
e
h
t
YOU WILL ...
+ EXPERIENCENYC
COLLEGELIFE
NYCDA is a college that awards
degrees to our Professional Training
Program Students. Get a first-hand
look at what real conservatory
training is like.
+ EARN6COLLEGE-
LEVELCREDITS
+ LIVEANDLEARN
INNEWYORKCITY
With forty hours of rigorous
training per week, you’ll work
harder and evolve faster than
you ever imagined. In just four
exhilarating weeks, you can gain the
confidence of a New York City actor.
+ TRAINFORSTAGE,
SCREENACTING&
MUSICALTHEATER
+ MEETINDUSTRY
PROFESSIONALS
Get real-world insights directly
from NYC agents, casting directors,
managers, directors and actors.
RKING
OUR ALUMNI aRe WO
[email protected] + 888.645.0030
www.nycda.edu
Backstage Ad Feb 2016.indd 1
Vicky Jeudy
Miles Teller
(SAG Award Winner)
Insurgent,
Divergent,
Whiplash,
Fantastic Four
Orange is the
New Black, Law
& Order: SVU
3/16/16 2:55 PM
ACTOR 101
For more Actor 101 stories, visit backstage.com/actor101
the reason audiences have loved
McCarthy’s performances since her
Oscar-nominated turn in “Bridesmaids” is her ability to improvise
lines. “Sometimes with an improvised take, it’s the first time and
you’ve got it, especially if you’ve
got two cameras running [on] the
person saying it and the reaction
coming from it.” Many of McCarthy’s zingers in “The Boss” land
thanks to quick cuts to very real
responses from her scene partners.
[Meet the Maker]
Ben Falcone, “The Boss”
BY JACK SMART
MELISSA MCCARTHY AND BEN
Falcone’s new movie is proof that
comedians should follow their
goofiest impulses. Fifteen years
ago, when they were training in Los
Angeles at the Groundlings, the idea
for an outrageous character popped
into McCarthy’s head. Wearing a
blazer and cropped wig of her own
making, she would charge into the
theater screaming, “My name is
Michelle Darnell and I have $300
million in cash and assets!” remembers Falcone. “And she starts
throwing Werther’s candies to the
audience. I was, like, ‘Holy shit. This
is so great.’ ”
“The Boss,” in theaters April 8,
is the result of that godsend of an
inspiration. For the domineering
titan of industry Michelle Darnell,
a character so outrageous she
10 backstage 03.31.16
practically demands her own
backstory, a feature film was a longawaited dream come true. “You
know, it’s that quick, 15-year movie
process,” jokes Falcone.
Universal Studios approached
Falcone, who serves as the comedy’s director and co-writer
alongside McCarthy and Steve Mallory, after the success of his 2014
directorial debut, “Tammy.” The
actor-writer-director is also, incidentally, McCarthy’s husband.
When asked about the difference
between “work mode” and “home
mode” when crafting a movie
together, Falcone says, “I think
we’re always, hopefully, in kind of
a ‘fun mode.’ We’re talking about
comedies; they’re fun to do.” The
only reason Falcone and McCarthy
refrain from testing out jokes at
home, he adds, is that their two children couldn’t care less. “The kids
don’t want to hear about it. We just
start doing bits with the kids and try
to make them laugh, and they try to
make us laugh.”
Children feature heavily in “The
Boss,” which tracks Michelle Darnell’s fall from financial grace to the
brownie empire she builds with her
former assistant Claire (Kristen Bell)
and a team of cutthroat preteen girls.
Renault (Peter Dinklage), archrival and erstwhile lover to Michelle
Darnell, attempts to thwart her
enterprise. Chaos—and impeccable
physical comedy, of course—ensues.
Strewn throughout the script are
the hilariously emphatic insults that
have helped turn McCarthy into a
box office empress.
In fact, says Falcone, most of
BACKSTAGE.COM
I L L U S T R AT I O N : N I C K B E R T OZ Z I ; D E N AYA : K AT H E R I N E B A R C S AY
Kristen Bell and Melissa McCarthy in “The Boss”
“I’m really greedy with comedy,
so if something seems fun I encourage them to try even more and to
dig harder, to see how much fun we
can get out of it,” Falcone says.
The trick, though, whether it’s
the first, second, or third take, is to
make the comedy feel fresh within
the confines of a two-hour film.
“So much of improv can be really
long and that’s kind of what makes
it funny,” explains Falcone. “Like,
one of the characters tells another
character literally a two-and-a-half
minute story, and it’s hilarious. With
most movies you can’t support that
over and over again because then
your movie would be four hours
long.” As both writer and director,
Falcone asks his actors to make
their bits efficient as well as funny:
“Can we make a version that’s 30
seconds long? Because that has a
very high probability of being one of
the great moments in this movie.”
Falcone wasn’t always such a
comedy expert. In his career’s earliest stages, he used Backstage to go
out for student film and commercial
auditions. “It was a while ago, back
when there was less, you know,
Internet,” he remembers. “I would
look for roles and use it as a tool,
just to get anything on my reel.”
One tiny catch: “I never got one!
It was a great resource, but I wasn’t
very good at my auditions.” •
HOPPER STONE
“You know, it’s
that quick, 15-year
movie process.”
actor 101
For more advice from industry professionals, visit backstage.com/advice-for-actors
Anne Henry of the BizParentz
Foundation further explains, “I think
the distinction you are looking for
isn’t just nudity, but the definition
of ‘porn’ and ‘lewd’ and ‘lascivious
acts.’ The reason is that nudity by
itself is not illegal—it is sometimes
considered art. Think of photos of
naked babies. Not lewd, right? But
add a particular position to that
nudity and it may become lewd.
#IGOTCAST.
Quartay Denaya
By Rachel Weiss
“We are pretty safe here
in California, but in other
states, not so much.”
—ANNE HENRY, BIZPARENTZ
FOUNDATION
[Note From the CD]
Clothing
Not Optional
I L L U S T R AT I O N : N I C K B E R T OZ Z I ; D E N AYA : K AT H E R I N E B A R C S AY
HOPPER STONE
BY MARCI LIROFF
I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING
email from an agent for child models.
“In 1960, Disney released the
movie ‘Pollyanna,’ where the opening sequence is a 12-year-old boy
skinny-dipping. In the film, they
show him nude from the back.
However, when they were shooting
the film, the cameraman filmed the
young boy’s penis. In postproduction, they edited that out. Today, you
can go on the Internet and watch
the original, unedited footage showing the 12-year-old actor’s private
parts. Whenever they make a movie
they film a lot more footage than
they use. They have multiple takes.
In this case, they filmed hours of
footage of the naked boy. In the
original footage, you see closeup shots of his penis. When they
made the movie in 1960, they never
BACKSTAGE.COM
imagined in the future anyone would
see the unedited footage.”
Luckily, things have changed in
the last 50 years. I spoke with Carol
Lynn Sher, director of commercials,
print for young talent at the CESD
agency. Sher noted, “In California,
the current child pornography laws
apply and nude photos are not
allowed to be taken or exhibited. It
is not legal to photograph or share
photos of nude minors. Nor is it
legal for children to be exposed as
nude or exposed to nudity on sets,
even if no photos are taken. The
parent is to be within sight and hearing distance of the minor, and the
set teacher is the moral protector
on set. Anyone even encouraging
the violation of the child labor law
is subject to fines of $10,000 and
above and legal punishments.”
“Laws for this vary by state. In
California, not only is it illegal for
you to perform a lewd act on a child,
but it is illegal to depict a minor in a
sex act, whether or not one actually
occurred,” she says.
“There are lots of ways to handle
this today. Using an adult body
double is one way. Sometimes there
are flesh-colored bodysuits available, but I would venture to say that
most parents would not allow this
either, since it still subjects the child
to a little too much. Mannequins can
be manufactured to look exactly like
the child.
“In California, we have that added
layer of 24/7 studio teachers. They
are entrusted with the moral welfare
and safety of the minor in addition
to school. They would prevent a
nude scene from happening. Parents are also required to be there
24/7. They could be charged with
child endangerment if they allowed
a lewd nude scene to happen,”
Henry continues.
“In the big picture, we are pretty
safe here in California, but in other
states, not so much.” Parents and
child representatives have to be
ever-vigilant. •
GET ANSWERS!
FOLLOW PRODUCER AND
casting director Marci Liroff on
Twitter @marciliroff, or visit
Accio audition! QUARTAY DENAYA
went from getting cast to casting
spells when she landed a gig at the
Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Since joining Backstage nine
months ago, Denaya has pored
over the audition listings every
day, mainly searching for dramatic
film roles and dance calls. Now at
the Universal Studios Hollywood
theme park, she will be portraying a
Beauxbatons student in the
Triwizard Spirit Rally.
Much like the studies of Hogwarts, Denaya’s audition came with
various challenges. It even included
an agility test.
“The audition was very long,” she
says. “I was there for about four or
five hours…. The callback was immediately after, where I had to show my
gymnastics [and] tumbling skills and
learn some counts of a dance!”
Denaya is currently in rehearsals
for the project, and the process has
been enchanting so far.
“It’s an amazing environment
with great and positive people,”
she says. “Action Horizons is the
company Universal works with to
cast their live shows, and they are
nothing short of amazing.”
TO SEE YOUR SUCCESS
story in print, tweet @Backstage
using the hashtag #IGotCast.
marciliroff.com.
03.31.16 backstage
11
actor 101 Find representation at backstage.com/callsheet
The end of pilot season
marks the start of
drop season, and blood
will run in the halls of
every agency in town.
[ Secret Agent Man ]
Welcome to
Drop Season
T
he streets of Beverly
Hills are charred with
the echoes of war.
Agents are stumbling
out of their offices with a dazed
look in their eyes. The fresh air is
a baptism on their chests. They
are the survivors.
Pilot season has ended.
This is the time of year when
guys like me can finally slow
down after months of frantic
pitching and negotiation. April
also marks the end of episodic
season, which means we’re
about to go from 60 to zero. It’s
the exact opposite of what astronauts feel when they blast off
from Cape Canaveral.
My first order of business now
that I can focus is planning my
vacation. I absolutely, positively
must get out of town. My batteries need to be recharged, and I’m
thinking Maui might have my
name on it.
But first…
12 backstage 03.31.16
It’s time to make some
changes. Yes, the end of pilot
season marks the start of drop
season, and blood will run in the
halls of every agency in town.
Why? Because a client list can
become too large if you don’t
clean house every now and then.
You see, agents love to sign.
It’s an important part of our
job, but we can’t just keep adding names to our list without
making some cuts. That’s not a
sustainable model. If we have
too many clients, we won’t
be able to give everyone a fair
amount of attention.
So the herd must be thinned.
How do we decide who must go
and who can stay? Well, it’s a
long process where all the agents
in the office barter back and
forth. (“I’ll agree to drop Bob
if you allow me to keep Lisa.”)
Some choices are obvious. Others
can be a surprise. But after much
heated debate, the list gets done.
The first consideration is
financial. This is a business,
not an art collective with vague
socialist leanings. I have a really
nice office in a fancy part of
town and I’d like to keep it. That
means clients need to book. So
when we review the numbers,
any actor who’s had over 50 auditions during the last 12 months
and hasn’t generated any bookings will probably end up looking
for new representation.
But it’s not just about money.
We also consider progress. A few
years ago, I signed a girl right
out of college, and for the first
six months, she had plenty of
opportunities but didn’t book
anything. And then during the
next six months, she started to
get callbacks and good feedback.
Still no bookings, but there was
momentum, so I kept her around.
(And yes, all that work finally
paid off.)
Another consideration is
behavior. Being habitually late
for auditions, constantly forgetting to book out, refusing to get
new headshots—those are all
good reasons to say buh-bye.
And sometimes, despite my
best efforts, I fail to do the job.
There’s never a specific reason,
but on occasion, I just can’t get
certain clients out and that means
I have to drop them so they can
start fresh somewhere else.
So there you go. Sometimes it’s
me, not you. •
SPOTLIGHT ON…
CLIFF CURTIS
By Benjamin Lindsay
In “The Dark Horse,”
New Zealand actorproducer CLIFF
CURTIS embodies
Genesis “Gen” Potini,
a real-life bipolar
chess wiz who taught
his town’s impoverished children how
to play and thus overcome unfortunate
circumstances. Curtis took a break from
filming “Fear the Walking Dead” Season 2
to speak about his process.
On getting cast as Gen.
“It was a tricky one because I didn’t
immediately see that I would be right for
the role. They wanted a 300-pound guy,
and I went, ‘I don’t know that that’s really
me.’ [Then I spoke] to the writer-director,
James Napier Robertson, and we clicked
immediately. Even though he is really
young and hasn’t done a lot, he’s very
smart and very bright and had a good
sense of what he was doing from the
start. And then to discover this person,
this human, this guy—what an incredible
person [Gen] was.”
On gaining 70 pounds for the role.
“I wasn’t really keen on doing the weight
gain at all. It was not an attractive
prospect to me. Being in my middle age, I
spend most of my time stopping that from
happening. Actively putting all that weight
on was counterintuitive to me.”
On his newfound chess addiction.
“To try to get into the head of someone who
has the gift of understanding [chess], a
sort of mathematical capacity to learn the
patterns and strategies, and trying to get
my head around the board, was a massive
challenge. I became an addict—a chess
addict. I’m trying to shake the habit.”
FOR THE FULL Q&A,
visit backstage.com.
BACKSTAGE.COM
G I L L E S P I E : H O L L O WAY P I C T U R E S ; A L I G : VA N I E P OY E Y
Before I get into the reasons
clients get dropped, let me clarify
that we give everyone a fair shake.
Unless there are exceptional
circumstances, actors are given
at least one year to prove themselves. After that, everyone’s head
is on the chopping block.
I L L U S T R AT I O N : S P E N C E R A L E X A N D E R ; C U R T I S : C I N Z I A J O N AT H A N
actor 101
Find answers to your industry questions at backstage.com/resources
film was my true love. When I got
my first casting job at Fox, I confirmed that while I absolutely have
a knack for casting, it was the indie
population I prefer to work with.
Bonnie Gillespie
[Inside Job ]
Bonnie Gillespie
CASTING DIRECTOR AT CRICKET FEET
G I L L E S P I E : H O L L O WAY P I C T U R E S ; A L I G : VA N I E P OY E Y
I L L U S T R AT I O N : S P E N C E R A L E X A N D E R ; C U R T I S : C I N Z I A J O N AT H A N
BY MOLLY EICHEL
CRICKET FEET’S BONNIE GILLESPIE WANTS YOU TO DO YOUR
research. The casting director was an actor and a journalist before
entering her current line of work. She’s noticed a big shift in how much
information there is for actors to learn about CDs before even entering
the audition room. So get to Googling.
How did you get into casting?
Writing for Backstage! One of the
few hundred casting directors
I interviewed as a columnist
(1999–2003) asked me to work
for her as casting coordinator.
Writing the column was like
going to grad school for casting,
because I learned from the very
people who created the profession
exactly how it worked, what they
would do differently if they were
starting out new, and where they
saw the profession going.
What advice would you give to
aspiring casting directors? Be an
intern at as many different casting offices as possible. Offer up
your services opening envelopes,
sorting submissions, listening to
the conversations that happen
with everyone from agents to
producers, sitting in on auditions—everything. Except in very
small markets, casting directors
specialize [in one area]. I learned
from my days as the archivist for
the Sundance Institute that indie
What has changed since you
entered the business? Probably the
biggest shift is about how much
information exists—directly from
the buyers—today. When I started
interviewing casting directors for
Backstage in 1999, no one was blogging, vlogging, tweeting, teaching,
or giving behind-the-scenes
insights into their casting process.
Today, there is no excuse for an
actor to enter a casting office not
knowing exactly how to prep and
what to expect from the experience.
What do you look for in the audition room? It’s really simple: Have
fun; don’t suck. If I’ve done my
prescreening well, you’re already
right for the job before you land
the audition. So, it’s just a matter
of you being talented enough—
that’s the “don’t suck” part—and
of you enjoying doing your job—
that’s the “have fun” part.
How do you suggest an actor
prepare to see you? Google me.
Seriously. I’ve put so much content online in 16-plus years that
there’s very little you’d need to
wonder about exactly how best to
prep for coming in to read for me.
I provide the script and sides well
in advance, I put actors together
in paired reads, and I call every
actor who made it to the callbacks
level after decisions are made
because I believe in a kinder
industry in which the way you
learn you didn’t get cast is by getting a phone call, not by seeing the
project up on IMDb without your
name included. •
“When I got started, the way you learned what not to do in an audition
was to step on a land mine you didn’t know existed till it was too late.”
BACKSTAGE.COM
#IGOTCAST.
Rachel Alig
By Rachel Weiss
Through Backstage audition
listings, RACHEL ALIG was cast
as Therese, the lead role in “Mi
Navidad,” a feature film.
“[Therese] is a very competent
woman who is often the voice of
reason,” Alig says. “She speaks her
mind and stands firmly in her voice.”
After a quick audition, Alig was
unsure about where the process
was heading, but she says the
callback felt entirely different.
“The director, Paul Sanchez, had
me read for three parts, and each of
the characters were vastly different
in their behavior and demeanor,”
she says. “I’ve learned since that our
director knew he wanted me in the
film, he just wanted to make sure he
placed me in the best role for me.”
This isn’t Alig’s first success
with Backstage, and she plans to
continue browsing!
“I keep coming back to Backstage
for audition notices because I get
a lot of work through this website,”
she says. “I’ve booked multiple feature films, short films, and national
commercials through castings I’ve
found, and the work that I’ve gotten
here is always of high quality with
professional teams.”
TO SEE YOUR SUCCESS
story in print, tweet @Backstage
using the hashtag #IGotCast.
03.31.16 backstage
13
14 backstage 03.31.16
BACKSTAGE.COM
The
Six-Month
Plan
“Miles Ahead” star
Emayatzy Corinealdi
is behind on her
biannual selfevaluation—but for all
the best reasons
By Tim Grierson
Photographed by Benjo Arwas
BACKSTAGE.COM
WHEN EMAYATZY CORINEALDI MOVED
from the East Coast to Los Angeles in the early
2000s to bolster her nascent acting career, she
started a ritual that she’s followed to this day.
“I do these assessments every six months,”
she says while lunching in the North
Hollywood Arts District the day before the
Oscars. Putting pen to paper, Corinealdi will
hang out on the beach and chronicle how she’s
doing professionally, what she’s achieved, and
what she’d like to do next. For that first assessment, written after driving cross-country in her
Nissan Sentra and becoming roommates with
a complete stranger in the Valley, Corinealdi
jotted down three goals. “Try to get an agent.
Get headshots.” She laughs. “And I was going to
take over this business. That is so clichéd! ‘Did
she really write that?’ I really wrote that.”
Flash-forward to today. Has she taken over
the business? No, but she’s making her name in
it. It’s been four years since her breakthrough
performance in the poignant romantic indie
“Middle of Nowhere,” and she’s about to return
to theaters as Frances Taylor, Miles Davis’ captivating muse in the dark biopic “Miles Ahead.”
Don Cheadle, who directs and stars, had long
wanted to make a film about Davis, and he was
instantly taken with Corinealdi’s talent. But the
clincher was her first day on set, when Cheadle
had come straight from shooting a different
time period depicted in the movie and needed
her to jump right into a pivotal, fraught scene.
“I just sat down with her and said, ‘We have
to get to this emotional pitch, and you have to
be at this emotional level without any benefit
of any run-up,’ ” he remembers. “She had to
start at the highest point that her character was
going to be emotionally, Day 1, without any
preparation. And she was just there, she just
immediately dropped in. I knew from that first
moment that we were going to be all right.”
▶▶CONTINUED ON 16
03.31.16 backstage
15
▶▶CONTINUED FROM 15
Onscreen, Corinealdi radiates vulnerability fortified by an inner fire, her character’s
sweetness clearly hard-earned. In person,
she couldn’t be lovelier, laughing easily and
exuding self-deprecating charm. A woman of
faith, she pauses to say a silent prayer before
we eat, and she believes firmly that her career
path is all part of God’s plan for her. But don’t
let her demure manner fool you: She grew up
the daughter of a father who worked in the
military—he was a chef—and she got used to
moving around every few years, jumping from
Germany to different parts of the United States.
She was a good student and a standout in track,
but she also got into fistfights.
“Every time I moved, I was in a fight of some
sort,” she says, still bewildered. “I was never
one to go and start a fight—people always
wanted to fight me. I grew up a tomboy. I’ve
always been very rough-and-tumble.”
Her last skirmish was in high school, when
her family was stationed in Leavenworth,
Kansas. “This girl, she just didn’t like me—there
was no real reason—and she decided she was
going to fight me in the hallway between
classes one day,” Corinealdi recalls. “I ended up
beating her up, and the principal came out…”
Her voice trails off, a mixture of laughter and
embarrassment. “I told my dad, ‘She started it!’
It was crazy.”
Such scrappiness isn’t initially apparent in
her role as Taylor, an accomplished, elegant
dancer who became Davis’ first wife in 1958.
But “Miles Ahead” reveals how the great
trumpeter’s all-consuming passion for Taylor
often tipped over into possessiveness, the
threat of violence hovering over the woman’s
head. Davis’ obsession with controlling Taylor
extended to his insistence that she give up her
career to be closer to him, a request she eventually honored.
Playing Taylor is challenging, though.
How did Corinealdi justify a character who
might seem weak for staying with such an
abusive egotist?
The trick was asking Taylor herself.
“[Cheadle] put me in touch with Frances, and
she and I got to sit and have lunch,” Corinealdi
says. “She’s a little tiny woman, beautiful, but
she has this light about her that I just found so
striking. She’s been able to let go of any anger
she might have had toward Miles. But that was
the question I had: ‘What made you stay for so
long? What made you say yes to him in asking
you to give up your career?’ And she says with
this pause, ‘Well, I loved him.’ ”
As Corinealdi relates this anecdote, she
seems touched by the sentiment’s simplicity.
“I waited—I didn’t know if something else
was going to follow that—and that was just it.
16 backstage 03.31.16
That was the starting point [for me], just going
from that.”
It wasn’t until Corinealdi was a senior in
high school that she decided to pursue acting
after abandoning the notion of becoming an
attorney. (She remembers telling herself, “You
like the acting that they do in the courtroom.
You don’t want to be a lawyer; you want to
play a lawyer.”) She left Kansas for New York’s
William Esper Studio and the Actor’s Training
Studio, and when she chose L.A. as her next
stop, she spent her early years in Southern
California continuing to focus on her craft at
Playhouse West.
In “Miles Ahead”
“[‘Middle of Nowhere’] opened
the door, but then the chain
was on and I couldn’t get in.
Someone left the chain on.”
—EMAYATZY CORINEALDI
She credits her military upbringing for giving her the discipline she’s needed. (Plus, she’s
very handy: “I’ve built beds and benches with
hinged lids and shelves and wine racks. I literally go to the store and get the wood and cut it
in the shop and build.”) That studiousness pays
off for her preparedness. “When it’s time to do
something, you make a plan and this is how
you attack it,” she explains. “But sometimes it’s
been a bit of a hindrance because I’ll think, ‘I’ve
worked hard, so this should be the result.’ I’ve
learned that [logic] doesn’t always apply to the
creative world.”
That lesson has had to be learned several
times over the years: Since moving to L.A.,
she’s worked on indie films that sat on the shelf
and has been part of promising pilots that never
got picked up. Even when she was cast as Ruby,
the silently suffering wife in writer-director
Ava DuVernay’s “Middle of Nowhere,” the road
to landing that lead role wasn’t smooth. She initially went in to read for the supporting part of
Ruby’s sister but impressed the casting agents
enough to be considered for Ruby.
“I just knew who she was,” Corinealdi says.
“Just being in that place of trying to be everything for everybody is how I relate to her. In
doing that, you could sometimes find yourself
in the middle of nowhere trying to figure it out.
It connected to me on a level that I just thought,
Oh, I know I can do this.”
Her confidence wasn’t misplaced: She
received rave reviews and earned an
Independent Spirit Award nomination, winning
the Gotham Independent Film Award for breakthrough actor. Unfortunately, the accolades
didn’t immediately open the floodgates for
more roles.
“It was very frustrating,” Corinealdi admits.
“We couldn’t figure out why, other than the
film wasn’t that big. The analogy that I liked
to use at that time was: It opened the door, but
then the chain was on and I couldn’t get in.
Someone left the chain on.”
Undeterred, she kept working and things
started to fall into place. April will be a big
month for her: Not only does she have “Miles
Ahead,” but the indie horror-thriller “The
Invitation,” which she made with “Girlfight”
director Karyn Kusama, also hits theaters.
Then in May, she’ll be part of the remake of the
landmark miniseries “Roots,” which will air on
several cable channels starting on Memorial
Day. She has done her best to keep her head
down, have faith, and attend to her semiyearly
assessment report.
Except, she has a confession to make.
“I feel guilty,” she says sheepishly. Her
dirty little secret? She still hasn’t finished her
January assessment—and it’s driving her crazy.
“I started it, but I’ve not finished it, which
is something I’ve never done. This is a first
for me. I’m, like, ‘Emay, you’re about to be in
March and you have not finished your assessment!’ My husband said, ‘Just go sit and do it.’
But I have to go to the beach, and it has to be a
special thing.”
Corinealdi shouldn’t be too hard on herself:
She’s been busy with the work that brought her
to Los Angeles in the first place. Nonetheless,
she’s looking forward to the ritual, which
requires going back and reading the old entries.
“I really just want to see a full picture of where I
started and where I am now,” she says. “See my
weak spots, see my strengths. Especially when
you are facing so much rejection at times, you
feel like you’re getting nothing done. But you
can look and see, ‘No, you actually are doing
something.’ ” •
On previous spread: dress by Elisabetta Franchi.
BACKSTAGE.COM
SONY PICTURES CL ASSICS
Emayatzy Corinealdi
66
OSCAR NOMINATIONS
78
26
GOLDEN GLOBE
NOMINATIONS
STARS ON THE WALK OF FAME
29
EMMY
NOMINATIONS
Honoring our Past / Forging your Future
Two-Year Conservatory Program
Film, TV and New Media techniques designed for today’s actor.
OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, April 16th 2016
1-855-556-6565
Financial Aid Available
www.toa.edu
[email protected]
VA-Approved Institute
Fully accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre
Go Bulldogs
How to get into one of the most competitive graduate acting programs in the country
By Jack Smart
18 backstage 03.31.16
Acting students at the Yale School of Drama
“We all seem to share a common understanding
of what ‘good’ means and what ‘acting’ is.”
its playwrights, while the student-run Yale
Cabaret stages 18 public shows and encourages
cross-disciplinary endeavors.
The overlap between disciplines is a crucial
component in any drama student’s education,
according to Wilson. “Our students report that
they frequently hear related information from
their teachers in different classes, which tells
me that we as a faculty are attuned to a similar
wavelength.... Although each of us may employ
a slightly different vocabulary in our classes,
we all seem to share a common understanding
of what ‘good’ means and what ‘acting’ is.”
As an adjunct professor specializing in voice
and speech, he adds, “It doesn’t matter to me if
an actor discovers something important about
their voice in another class—what’s important
is that actor’s experience of learning. There
are many doors into the room, metaphorically
speaking. What’s important is that the actor
gets into the room.”
Speaking of which, how does an actor go
about auditioning for such an intense program?
Yale’s website mentions “a strong sense of
individuality,” “expressive and trainable”
instruments, as well as “imaginations and
emotional lives.” But for Wilson, actors
interested in submitting themselves (by
the Jan. 1 deadline) should do plenty of
research and ask themselves if Yale fits their
artistic sensibilities and ambitions: “What
specifically are you in possession of, in terms
of your understanding of your own creative
process, and what do you feel is missing in
your work?”
Regardless of where a prospective MFA actor
is setting his or her sights, Wilson adds that the
career decision must already be made; actors
shouldn’t have a shred of doubt when it comes
to what they want to do for the rest of their
lives. “Graduate school,” he says, “is not the
place to go to figure that question out.” •
BACKSTAGE.COM
P E TA R D J O R D J E V I C / S H U T T E R S T O C K . C O M
—WALTON WILSON, CHAIR OF THE ACTING DEPARTMENT AT YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA
J OA N M A R C U S
EACH YEAR, AROUND 1,000 PEOPLE AUDItion for an acting program in Connecticut that
accepts only 15–17 students. Why compete
with those kinds of odds? To join the ranks of
Frances McDormand, Paul Giamatti, and Meryl
Streep, of course.
The Yale School of Drama’s master of fine
arts in acting is widely considered the ultimate training ground for tomorrow’s greatest
performers. Graduates of the school’s nine
available advanced degree programs—in acting,
directing, playwriting, design, sound design,
dramaturgy and criticism, stage management,
technical design and production, and theater
management—are launched into the country’s
top stage productions and on-camera projects,
and for actors, the success rate is unparalleled. When Lupita Nyong’o, now headlining
“Eclipsed” on Broadway, won an Academy
Award for her 2013 feature film debut, she was
practically fresh out of New Haven.
“In the acting program, we’re very interested in who the person is, as much as in that
person’s talent,” Walton Wilson, chair of the
Yale School of Drama’s acting department,
tells Backstage via email. “I think that’s part of
what the experience of training here does—it
encourages and develops the artistry and the
individuality of each person.”
The three-year program, open to those with
undergraduate degrees and those without (the
latter of whom receive a Certificate in Acting
instead of an MFA), covers text analysis, speech
and dialects, several forms of physical performance training, and much, much more. Actors
train for five hours a day before working closely
with students in other departments. “Creating
frameworks or models or practices for various
kinds of artistic collaboration is a significant
part of the school’s mission,” says Wilson.
One of the reasons Yale stands out from
other MFA programs is its connection to Yale
Repertory Theatre, the 1991 regional theater
Tony Award winner and a professional LORT
theater that features many of the nation’s
top artists. All acting students are assigned
to understudy there at one point, enabling
them to graduate with their Equity cards.
In addition, the School of Drama itself produces 19 plays a season, many written by
Step to the Next Level
Ten stellar dance conservatories to consider for college
By Jack Smart
DANCE IS YOUR CALLING AND YOU’RE
ready to pirouette into a higher level of education. Whether the next step is an undergraduate
college or advanced degree, what you need is
a top-notch conservatory where accomplished
teachers will push your skills, expand your
horizons, and keep you working on pointe.
Below are 10 such conservatories, specializing
in different programs and styles of dance.
THE BOSTON CONSERVATORY (BOSTON)
Widely considered the top contemporary program in the U.S., the Boston Conservatory’s
Dance Division promotes in its students an
awareness of both the inner and outer self, and
how the two connect. Bachelor of Fine Arts
candidates also have the opportunity to perform as a member of the Boston Conservatory
Dance Theater.
P E TA R D J O R D J E V I C / S H U T T E R S T O C K . C O M
J OA N M A R C U S
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS (L.A.)
One of the best conservatories on the West
Coast—for both traditional and contemporary
training—the Sharon Disney Lund School of
Dance offers a BFA in dance or an MFA in choreography. Its distinguished faculty and guest
artists (as well as choreographer alum Jacques
Heim) make it a must on any college dancer’s list.
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
(TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA)
FSU’s School of Dance is home to the Maggie
Allesee National Center for Choreography, the
nation’s only choreography center within a
BACKSTAGE.COM
research university. Doris Duke Artist Award
recipient Jawole Willa Jo Zollar is one of many
accolade-collecting faculty members there.
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY (NYC)
Noted primarily for its partnership with the
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Fordham
offers BFA students the best of both worlds: a
comprehensive liberal arts education and close
collaboration with a world-famous company.
Plus, they get to call Lincoln Center home.
JUILLIARD DANCE (NYC)
One of the most competitive programs in the
world, accepting around 24 applicants a year,
Juilliard Dance provides a four-year undergrad
BFA program or a diploma with no liberal arts
requirements; both options are as intense as
they come. The list of notable alumni goes on
and on, of course, and includes Robert Garland
and Bebe Neuwirth.
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY TISCH SCHOOL
OF THE ARTS (NYC)
Tisch’s Department of Dance, offering both
BFA and MFA tracks, is regarded as one of the
country’s eminent places of study. Worth noting is the school’s concert series in the Jack
Crystal Theater, giving students plenty of performance and choreography practice in front of
live audiences.
OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY (OKLAHOMA CITY)
Want to follow in the nimble footsteps of Tony
winners Kristin Chenoweth and Kelli O’Hara?
With a focus on developing well-rounded
students with character, the Ann Lacy School
of American Dance and Arts Management
launches performers into the country’s upper
echelon of entertainment.
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY)
The paths of study at the Mason Gross School
of the Arts are almost overwhelming: BFA in
dance performance, B.A. in dance, five-year
BFA or Ed.M.—or just a minor in dance! Rutgers
also partners with two prodigious abroad
programs, DanceJerusalem in Israel and the
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and
Dance in London.
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT PURCHASE
(PURCHASE, NEW YORK)
This SUNY school’s Conservatory of Dance
offers undergraduate focuses in modern
dance or ballet, composition, or production.
The country’s very first facility constructed
for the performance and study of dance is the
Purchase College Dance Building.
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS (PHILADELPHIA)
If it’s integration into a performing arts
community you’re looking for, don’t forget
the University of the Arts. Philadelphia’s local
culture is thriving, and this school’s rigorous and
interdisciplinary approach to its dance program
is the perfect way to get in on the action. •
03.31.16 backstage
19
When You Graduate
From Here, You’re Family
Four of the nation’s top acting schools break down the art of networking
By Benjamin Lindsay
BLOOD—OR IN THIS CASE, A DEGREE—RUNS
deep. When deciding where to master your
craft, it’s important to consider the theatrical family you’ll be joining. Its professors,
students, alumni—you’re joining the ranks of
an institution that, at its best, will help you
realize your dreams as an actor. They’ve been
cheekily deemed “mafias”: the notion among
many conservatories that students and alumni
have each other’s backs, whether that means
networking and helping with job searches or
offering insight and advice on how to find success. Below, four of the top theater programs in
the country break down their efforts to connect
alumni and build their family.
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY (SYRACUSE, NEW YORK)
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY TISCH SCHOOL
OF THE ARTS (NYC)
“We’re putting 350 new artists out into the
world every year; that’s way bigger than everybody else,” says Christopher Andersson, Tisch
Drama’s director of admissions. “What’s nice
about that is that our alumni network is vast.
When you walk into an audition and a director sees you’re from the drama department at
Tisch, they think, Oh, I was from the drama
20 backstage 03.31.16
department at Tisch! And then you go into a
different pile.” That pride is further cultivated,
Andersson says, through alumni mixers at festivals like Sundance and SXSW, an NYU in L.A.
mentor program, and career sustainability panels to “clear the fog” for current students and
connect them with alums before graduation.
are creating together,” says David Bridel, the
school’s interim dean. “Alumni frequently look
to work with fellow SDA grads because they
have confidence in their mutual artistic foundation and level of commitment.”
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (L.A.)
It’s an open secret that SUNY Purchase’s
Conservatory of Theatre Arts has fiercely loyal
alums that regularly hire and collaborate with
one another. “There are so many examples
of this from the past, but more recently, you
only need to look to ‘The Woodsman,’ ” says
Gregory Taylor, the conservatory’s director. He approximates that the Off-Broadway
show’s team is 80 percent Purchase-bred. “It’s
Exhibit A for what can await you as a potential Purchase alumnus or alumna. It springs
from a connection with the larger Purchase
community, and from the bonding, pride, and
work ethic that lie at the core of our students’
shared identity.” •
The most obvious mafia-building by USC’s
School of Dramatic Arts is its annual networking events for New York City and Los
Angeles–based alums, its Trojan Entertainment
Network for alumni working across all realms
of entertainment, and the soon-to-be-launched
Alumni Leadership Council, which offers
opportunities for the Trojan Family to stay
connected and work together. That’s in addition to current students enjoying frequent
classroom visits, mentorships via the school’s
Stage Door Forum, and the new Spotlight@SDA
event series for industry Q&As and more. “We
hear time and again of the work our alumni
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT PURCHASE
(PURCHASE, NEW YORK)
BACKSTAGE.COM
I G O R K I S S E L E V/ S H U T T E R S T O C K . C O M
Ralph Zito, professor and chair of SU’s
Department of Drama, witnesses what his students call the “Orange Mafia” firsthand while
overseeing weekly Theater Labs with noted
alums; in the school’s Sorkin Week initiative,
which sends 14 seniors on a trip to Los Angeles
with the Oscar-winning screenwriter; and with
the Araca Project. The latter invites recent
alums from Syracuse and four other universities to form teams and pitch a piece of theater
to go through “producing boot camp” before
it gets produced on an Off-Broadway stage.
“Those early years of trying to make your way
are the vulnerable years,” Zito says. “[The
Araca Project] is a way that we can provide a little support to early-career alums and get them
thinking creatively about how they’re going to
get their work done.”
PLAYS
MUSICALS
FILM
TV & VIDEO
COMMERCIAL
MODELING
VARIETY
VOICEOVER
GIGS
EVENTS
PLAYS
CASTING
SUBMIT A NOTICE |
SUBMIT YOUR CALLS FOR CAST AND CREW: Visit backstage.com/findtalent and click on “Post a Notice.”
Include all relevant project requirements, including any pay, fees, dues, costs, required ticket sales or nudity.
NEW YORK
TRISTATE
PLAYS
Core Ensemble Touring Season
•• Casting The Core Ensemble’s 2016-2017
season. Season includes “Los Valientes”
(Jose Cruz Gonzalez, writer. Runs Sept.
5-Oct. 31 with a possible extension);
“Tres Vidas” (Marjorie Agosin, writer.
Runs Sept. 5-Oct. 31 with a possible
extension); “Of Ebony Embers” (Akin
Babatunde, writer. Runs Jan. 2, 2017-Feb.
26, 2017 with a possible extension); and
“Ain’t I A Woman” (Kim Hines, writer.
Runs Jan. 23, 2017-Mar. 26, 2017 with a
possible extension). The Core Ensemble
is a touring company that presents ethnic-centered educational plays performed by a solo actor with a chamber
trio of percussion, cello & piano.
•• Company: Core Ensemble. Staff:
Michael Parola, prod.; Fiona Choi, dir.casting dir.
•• Season rehearses in Lake Worth, FL.
All shows will rehearse for three weeks
then tour for five weeks with possible
extension.
•• Seeking—Actors: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 18 from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at
Actors’ Equity Association NYC
Audition Center, 165 W. 46th St., 16th
fl., NYC, 10036. EPA Rules are in effect.
A monitor will be provided.
•• Sides will be provided. Actors interested
in “Los Valientes” or “Tres Vidas” should
also prepare a Spanish folk song to be
sung a cappella. Actors interested in
“Ain’t I A Woman” should also prepare a
short spiritual or folk song to be sung a
cappella. Bring picture and resume. For
more info, visit www.coreensemble.com.
•• Pays $435/wk. (three perfs. min. @
$145/perf.) plus $50/day per diem while
on tour. Equity LOA Per Performance
Agreement.
Geva Theatre Center Season,
Rochester
•• Casting Equity actors and actor/singers for various roles and ensemble in
22 backstage 03.31.16
Geva Theatre Center’s upcoming 201617 season. Season includes “A Funny
Thing Happened on the Way to the
Forum,”A Christmas Carol,” “Sylvia,”
“The Lake Effect,” “Guess Who’s
Coming to Dinner,” “Private Lives,”
“Other than Honorable,” and “Million
Dollar Quartet.”
•• Company: Geva Theatre Center. Staff:
Mark Cuddy, artistic dir.; Christopher
Mannelli, exec. dir.; Julie Madonia,
company manager.
•• Rehearsals begin Sept. 9, 2016; runs
Oct. 8, 2016-July 2, 2017 in Rochester,
NY.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors and Actor/
Singers: males & females, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 12 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (lunch, 1-2
p.m.; accompanist provided this day
only) and April 13 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
(lunch from 1-2 p.m.) at Geva Theatre
Center, 75 Woodbury Boulevard, 2nd
fl., Rehearsal Hall, Rochester, NY,
14607. A monitor will not be provided.
The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• For an audition appointments, call
(585) 232-1366. Prepare either two
short contrasting monologues, or one
short monologue and one song. If
singing bring sheet music; accompanist provided. Accompanist provided
on Apr. 12 only. Note: Appointments
will be taken for Apr. 12 first; if all
slots are taken then appointments will
be taken for Apr. 13. If all slots not
taken on Apr. 12, then Apr. 13 may be
cancelled.
•• Pays $861 and $637/wk. mins. Equity
LORT Non-Rep B and D Contracts.
‘Kingdom Come’
•• Seeking Equity actors for five roles
(four female, one male) in “Kingdom
Come.”
•• Company: Roundabout Theatre
Company. Staff: Jenny Rachel Weiner,
playwright; Kip Fagan, dir.; Carrie
Gardner, Stephen Kopel, Jillian Cimini,
Peter Van Dam, Jenise Crawford,
casting.
•• Rehearsals begin Sept. 13; previews
begin Oct. 7; opens Nov. 2, 2016; max
run Jan. 1, 2017 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Samantha Carlin: female,
30-34, all ethnicities. Delores
Aquendo: 50-59, Hispanic. Layne
Falcone: female, 30-34, all ethnicities.
Suz Falcone: female, 24-29, all ethnicities. Dominick Aquendo: male, 30-34,
Hispanic.
CASTING PICKS
OF THE WEEK
BY M I C H A E L C O U G H L I N
musicals
‘Fun Home,’ B’way
2015 Tony Award-winner for
Best Musical is seeking possible
future replacements
film
‘Krystal’
Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda
star in the feature directed by
William H. Macy in which a young
man crushes on a stripper
musicals
‘Hamilton,’ B’way & Nat’l Tours
L.A. and San Francisco singers
& dancers get their chance
to rap history in the LinManuel Miranda smash
stage
‘The Front Page,’ B’way
Scott Rudin produces and
Nathan Lane stars in the
tabloid newspaper comedy to
run on Broadway next year
musicals
‘Monsoon Wedding,’ Singers
Casting in L.A. for a
developmental lab version of
the 2001 Bollywood feature
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 4 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch 1:302:30 p.m.) at Ripley-Grier 520, 520 8th
Ave., 16th Fl., NYC, 10018. EPA Rules
are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• Actors will read from sides from the
show, provided at the audition. Bring
pix & resumes, stapled together.
•• Pays: $637/wk. Equity LORT D NonRep Contract.
‘Out of Sterno’
•• Seeking Equity actors for four available roles in “Out of Sterno,” a comingof-age comedy in an “Alice in
Wonderland” world.
•• Company: Garage Theatre Group.
Staff: Deborah Zoe Laufer, writer;
Michael Bias, dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Apr. 11; runs May
5-22 in Teaneck, NJ.
•• Seeking—Dotty: female, 23, all ethnicities. Hamel: male, 30-49, all ethnicities. Zena: female, 30-49, all
ethnicities. Dan: male, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 1 from 6-10 p.m. and April 2 from
11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Becton Hall,
Fairleigh Dickinson University, Metro
Campus, 960 River Rd., Teaneck, NJ,
07666. A monitor will not be provided.
The producer will run all aspects of this
audition. No appointments. Actors seen
on first come, first seen basis.
•• Prepare a two- to three-minute monologue. Sides will also be available.
Bring pix & resumes, stapled together.
•• Pays: currently $229/wk. min. Equity
SPT Cat. 1 Contract.
‘Sense & Sensibility’
•• Seeking Equity actors for various
available roles in “Sense & Sensibility.”
•• Company: Bedlam, Inc. Staff: Eric
Tucker, dir.; Emily Lyon, asst. dir.; Kate
Hamill, writer, adapted from the novel
by Jane Austen.
•• Production dates: June 17-Oct. 2, 2016
at The Gym At Judson, NYC.
•• Seeking—Margaret Dashwood:
female, 10-13, all ethnicities. John
Dashwood: male, 18+, all ethnicities.
Fanny Ferrars Dashwood: female, 18+,
all ethnicities. John Willoughby: male,
18+, all ethnicities. Sir John
Middleton: male, 18+, all ethnicities.
Mrs. Jennings: female, 18+, all ethnicities. Lady Middleton: female, 18+, all
ethnicities. Lucy Steele: female, 18+,
all ethnicities. Anne Steele: female,
18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 11 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
(lunch, 1-2 p.m.) at Actors’ Equity
Association NYC Audition Center, 165
W. 46th St., 16th fl., NYC, 10036. EPA
Rules are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• Prepare a one-minute classical monologue. Bring pix & resumes, stapled
together.
•• Pays: $593/wk. Equity Off Broadway
Contract.
BACKSTAGE.COM
NEW YORK TRISTATE casting
‘Shakespeare in the Parking
Lot...’
•• Seeking Equity actors for various roles
and understudies in “The Front Page.”
•• Company: Scott Rudin Productions.
Staff: Jack O’Brien, dir.; Ben Hecht and
Charles MacArthur, playwrights;
Caparelliotis Casting, casting (David
Caparelliotis and Lauren Port, expected
to be in attendance at the EPAs).
•• Rehearsals begin on or about Aug. 15;
runs on or about Sept. 20, 2016-Feb. 5,
2017 on Broadway.
•• Casting Equity disabled and non-disabled actors for the world premiere of
“The Healing” by Samuel D. Hunter.
•• Company: Theater Breaking Through
Barriers. Staff: Stella Powell-Jones, dir.;
Nicholas Viselli, artistic dir. of TBTB.
•• Rehearsals begin May 16; runs June
11-July 16 in NY.
•• Seeking—Sharon: female, 30+, all ethnicities. Donald: male, 30+, all ethnicities. Bonnie: female, 30+, all
ethnicities. Laura: female, 30+, all ethnicities. Zoe: female, 30+, all ethnicities. Greg: male, 30+, all ethnicities.
Joan: female, 60+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 12 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
(lunch, 1-2 p.m.) at Actors’ Equity
Association NYC Audition Center, 165
West 46th St., 16th fl., NYC, 10036. EPA
Rules are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• Sides will be provided at the audition
or prepared monologue is acceptable.
Bring picture and resume.
•• For more info, visit TBTB.org. Note:
People of all races and ethnicities
strongly encouraged to attend.
•• Pays $355/wk. Equity LOA-NYC
Contract.
Throughline Artists 2016
Summer Shorts
•• Casting a company of actors to play a
variety of roles in the Throughline
Artists summer season of six short
plays. This is an annual festival of six
new one-act plays, written and directed
Dance pros
with
the
Steps Conservatory

2 Year intensive
Ballet/Contemporary &
Theater Dance/Jazz focus
Summer Study NYC:

A Contemporary Intensive
June13-July8•July11-August5
Contemporary Ballet Workshop:

A Choreographic Exploration
June 27-July 1
Steps’ Steele Pilates Mat

Teacher Certification
Program/Scholarship Audition:
On site June 19 (video submissions welcomed)
For complete information visit StepsNYC.com
STEPS
®
on Broadway
Dance ~ all Styles, all Levels, all Ages
2121 Broadway @ 74th St, NYC 10023 212.874.2410
by some of the most preeminent artists
in the American Theater. They are presented in groups of three, as a part of
either Series A or Series B, performing
in repertory.
•• Company: Throughline Artists Inc.
Staff: Krysta Hibbard, assoc. prod.
•• Rehearsals begin in the middle of June
2016; runs July 22-Sept. 3 in NY. Each
series receives 24 performances.
•• Seeking—Actors: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 23 from 1-9 p.m. (break, 4:30-5:30
p.m.) and April 25 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
(lunch, 1:30-2:30 p.m.) at Clinton
Cameo Studios, 307 W. 43rd St., NYC,
10036. EPA Rules are in effect. A monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare a monologue from a contemporary play, two minutes or less. Bring
picture and resume.
•• Pays $1000 total stipend. Equity
Showcase-NY Seasonal Showcase Code.
MUSICALS
‘The Front Page,’ B’way
‘The Healing’
PLAYS
•• Casting Equity actors for summer productions of the “Shakespeare in the
Parking Lot/Bryant Park” Shakes season. Season includes, “Much Ado About
Nothing, “As You Like It,” “Midsummer
Night’s Dream,” “Measure for Measure,
“Merchant of Venice.”
•• Company: The Drilling Company
Theatrical Productions. Staff: Hamilton
Clancy, artistic dir.; David Marant,
assistant artistic dir.
•• Runs this summer in NYC.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 1 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (lunch,
1-2 p.m.) at Actors’ Equity Association
NYC Audition Center, 165 W. 46th St.,
16th fl., NYC, 10036. EPA Rules are in
effect. A monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare a short Shakespearean monologue. Bring picture and resume. For more
info, visit www.drillingcompany.org.
•• Equity Basic Showcase Code.
•• Seeking—Walter Burns: male, 50-59,
all ethnicities. Hildy Johnson: male,
40-49, all ethnicities. Peggy Grant:
female, 30-39, all ethnicities. Mrs.
Grant: female, 60-69, all ethnicities.
Bensinger: male, 40-49, all ethnicities. McCue: male, 40-49, all ethnicities. Endicott: male, 40-49, all
ethnicities. Schwartz: male, 50-59, all
ethnicities. Wilson: male, 40-49, all
ethnicities. Kruger: male, 30-39, all
ethnicities. Diamond Louis: male,
30-39, all ethnicities. Woodenshoes
Eichorn: male, 40-49, all ethnicities.
Earl Williams: male, 30-39, all ethnicities. Mollie: female, 35-39, all ethnicities. Mayor: 50-59, all ethnicities.
Sheriff Hartman: male, 50-59, all ethnicities. Jennie: female, 60-69, all
ethnicities. Mr. Pincus: male, 50-59,
all ethnicities. Carl: male, 50-59, all
ethnicities. Frank: male, 50-59, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 5 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (lunch,
1-2 p.m.), April 7 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30
p.m. (lunch, 1-2 p.m.) and April 11 from
9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (lunch, 1-2 p.m.) at
Actors’ Equity Association NYC
Audition Center, 165 W. 46th St., 16th
Fl., NYC, 10036. EPA Rules are in effect.
A monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare contemporary monologues
from 1930s to the present in the style of
the show. No longer than two minutes
in length. Bring pix & resumes, stapled
together.
•• Pays: $1917/wk. Equity Production
(League) Contract.
MUSICALS
‘A Christmas Story, The
Musical!’ Children
•• Seeking children for the nonunion
national tour of “A Christmas Story, The
Musical!” Synopsis: This classic holiday
tale centers on a mischievous, bespectacled boy, Ralphie, who dreams of getting a BB-gun for Christmas. In the
weeks before the big holiday, Ralphie,
his friends and his family get into all
Photo: J. Medlock, former members Steps Repertory Ensemble
casting NEW YORK TRISTATE
MUSICALS
kinds of situations— including run-ins
with a bully with “yellow eyes,” a
tongue stuck to a flag pole, a bar of soap
in the mouth, a garish leg lamp, a major
award and a Chinese Christmas dinner.
Based on the humorist Jean Shepherd’s
novel “In God We Trust, All Others Pay
Cash,” this is a tribute to the original,
traditional, one-hundred-percent, redblooded, two-fisted, All-American
Christmas.
•• Company: Big League Productions,
Inc. Staff: Daniel Sher, exec. prod.;
Joseph Robinette, book; Benj Pasek and
Justin Paul, music & lyrics; Matt Lenz,
dir.; Michael Rader, assoc. dir. Warren
Carlyle, choreo.; Jason Sparks, assoc.
choreo.; Logan Medland, music supervisor; Alison Franck/Franck Casting,
casting dir.
•• Rehearsals begin on or about Oct. 1;
tours runs through Dec. 31, 2016.
•• Seeking—Ralphie: male, 9-13,
Caucasian, to play 9-10; under 5’0”; a
regular boy, appealing but not necessarily a handsome boy. Can have some
extra weight on him. Strong presence,
honest actor. Not “show-bizzy.”
Experienced on stage and a great strong
singing voice, high belter voice must be
unchanged. Must be a clear singer with
a great range. Range is low F# to high D.
Huge lead role. Will be casting two boys
to play Ralphie; principal. Randy: male,
9-13, Caucasian, to play about 7-8. Must
be smaller than Ralph, cute and funny
little boy. Funny in the sense that he is
awkward and off-beat. Must be physically comfortable onstage and have a
lot of strong concentration, but, like
Ralphie, not show-bizzy. Vocally, voice
is unchanged and height belter low
F#-high C#; principal. Scut Farkus:
male, 12-14, all ethnicities, must be 5’0”
or shorter; taller than the other kids;
the bully. Must be able to tap. Flick:
male, 10-13, all ethnicities, will sing a
song with his tongue “stuck” to a flag
pole; must be funny and natural; strong
singer. Voice, belter (unchanged voice)
low B-high C#. Must be able to tap.
Must be 4’11” or shorter. Schwartz:
male, 10-13, all ethnicities, male voice,
belter (unchanged voice) low B-high C#.
Must be able to tap. Must be 4’11” or
shorter. Grover Dill: male, 9-12, all ethnicities, Farcus’s sidekick, a smaller
kid. Voice, belter (unchanged voice) low
B-high C#. Must be able to tap. Must be
4’9” or shorter. Featured Male Tap
Specialty/Ensemble: male, 9-12, all
ethnicities, should be 4’9” or shorter
(would love very small); excellent tap
dancer; singing a plus. Children’s
Female Ensemble: female, 9-13, all ethnicities, to play 8-12. Children’s chorus.
Must be high belters. Sings from a low
B-high D#. Must be a strong/engaging
performers. Must be able to tap. Must
be 4’11” or shorter.
•• Auditions will be held April 23 from 10
a.m.-12 p.m. (boys 9-13 who sing for
Ralphie, Randy and other featured boys
roles), from 12-2 p.m. (tap dancing call,
Boys 9-13 who tap dance and sing well )
and from 3-5 p.m. (girls tap dancing
call; 9-13 girls who tap dance and sing
well) at Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th
Ave., 17th fl., NYC, 10036.
•• Send submissions to Alison@
FranckCasting.com.
24 backstage 03.31.16
AUDITION
HIGHLIGHT S
N E W YO R K T R IS TAT E
Fri. Apr. 1
‘Shakespeare in the Parking Lot...’
‘My Fair Lady,’ Singers
‘On Your Feet,’ B’way
‘Charlie...Factory’ (also 4/3)
‘Finding Neverland,’ Tour
‘Mamma Mia!,’ Dancers
‘Frozen,’ Developmental Lab
‘The King And I’
‘Out of Sterno’ (also 4/2)
Sat. Apr. 2
‘StickyQuotes’
‘Man Of La Mancha’
Sun. Apr. 3
‘The Accident’
‘London Rocks’ (also 4/4-4/5)
Mon. Apr. 4
‘Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire,’ NYC
GPAA
‘Chicago’
Tues. Apr. 5
‘The Front Page,’ B’way
‘The Prom,’ Singers
Tues. Apr. 5
John W. Engeman Theater Musicals
‘Fun Home’
For the full auditions calendar,
visit backstage.com/auditions
•• Sign-ups for all open calls begin at 9
a.m. All kids should bring photo and
resume or a snapshot and listing of production experience/classes/training
and contact information stapled
together. Boy Singers: Boys 9-13 years
old who sing very well and may or may
not tap dance (Ralphie does not need to
tap dance, just move well). Bring 16
bars of a prepared musical theatre song
and bring the sheet music in the right
key as an accompanist will be provided.
We will accept songs from the show,
but not necessary. Bring dance shoes
and as well, tap (if you have them) and
jazz shoes or jazz sneakers (or sneakers)
comfortable clothes to dance in.
(Singers may be invited to dance at
noon). Tap Dancers: Boys, 9-13. Come
dressed and ready to tap dance. Bring
tap shoes, but also bring jazz shoes or
jazz sneakers. Bring 16 bars musical
theatre song sheet music. Note: If an
expert tap dancer, but do not sing,
email [email protected] to
discuss singing. Girl Tap Dancers: 9-13
years old. Come warmed up and ready
to tap dance. Tap shoes, and dance
clothing/comfortable clothes, and bring
jazz shoes. Bring 16 bars musical theatre song as well. For questions, email
[email protected].
•• Pays $700/wk. (principal kids- Ralphie
and Randy); and $400/wk. (Ensemble
kids) plus $280/wk. per diem for all
kids. For each child actor, company
pays: all travel between tour cities for
one Parent/Guardian, a shared single
room for the child actor and parent/
guardian, and $280/wk. per diem for
one parent/guardian.
‘A Funny Thing Happened...’
•• Casting “A Funny Thing Happened on
the Way to the Forum,” a playful zany
romp with a Roman bathhouse feel.
Seeking fun-loving, sexy individuals
with a keen sense of farce and madcap
mayhem.
•• Company: Geva Theatre Center. Staff:
Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart,
book; Stephen Sondheim, music-lyrics;
Mark Cuddy, artistic dir.; Melissa Rain
Anderson, dir.; Rommy Sandhu,
choreo.; Don Kot, musical dir.; Elissa
Myers Casting, casting office; Paul
Fouquet, casting dir.; Karie Koppel,
casting assoc.
•• Rehearsals begin Sept. 9; runs Oct.
8-Nov. 13 in Rochester, NY.
•• Seeking—Pseudolus: male, 30-44, all
ethnicities. Hero: male, 20-29, all ethnicities. Philia: female, 20-29, all ethnicities. Hysterium: male, 30-44, all
ethnicities. Senex: male, 50-59, all ethnicities. Domina: female, 30-49, all ethnicities. Marcus Lycus: male, 40-59, all
ethnicities. Miles Gloriosus: male,
30-49, all ethnicities. Erronius: male,
50-69, all ethnicities. Gymnasia:
female, 20-29, all ethnicities. Panacea:
female, 20-29, all ethnicities.
Tintinabula: female, 20-29, all ethnicities. The Geminae: males & females,
20-29, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• NYC auditions to be held on Apr. 18-22,
by appointment only. For consideration, mail or messenger picture and
resume to Attn.: Forum, Role of ____ /
NYC Appt., Elissa Myers Casting, 250 W.
54th St., 10th Fl., New York, NY 10019.
Submissions deadline is Apr. 8. Seeking
submissions from Equity members only
via this posting. Equity members must
submit themselves directly in order to
be considered (no agent submissions).
•• Pays: $861/wk. Equity LORT B Non-Rep
Contract.
‘Charlie And The Chocolate
Factory’
•• Casting Equity actor/singers for
“Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.”
Note: This production will begin as a
Developmental Lab and then transfer to
a Broadway production. Actors will be
considered for both.
•• Company: Warner Bros. Theatrical
Ventures, Neal Street Productions,
Kevin McCormick. Staff: Jack O’Brien,
dir.; Marc Shaiman, music and lyrics;
Scott Wittman, lyrics; David Greig,
book; Joshua Bergasse, choreo.; Rachel
Hoffman/Telsey + Company, casting;
Mark Shacket and Aaron Lustbader,
general mngrs. Foresight Theatrical.
•• Lab dates run June 6-18; Broadway
rehearsals begin December; run begins
February 2017.
•• Seeking—Willy Wonka: male, 40-49, all
ethnicities. Charlie Bucket: male, 8-12,
all ethnicities. Grandpa Joe: male, 60+,
all ethnicities. Mrs. Bucket: female,
30-39, all ethnicities. Augustus Gloop:
male, 18-None, all ethnicities. Mrs.
Gloop: female, 30-39, all ethnicities.
Veruca Salt: female, 18-None, all ethnicities. Mr. Salt: male, 30-39, all ethnicities. Violet Beauregard: female,
18-None, African American. Mr.
Beauregard: male, 30-39, African
American. Mike Teavee: male, 18-None,
all ethnicities. Mrs. Teavee: female,
30-49, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 1 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch, 1:302:30 p.m.) and April 3 from 10 a.m.-6
p.m. (lunch, 1:30-2:30 p.m.) at RipleyGrier 520, 520 8th Ave., NYC, 10018.
EPA Rules are in effect. A monitor will
be provided.
•• Prepare a short contemporary musical
theatre song. Bring sheet music; accompanist provided. Bring picture and
resume.
•• Pays $1000/wk. (Developmental Lab)
and $1917/wk. (Broadway Production.)
Equity Production (League) and
Developmental Lab Agreements.
‘Chasing Rainbows, The Road
to Oz’
•• Casting “Chasing Rainbows, The Road
to Oz.”
•• Company: Goodspeed Musicals. Staff:
Marc Acito, book; Tina Marie
Casamento, concept; David Libby,
music adaptation; Tyne Rafaeli, dir.;
Chris Bailey, choreo.; Michael
O’Flaherty, musical dir.; Paul Hardt/SH
Entertainment, casting dir.; Michael
Gennaro, exec. dir.; Donna Lynn Hilton,
line prod.; Bob Alwine, assoc. prod.
•• Rehearsals being Aug. 16; closes Dec.
4, 2016, in East Haddam, CT.
•• Seeking—Frank Gumm: male, 30-49,
Caucasian. Roger Edens: male, 30-39,
Caucasian. Ethel Gumm: female, 30-49,
Caucasian. Mickey Rooney (Joe Yule):
male, 18+, Caucasian. Kay Koverman/
Ma Lawlor: female, 50-59, Caucasian.
L.B. Mayer: male, 50-69, Caucasian.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• NYC auditions to be held on Apr. 12-15,
by appointment only. For consideration, email picture and resume to
[email protected] with
union status and role you are submitting for in the subject line. Callbacks
scheduled for the end of the month.
Seeking submissions from Equity members only via this posting. Equity members must submit themselves directly
in order to be considered (no agent submissions). Judy Garland (Frances
Gumm): Cast.
•• Pays: $861/wk. Equity LORT B Non-Rep
Contract.
‘Chicago’
•• Seeking actors for possible future
principal replacements in the SETA tour
production of “Chicago.”
•• Company: Fran and Barry Weissler.
Staff: John Kander, music; Fred Ebb,
lyrics; Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse, book;
Walter Bobbie, dir.; Ann Reinking,
BACKSTAGE.COM
NEW YORK TRISTATE casting
‘Fun Home’
•• Seeking Equity actor/singers for possible future replacements in the currently running Broadway production of
“Fun Home.”
•• Company: Fox Theatricals, Barbara
Whitman. Staff: Jeanine Tesori, music;
Lisa Kron, book & lyrics; Sam Gold, dir.;
Chris Fenwick, musical dir.; Jim
Carnahan & Jillian Cimini, casting dirs.
•• Currently running on B’way in NYC.
•• Seeking—Alison: female, 37-44, all ethnicities. Bruce: male, 40-49, all ethnicities. Helen: female, 40-49, all
ethnicities. Medium Alison: female,
20-27, all ethnicities. Joan: female,
20-27, all ethnicities. Roy/Pete/Mark/
Bobby Jeremy: male, 20-24, all ethnicities. Small Alison: female, 9-11, all ethnicities. Christian Bechdel: male, 10-12,
all ethnicities. John Bechdel: male, 7-9,
all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 6 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch 1:302:30 p.m.) at Ripley-Grier Studios, 520
8th Ave., NYC, 10018. EPA rules are in
effect. A monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare a short contemporary musical
theater song. Bring sheet music. An
accompanist will be provided. Bring pix
& resume, stapled together.
•• Pays: $1,917/wk. Equity Production
(League) contract.
John W. Engeman Theater
•• Casting three musicals for the John
W. Engeman Theater. Shows include
“Mamma Mia”(Catherine Johnson,
book; Benny Andersson & Bjorn
Ulvaeus music & lyrics; Antoinette
DiPietropolo, dir.-choreo.; James
Olmstead, musical dir. Rehearsals
begin July 1; runs July 21-Sept. 11);
“1776” (Peter Stone, book; Sherman
Edwards, music & lyrics. Rehearsals
begin Sept. 5; runs Sept. 22-Nov. 6);
and “Mary Poppins” (Julian Fellowes,
book; Richard M. Sherman & Robert B.
Sherman, original music & lyrics;
George Stiles & Anthony Drewe, additional music & lyrics).
•• Company: Harborside Productions
(John W. Engeman Theater). Staff:
Richard Dolce, prod. artistic dir.; Vic
DiMonda, assoc. prod. dir.
•• Season rehearses and performs in
Northport, NY.
•• Seeking—Equity Actor/Singers: 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be
held April 6 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
(lunch, 1-2 p.m.) at Actors’ Equity
Association NYC Audition Center, 165
W. 46th St., 16th f l., NYC, 10036. EPA
Rules are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• Prepare a short song in the style of the
show for which you wish to be considered. You may sing from one of the
shows. Bring sheet music; accompanist
provided. Bring picture and resume.
Note: An EPA for the remaining three
shows in the season (“The Full Monty,”
“Jekyll & Hyde,” and “Oklahoma!” will
be held in the Fall 2016 on a date still
TBD.
•• If unable to attend send headshot and
resume to Vic DiMonda, Associate
Producing Director, c/o The John W.
Engeman Theatre at Northport, 250
Main St., Northport, NY 11768, Attn:
“Mamma Mia!,” “1776,” or “Mary
Poppins” or email [email protected].
•• Pays $422/wk. Equity LOA ref. to COST
Agreement.
‘Million Dollar Quartet’
•• Casting non-Equity performers for
principal roles in their production of
“Million Dollar Quartet” by Floyd
Mutrux and Colin Escott.
•• Company: The Fireside Theatre. Staff:
Ed Flesch, dir.; Mary Ehlinger, musical
dir.; Julie Nordeen, marketing mgr.
•• Rehearsals begin Aug. 22; runs Sept.
8-Oct. 30 at The Fireside Theatre in Fort
Atkinson, WI.
•• Seeking—Elvis Presley: male, 20-30, all
ethnicities, actor/singer/guitar player to
portray Elvis in his 20s at the beginning
of his career; must be familiar with his
music and able to play guitar; should
sound and look somewhat like Elvis.
Jerry Lee Lewis: male, 20-30, all ethnicities, actor/singer/pianist; must be a
superb piano player, able to play like
Jerry Lee Lewis; fun, energetic; comic
skills a plus. Must sound and look
somewhat like Jerry Lee. Carl Perkins:
male, 23-30, all ethnicities, actor/
singer/guitar player (lead guitar); must
be an excellent lead guitarist. Johnny
Cash: male, 23-30, all ethnicities, actor/
singer/guitar player to portray Johnny
Cash at the dawn of his epic career.
Must be familiar with his music and
able to play guitar; should sound and
look somewhat like Johnny. Sam
Phillips: male, 32-38, all ethnicities,
character actor; does not sing in the
show. For the auditions, actors will be
asked to read sides from the show.
Dyanne: female, 22-28, all ethnicities,
actor and singer; Elvis’s girlfriend;
attractive; great singer with a wide
MUSICALS
choreo; Rob Fisher, musical supervisor;
Duncan Stewart, CSA of Stewart/
Whitley, casting dir.
•• Currently running on tour.
•• Seeking—Roxie Hart (Cast): female,
33-45, all ethnicities. Velma Kelly
(Cast): female, 30-45, all ethnicities.
Billy Flynn (Cast): male, 38-60, all ethnicities. Amos Hart (Cast): male, 38-58,
all ethnicities. Matron “Mama” Morton
(Cast): female, 37-55, all ethnicities.
Mary Sunshine (Cast): male, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 4 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch 1-2
p.m.) at Pearl Studios NYC “519”, 519
8th Ave., 12th fl., NYC, 10018. EPA rules
are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• Prepare a brief, standard, up-tempo
Broadway song to sing (no pop or rock).
Bring sheet music. An accompanist will
be provided. Bring pix & resume, stapled together. (Note: No dancing at this
call; any women coming in to be seen
as Roxie or Velma will be brought back
to dance if there is any further
interest.).
•• Equity Short Engagement Touring
Agreement.
Tel: 212 / 645 1525
[email protected]
www.MichaelHowardStudios.com
ONE AND TWO-YEAR CONSERVATORIES
Professional training for the committed actor
SUMMER CONSERVATORIES
A six-week intensive dedicated to the actor’s cra
YOUNG ACTOR CONSERVATORY
A two-week intensive for the talented young actor
PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOPS &
ONGOING SCENE STUDY
Apply now!
“e invaluable training and intensive study
allowed me to pursue the cra on a full-time basis.
Not only did I find focus, I learned that
professional acting was what I wanted to do with
my life.”
Kerry Washington, Actor, ABC’s “Scandal,”
“Django Unchained,” and “Ray”
“Michael Howard Studios is a wonderful home
to creativity.”
Ali Larter, Actor, FOX’s “e Asset,”
NBC’s “Heroes,” and “Legally Blonde”
casting NEW YORK TRISTATE
MUSICALS
range; This role is pre-cast. We are looking for a cover.
•• Auditions will be held May 5 at 10 a.m.
(nonunion; sign-in 8:30-9:45 a.m.; typing at 10 a.m.; unoffical list will not be
honored) at Nola Rehearsal Studios, 250
W. 54th St., NYC, 53538.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
May 6 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch, 1-2
p.m.) at Nola Rehearsal Studios, 250 W.
54th St., NYC, 53538. EPA Rules are in
effect. A monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare 16 bars in the style of the show
you are interested in. You may sing
from the show. Bring pix & resumes,
stapled together.
•• Equity: Pays: $650/wk. Equity Fireside
Dinner Theatre Agreement. NonEquity: Competitive salary, EMC
points, housing, meals, and travel
provided.
‘Pippin,’ 2017 Tours
•• Casting Prather Touring’s 2017
national/international tour of “Pippin.”
•• Company: Prather Touring. Staff:
Brian Enzman, casting dir.-artistic
prod.; Lauren Sobon, artistic prod.;
William Prather, exec. prod.
•• “Pippin”: Rehearsals begin Dec. 1,
2016; national tour begins Jan. 16-May
28; China international tour runs JuneAug. 2017; national USA tour continues
Aug. 18-Dec. 17, 2017.
•• Seeking—Leading, Supporting, and
Ensemble Roles: males & females,
18-70, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held April 11 from 10
a.m.-6 p.m. (Pippin vocal auditions),
April 12 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (Pippin
vocal auditions), April 13 from 10 a.m.-4
p.m. (Pippin dance auditions; must
attend the vocal calls in order to be
called back to dance; women 10 a.m.-1
p.m.; men 2-4 p.m.) and April 14 from
10 a.m.-6 p.m. (role callbacks for
Pippin) (by appt.) at Pearl Studios, 500
8th Ave., NYC, 10018.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• No appointments. Bring two stapled
headshots and resumes. Prepare 16 bars
in the musical style of the two tours.
You may sing from the shows. Only submit online if unable to make the auditions. Note: The “Bridges of Madison
County” tour auditions have been canceled for Prather Touring. Prather will
only be auditioning for the “Pippin”
national/international tour, and dates
have been updated.
•• “Pippin” tour contracts include housing, per diem, round-trip transportation, and professional weekly salary.
“Pippin” in-house contracts at the
Dutch Apple (PA) and Broadway Palm
(FL) include housing, meals on performance days, round-trip transportation,
health club membership, direct
deposit, and professional weekly
salary.
‘Singin’ in the Rain’
•• Casting a production of “Singin’ in the
Rain.”
•• Company: The Fireside Theatre. Staff:
Julie Nordeen, marketing mgr.; Arthur
Freed, music; Betty Comden & Adolph
Green, book; Ed Flesch, dir.; Mary
Ehlinger, musical dir.; Shanna
VanDerwerker, choreo.
26 backstage 03.31.16
•• Rehearsals begin July 4; runs July 21–
Sept. 4 at The Fireside Theatre in Fort
Atkinson, WI.
•• Seeking—Don Lockwood: male, 25-40,
all ethnicities, a suave Hollywood leading man; good singer; excellent dancer
with strong tap; charming, charismatic.
Kathy Selden: female, 20-30, all ethnicities, excellent singer and dancer with
strong tap; a lovely, honest, talented
actress with wit and charm. Lina
Lamont: female, 25-40, all ethnicities,
comic actor/singer; a slow-witted silent
film diva with a big personality and a
harshly shrill, unpleasant voice; Don’s
regular co-star. Cosmo Brown: male,
25-40, all ethnicities, comic actor/
singer/dancer with strong tap; a wacky
and playful on-set pianist for silent
films; Don’s best friend and former
dance partner. R F Simpson: male,
40-60, all ethnicities, comic character
actor; a successful, magnanimous, film
producer; leads the other characters in
creating a new movie musical. Roscoe
Dexter: male, 30-60, all ethnicities, a
famous film director with theatrical
mannerisms and tendencies; frequently frazzled; must handle comedy.
Zelda Zanders: female, 25-40, all ethnicities, a flapper socialite and actress
on her ninth marriage, she is Lina’s
friend and informant; must handle
comedy; will cover Lina. Rod: male,
30-50, all ethnicities, an excitable film
agent bordering on manic; works for
Simpson. Production Singer: male,
25-40, all ethnicities, strong tenor who
dances; the lead tenor in Monumental
Pictures’ first movie musical. Dora
Dinsmore/Vocal Coach: female, 35-60,
all ethnicities, comic character woman;
a dowager type.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
May 4 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (Equity
actor/singers; lunch, 1-2 p.m.) at Nola
Rehearsal Studios, 250 W. 54th St.,
NYC. EPA Rules are in effect. A monitor
will be provided.
•• Auditions will be held May 5 at 10 a.m.
(nonunion principal roles; open call;
sign-in 8:30-9:45 a.m.; typing at 10
a.m.; unoffical list will not be honored
at Nola Rehearsal Studios, 250 W. 54th
St., NYC.
•• Prepare 16 bars in the style of the show
you are interested in. You may sing
from the show. Bring pix & resumes,
stapled together.
•• Pays: $650/wk. (union); Competitive
salary, EMC points, housing, meals,
and travel provided (nonunion). Equity
Fireside Dinner Theatre Agreement.
‘The Fantasticks,’ Male
Understudy
•• Seeking a replacement for a male
understudy in the currently running
Off-Broadway production of “The
Fantasticks.”
•• Company: And A Wall, LLC. Staff: Tom
Jones, dir.; Tom Jones & Harvey
Schmidt, book, music & lyrics; Janet
Watson, choreo,; Robert Felstein, music
dir.; Kim Moore, assoc. dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Apr. 11 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Male Understudy: male, 18+,
all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• For consideration, mail/messenger
picture and resume to Kim Moore/
Associate Director, The Fantasticks,
The Theater Center, 210 West 50th St,
4th fl., New York, NY 10019. Casting
states: “Actively seeking performers of
all ethnic and racial backgrounds.””
•• Pays $593/wk. Equity Off Broadway
Contract.
‘The Wizard of Oz’
•• Casting “The Wizard of Oz.”
•• Company: LaComedia Dinner Theatre.
Staff: Joe Adkins, prod.; Chris Beiser,
dir.-choreo.
•• Rehearsals begin June 17; runs July
7-Aug. 28 in Springboro, OH.
•• Seeking—All Roles Open: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held April 7 from 10
a.m.-3 p.m. and April 8 (callbacks) (by
appt.) at Nola Studios, 250 W. 54th St.,
NYC.
•• Bring pix & resumes, stapled together.
Sing 16 bars from a standard Broadway
musical. Be prepared to possibly dance
in the afternoon. For questions, call Joe
at (937) 746-4537. For more info, visit
www.lacomedia.com.
•• Pays: $2,750 total for the entire run,
including rehearsals ($300/wk. average). Housing, transportation, meal
each performance, health club membership, and workman’s comp
provided.
Weathervane Theatre Season
•• Seeking Equity actors for Weathervane
Theatre’s 2016 rotating repertory company. Each actor is contracted to perform roles in five-six of the season’s
shows. Packages are subject to change.
All roles are open. Weathervane is looking for singers/comic actors/good movers. Season includes: “Mamma Mia”
(Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Stig
Anderson, music-lyrics; Catherine
Johnson, book); “Meet the Beatles”
(musical revue with music and lyrics by
various artists); “Driving Miss Daisy”
(Alfred Uhry, writer); “The King and I”
(Richard Rodgers, music; Oscar
Hammerstein II, lyrics-book); Harper
Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”
(Christopher Sergel, dramatization);
“The Wiz” (Charles Smalls, songs;
William F. Brown, book); and “Peter and
the Starcatcher” (Rick Elice, writer).
•• Company: Weathervane Repertory
Theatre. Staff: Jacques Stewart, artistic
dir.; Colin Keating, music dir.
•• Rehearsals begin June 27; season ends
Sept. 3 in Whitefield, NH.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors: 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 12 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
(lunch, 1-2 p.m.) at Actors’ Equity
Association NYC Audition Center, 165
W. 46th St., 16th Fl., NYC, 10036. EPA
Rules are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• Prepare pop or Broadway song. Bring
sheet music; accompanist provided.
Bring pix & resumes, stapled together. For
more info., visit weathervanetheatre.org.
•• Salary TBD. Equity LOA ref. to LORT
Contract.
VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING
for full character breakdowns, script
sides, and more casting notices
CHORUS CALLS
‘Chasing Rainbows, The Road
To Oz’
•• Seeking first-rate musical theater
dancers and singers of all types for
“Chasing Rainbows, The Road to Oz.”
This show will require an ensemble
that is versed in all traditional musical
theater dance styles.
•• Company: Goodspeed Musicals. Staff:
Marc Acito, book; Tina Marie
Casamento, concept; David Libby,
music adaptation; Tyne Rafaeli, dir.;
Chris Bailey, choreo.; Michael
O’Flaherty, musical dir.; Paul Hardt/SH
Entertainment, casting dir.; Michael
Gennaro, exec. dir.; Donna Lynn Hilton,
line prod.; Bob Alwine, assoc. prod.
•• Rehearsals being Aug. 16; closes Dec.
4, 2016, in East Haddam, CT.
•• Seeking—Equity Dancers Who Sing:
18+, all ethnicities. Equity Singers Who
Dance: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held April
11 at 10 a.m. (Equity male dancers who
sing) and at 2 p.m. (Equity female dancers who sing) and at Pearl Studios NYC
“500”, 500 Eighth Ave., 12th fl., NYC,
10018. And April 14 at 10 a.m. (Equity
female singers who dance) and at 2:30
p.m. (Equity male singers who dance)
at Pearl Studios NYC “500”, 500 Eighth
Ave., 4th fl., NYC, 10018. Chorus rules
are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• Dancers: Bring tap shoes and character
shoes with a heel, men bring tap shoes
and character shoes. Prepare 16 bars of
a traditional musical comedy song in
case asked to stay and sing. Bring pix &
resumes, stapled together.
•• Singers: Prepare a traditional musical
comedy song (no contemporary music).
Bring sheet music; accompanist provided. Bring tap and character shoes in
case asked to stay and dance. Bring pix
& resumes, stapled together.
•• Pays: $861/wk. Equity LORT B Non-Rep
Contract.
‘Frozen,’ Developmental Lab,
Female Child Singers
•• Casting Equity female child singers for
a developmental lab of “Frozen,” with
music and lyrics by Kristen AndersonLopez and Robert Lopez, and book by
Jennifer Lee.
•• Company: Disney Theatrical
Productions. Staff: Alex Timbers, dir.;
Peter Darling, choreo.; Telsey +
Company, casting.
•• Rehearses Apr. 30-May 13 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Young Elsa: female, 11, all
ethnicities, bright, poised, elder princess of Arendelle who adores her
younger sister. She aims to be a perfect
daughter, but wrestles with a dangerous talent; soprano; ensemble. Young
Anna: female, 8, all ethnicities, energetic, free-spirited younger princess of
Arendelle who dotes on every word and
movement of Elsa; heartbroken when
she is isolated from Elsa by their parents; soprano; ensemble.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held April 1
at 2 p.m. (lunch, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; Equity
Female Child Singers) at Chelsea
Studios, 151 West 26th St., 6th fl., NYC,
10001. Chorus rules are in effect. A
BACKSTAGE.COM
NEW YORK TRISTATE casting
John W. Engeman Theater,
Singers & Dancers
•• Seeking Equity singers and dancers for
ensemble roles in the 2016-17 Season of
the John W. Engeman Theater. Season
includes: “Mamma Mia”(Catherine
Johnson, book; Benny Andersson &
Bjorn Ulvaeus, music & lyrics;
Antoinette DiPietropolo, dir.-choreo.;
James Olmstead, musical dir.
Rehearsals begin July 1; runs July
21-Sept. 11); “1776” (Peter Stone, book;
Sherman Edwards, music & lyrics.
Rehearsals begin Sept. 5; runs Sept.
22-Nov. 6); and “Mary Poppins” (Julian
Fellowes, book; Richard M. Sherman &
Robert B. Sherman, original music &
lyrics; George Stiles & Anthony Drewe,
additional music & lyrics).
•• Company: Harborside Productions
(John W. Engeman Theater). Staff:
Richard Dolce, producing artistic dir.;
Vic DiMonda, assoc. producing dir.
•• Season runs in Northport, NY.
•• Seeking—Singers & Dancers: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held April
13 at 10 a.m. (Equity female singers) and
at 2 p.m. (Equity female dancers) at
Nola Studios, 250 W. 54th St., 11th fl.,
studio C, NYC, 10019. And April 14 at
9:30 a.m. (Equity male singers) and at 2
p.m. (Equity male dancers) at Actors’
Equity Association NYC Audition
Center, 165 W. 46th St., 16th fl., NYC,
10036. Chorus Rules are in effect. A
monitor will be provided.
•• Bring pix & resumes, stapled together.
Singers: Prepare 16 bars of a song in
style of (or from) the show for which
you wish to be considered. Bring dance
clothes/shoes in case asked to stay and
dance. Dancers: Bring jazz, tap and/or
ballet shoes. Prepare 16 bars in case
asked to stay and sing.
•• Pays: $422/wk. Equity LOA ref. to COST
Contract.
‘Matilda,’ B’way, Female
Children
•• Seeking female children, ages 8-12 for
possible future replacements in the
currently running Broadway production of “Matilda.”
•• Company: Royal Shakespeare
Company (UK) and Dodgers. Staff: Tim
Minchin, music & lyrics; Dennis Kelly,
book; Matthew Warchus, dir.; Peter
Darling, choreo.; Chris Nightingale,
music supervisor; Deborah Abramson,
children’s music dir.; Nora Brennan,
children’s casting dir.; Jim Carnahan,
adult casting dir.
•• Currently running on Broadway.
•• Seeking—Dancers Who Sing: female,
8-12, all ethnicities. Singers Who
Dance: female, 8-12, all ethnicities.
BACKSTAGE.COM
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held April
10 at 10 a.m. (female children dancers
who sing) at Pearl Studios NYC “500”,
500 8th Ave., 12th fl., NYC, 10018. And
April 16 at 10 a.m. (female children
singers who dance) at Pearl Studios
NYC “519”, 519 8th Ave., 12th fl., NYC,
10018. Chorus Rules are in effect. A
monitor will be provided. Equity children will be seen first, then nonEquity Children will be seen. Sign up
for non-Equity begins at 8:30 a.m.
Equity sign-up begins at 9:30 a.m.
each day.
•• Bring pix & resumes, stapled
together. Dancers: Wear comfortable
clothes that you can dance in (sneakers or jazz shoes). There is no tap or
ballet. Prepare a short, musical theater song of your choice, in case you
are asked to sing. Singers: Prepare a
short musical theater song that shows
strong belt range. Children should
show a straightforward belted sound
true to their young ages, not an imitation of an adult sound.
•• Pays: $1,917/wk. Equity Production
(League) Contract.
‘Miss You Like Hell,’ Singers
•• Seeking Equity singers for the ensemble and featured chorus parts in “Miss
You Like Hell,” a musical.
•• Company: La Jolla Playhouse. Staff:
Quiara Alegría Hudes, book & lyrics;
Erin McKeown, music & lyrics; Lear
deBessonet, dir.; Danny Mefford,
choreo.; Kaitlin Shaw, Tara Rubin
Casting, casting dir.
•• Rehearsals begin –Sept. 13; tech Oct.
11; previews begin Oct. 25; runs Nov.
6-Dec. 24 in La Jolla, CA.
•• Seeking—Mindy: female, 18-26,
African American, Hispanic, Asian,
South Asian, Native American, Middle
Eastern, Southeast Asian / Pacific
Islander, Ethnically Ambiguous /
Mixed Race, African Descent. Pearl:
female, 18-24, African American. Mo:
male, 40+, all ethnicities. Higgins:
male, 40+, all ethnicities. Manuel:
male, 30-59, Hispanic. Castaway:
male, 18+, African American,
Hispanic, Asian, South Asian, Native
American, Middle Eastern, Southeast
Asian / Pacific Islander, Ethnically
Ambiguous / Mixed Race, African
Descent. An Officer: male, 18+, all
ethnicities. A Lawyer: female, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• Chorus Rules are in effect. A monitor
will be provided. Bring pix & resumes,
stapled together. Prepare a contemporary pop or folk song. Bring sheet
music; an accompanist will be
provided.
•• Pays: $861/wk. Equity LORT B Non-Rep
Contract.
Monty Python’s ‘Spamalot’
•• Seeking an ethnically diverse company of actors for various roles in
“Spamalot.”
•• Company: Arkansas Repertory. Staff:
John Du Prez, Neil Innes, & Eric Idle,
music; Eric Idle, lyrics & book; Melissa
Rain Anderson, dir.; Peter Mensky,
company mgr.-casting assoc.
•• Rehearsals begin Aug. 9; runs Sept.
2-Oct. 2 in Little Rock, AR.
03.31.16 backstage
27
•• Seeking—King Arthur: male, 35-49, all
ethnicities. Sir Robin: male, 30-49, all
ethnicities. Sir Lancelot/Lance: male,
30-49, all ethnicities. Patsy: male,
30-49, all ethnicities. Sir Galahad: male,
30-39, all ethnicities. Sir Bedevere:
male, 20-49, all ethnicities. The Lady of
the Lake: female, 20-39, all ethnicities.
Utility Male: male, 20-39, all ethnicities. Male Ensemble: male, 20-39, all
ethnicities. Female Ensemble: female,
20-39, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held
April 11 at 10 a.m. (Equity male singers), at 11:30 a.m. (Equity female singers), at 2 p.m. (Equity male dancers)
and at 4 p.m. (Equity female dancers)
at Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th Ave.,
17th f l., NYC, 10018. And April 12 (by
appt.) and April 13 (by appt.) in NYC.
Chorus Rules are in effect. A monitor
will be provided. Bring pix &
resumes, stapled together.
•• Singers: Prepare 16 bars of music in the
style of the show. All welcome and
encouraged to sing from the show.
Bring sheet music; accompanist
provided.
•• Dancers: Men, bring jazz shoes and tap
shoes. Women, bring character shoes,
heels, and tap shoes.
•• NYC Appts.: For consideration for an
appointment, email picture and resume
to [email protected] and put
“Spamalot NYC Appointment Request”
as the subject line of the email.
•• Pays: $637/wk. Equity LORT D
Contract. Salary, housing, and transportation provided.
‘Phantom of the Opera,’
Production Tour, Singers
•• Seeking Equity singers for possible
replacements in the currently running
Production Tour of “The Phantom of
the Opera” with music by Andrew
Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart,
additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe,
and book by Richard Stilgoe and
Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based on the
novel ‘Le Fantôme de l’Opéra’ by
Gaston LeRoux.
•• Company: Phantom Touring, LLC/ The
Really Useful Theater Company in association with NETworks Tours. Staff:
Cameron Mackintosh, prod.; Matthew
Bourne & Cameron Mackintosh, production oversight; Laurence Connor,
dir.; John Rigby, musical supervisor;
Scott Ambler, choreo.; David Cullen &
Andrew Lloyd Webber, orchestrations;
Gentry & Assoc., general mgr.; Tara
Rubin Casting, casting; Nina Dunn
(Knifedge), video & projection design;
Mick Potter, sound design; Paule
Constable, lighting design; Maria
Bjornson, costume design; Paul Brown,
set design.
•• Currently running on tour as the 25th
Anniversary Tour.
•• Seeking—Christine Daae: female,
20-29, all ethnicities. The Phantom:
male, 30-49, all ethnicities. Raoul,
Vicomte de Chagny: male, 20-39, all
ethnicities. Monsieurs Firmin & Andre:
male, 30-59, all ethnicities. Carlotta
Giudicelli: female, 30-49, all ethnicities. Madame Giry: female, 30-59, all
ethnicities. Meg Giry: female, 18-29, all
MUSICALS
monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare 16 bars of a contemporary
musical theater song. Bring sheet
music; accompanist provided. Bring
picture and resume. Note: Only seeing
AEA members at this call; there will be
future opportunities to audition for
“Frozen” during the casting process for
the Denver/Broadway production that
has been announced, which will commence in the summer of 2016.
•• Pays $1,000/wk. Equity
Developmental Lab Agreement.
casting NEW YORK TRISTATE
MUSICALS
FILM
ethnicities. Ubaldo Piangi: male, 30-59,
all ethnicities. Buquet: male, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held May
10 at 10 a.m. (male singers) and at 2 p.m.
(female singers) at Pearl Studios NYC
“500”, 500 Eighth Ave., 12th fl., NYC,
10018. Chorus rules are in effect. A
monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare 16 bars from legit musical theatre/standard opera or operetta repertoire, preferably in English. Do not sing
pop or rock music. Bring book of music
in case asked for a second selection. An
accompanist will be provided. Bring a
picture and resume, stapled together.
Note: Casting for “The Phantom of the
Opera” is interracial. Singers of all ethnic backgrounds and races are encouraged to attend. Women should be
sopranos (lyric or coloratura), mezzo
sopranos, or contraltos, with strong
legit musical theatre or opera voices; a
range of character players. Men should
be strong legit musical theatre or opera
tenors, baritones, or basses. Two of the
basses in the chorus must sing to low F;
a range of character players.
•• Pays $1917/wk. Equity Production
(League) Contract.
‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ Ensemble
VARIETY
•• Seeking Equity and non-Equity dancers who sing and act well for a production of “Singin’ in the Rain.”
•• Company: The Fireside Theatre. Staff:
Julie Nordeen, marketing mgr.; Arthur
Freed, music; Betty Comden & Adolph
Green, book; Ed Flesch, dir.; Mary
Ehlinger, musical dir.; Shanna
VanDerwerker, choreo.
•• Rehearsals begin July 4; runs July 21–
Sept. 4 at The Fireside Theatre in Fort
Atkinson, WI.
•• Seeking—Dancers: males & females,
18+, all ethnicities, strong ensemble
dancers who sing and act well; must
have strong tap; all physical types and
ethnicities welcome; some ensemble
members will cover principal roles.
Singers: males & females, 18+, all ethnicities, ensemble singers who dance
very well with strong tap; all physical
types and ethnicities welcome; some
ensemble members will cover principal
roles.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held May 2
at 10 a.m. (Equity male dancers), at 2
p.m. (Equity female dancers) and at 2
p.m. (Equity male singers), May 3 at 10
a.m. (nonunion male dancers) (open
call) and at 1:30 p.m. (nonunion female
dancers) and May 7 at 11 a.m. (Equity
female singers) at Nola Rehearsal
Studios, 250 W. 54th St., NYC. Chorus
Rules are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• Bring pix & resumes, stapled
together. Dancers: Be warmed up and
ready to go at the call time. Bring
character shoes and tap shoes. Prepare
16 bars of music to sing if asked. You
may sing from the show. Singers:
Prepare 16 bars of music; singing from
the show is fine. Some may be asked to
stay and do a movement combination
after all have sung.
•• Pays: $650/wk. (union); competitive
salary, EMC points, housing, meals,
and travel (nonunion). Equity Fireside
Dinner Theatre Agreement.
28 backstage 03.31.16
‘The Prom,’ Dancers
•• Casting dancers who sing well for “The
Prom.”
•• Company: Alliance Theatre. Staff:
Casey Nicholaw, dir.-choreo.; Bob
Martin and Chad Beguelin, book;
Matthew Sklar, music; Chad Beguelin,
lyrics; Mary-Mitchell Campbell, musical dir.; Bethany Knox (Telsey +
Company), casting.
•• Rehearsals begin July 12; runs Aug.
18-Sept. 25 in Atlanta, GA.
•• Seeking—Dancers Who Sing Well:
males & females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held April
18 at 10 a.m. (male dancers) and at 2
p.m. (female dancers) at Pearl Studios
NYC “500”, 500 Eighth Ave., NYC,
10018. Chorus rules are in effect. A
monitor will be provided.
•• Be prepared to dance. Wear dance
shoes or sneakers. Bring 16 bars of a
contemporary musical theatre song.
You may be asked to stay and sing.
Bring picture and resume. For more
info, visit www.alliancetheatre.org.
•• Pays $861/wk. Equity LORT Non-Rep B
Contract.
‘The Prom,’ Singers
•• Seeking singers who dance very well to
portray various characters in the
ensemble of “The Prom,” a musical.
•• Company: Alliance Theatre. Staff:
Casey Nicholaw, dir.-choreo; Bob
Martin & Chad Beguelin, book;
Matthew Sklar, music; Chad Beguelin,
lyrics; Mary-Mitchell Campbell, musical dir.; Telsey + Company/Bethany
Knox, casting.
•• Rehearsals begin July 12; runs Aug.
18-Sept. 25 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Equity Singers who Dance:
males & females, 20-45, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held April 5
at 10 a.m. (Equity male singers who
dance) and at 2 p.m. (Equity female
singers who dance) at Telsey +
Company, 311 W. 43rd St., 10th fl., NYC,
10036. Chorus rules are in effect. A
monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare a brief contemporary musical
theater song that shows your style and
vocal range. Bring sheet music. An
accompanist will be provided. Bring pix
& resume, stapled together. For more
info, visit alliancetheatre.org.
•• Pays: $861/wk. Equity LORT Non-Rep
Contract.
Weathervane Theatre, Singers
& Dancers
•• Seeking Equity singers and dancers for
Weathervane Theatre’s 2016 rotating
repertory company. Each will perform
in five-six of the season’s shows.
Packages are subject to change. All
roles are open. Weathervane is looking
for singers/comic actors/good movers.
Season includes: “Mamma Mia” (Bjorn
Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Stig
Anderson, music-lyrics; Catherine
Johnson, book); “Meet the Beatles”
(musical revue with music and lyrics by
various artists); “Driving Miss Daisy”
(Alfred Uhry, writer); “The King and I”
(Richard Rodgers, music; Oscar
Hammerstein II, lyrics-book); Harper
Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”
(Christopher Sergel, dramatization);
“The Wiz” (Charles Smalls, songs;
William F. Brown, book); and “Peter
and the Starcatcher” (Rick Elice,
writer).
•• Company: Weathervane Repertory
Theatre. Staff: Jacques Stewart, artistic
dir.; Colin Keating, music dir.
•• Rehearsals begin June 27; season ends
Sept. 3 in Whitefield, NH.
•• Seeking—Equity Singers and Dancers:
18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held April
13 at 9:30 a.m. (Equity male singers), at
11:30 a.m. (Equity female singers), at 2
p.m. (Equity male dancers) and at 4
p.m. (Equity female dancers) at Actors’
Equity Association NYC Audition
Center, 165 W. 46th St., 16th Fl., NYC,
10036. Chorus rules are in effect. A
monitor will be provided.
•• Singers: Prepare 16 bars of a pop or
Broadway song. Dancers: Wear jazz or
character shoes. Prepare 16 bars of a
pop or Broadway song in case asked to
sing. Bring pix & resumes, stapled
together. Note: There will be two
Equity actors hired under Chorus
Contracts, to be cast among all available tracks. For more info, visit weathervanetheatre.org.
•• Salary TBD. Equity LOA ref. to LORT
Contract.
SHORT FILMS
‘A Dead Girl’
•• Casting “A Dead Girl,” a horror-comedy short film. Synopsis: When two
best friends hit a little girl in the middle
of the night, they try to hide the evidence. A few days pass and they think
they’re in the clear, until the boyfriend
of one of the girls gets assigned to
investigate the killing of the little girl.
Now all of the characters are thrown
into a forest to look for clues for the
boyfriend’s story. But you never leave a
dead girl... alive. Or she’ll come after
you and all your friends with a vengeance. Coordinator states: “We will
submit this to film festivals across the
U.S.”
•• Company: SaigeSantanaStudios. Staff:
Saige Santana, coord.
•• One table read a day or so before filming; shoots the last week in Apr. in
northern New Jersey (Vernon, Sparta,
Newton, area).
•• Seeking—Erica: female, 18-25,
Caucasian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern,
Ethnically Ambiguous / Mixed Race,
more of the serious one; she’s the driver
in the hit-and-run accident and she’s the
girlfriend of the journalist; she’s in love
with her boyfriend but terrified by the
fact that he grows more and more concerned for the little girl and more and
more hatred for whoever the killer may
be. Farah: female, 18-26, Caucasian,
Hispanic, Middle Eastern, the more
relaxed one; a comedic actress preferred
but not mandatory; the passenger in the
hit-and-run accident; more emotionally
disturbed by the accident and ends up
taking pills to cope with the trauma; so
over her air-headed obnoxious rich
brainless boyfriend; falls in love with
Ian, the assistant to Max, the lead journalist in the hit-and-run case.
Coordinator states: “She is a very very
important character who needs to be
portrayed a certain way to tie the story
together.” Max: male, 18-28, all ethnicities, the lead journalist in the hit-andrun case and boyfriend of the driver in
the accident, Erica; Max is a determined
workaholic and will stop at nothing to
find out as much information as he can
about this girl and who hit her. Ian:
male, 18-30, all ethnicities, extremely
good-looking; boy-next-door type; assistant and friend to Max, the lead journalist on the hit-and-run case; Farah’s love
interest throughout the film; very
intrigued by the story as well but isn’t as
passionate about it as Max. Jackie:
female, 30-70, all ethnicities, mother of
the little girl who got killed; has a dramatic funeral scene where she tells the
characters about her little girl, who
meant the world to her; tells the kids
about the forest where she used to go.
Handful of Extras: males & females, 10+,
all ethnicities, on hand for different
scenes through the film: schools, funerals, etc. Dan: male, 18-27, Caucasian,
comic relief; Dan is the current boyfriend
of Farah; a total hound dog; all he cares
about is sex with Farah and how good he
looks; hates Ian because he doesn’t know
what Farah sees in him; hates everything, including the outdoors; complete
airhead; think Chad of “Scream Queens.”
•• Seeking submissions from NJ and NY.
•• Send submissions to SaigeSantana@
yahoo.com.
•• Director resides in California and is
flying to New Jersey for filming, so all
auditions will be held online. Skype
interviews may take place as well. Must
be available for the table read and all
filming dates, to be discussed.
•• No pay. Copy provided. Actors must be
able to provide own travel to set.
DANCERS &
CHOREOGRAPHERS
‘Mickey’s Royal Friendship
Faire,’ NYC
•• Seeking male and female dancers for
“Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire.”
•• Company: Walt Disney Entertainment.
Staff: Darla Hayward, casting dir.
•• Runs at Walt Disney Entertainment in
Lake Buena Vista, FL.
•• Seeking—Dancers: male, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held April 4 at 10 a.m.
(sign-in, 9-10 a.m.) at Pearl Studios NYC
“500”, 500 Eighth Ave., 4th fl., NYC,
10018. A monitor will not be provided.
The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• Provide headshot/resume. All dancers
will be taught a ballet routine. Selected
dancers will move on to an advanced
jazz routine. Dancers should be
warmed up and ready to begin at the
time listed. Wear form fitting attire to
show your silhouette. Wear appropriate
ballet/jazz shoes. Note: Late arrivals
will not be accepted. Applicants must
be 18+ and authorized to work in the
United States. For more info, visit www.
disneyauditions.com.
BACKSTAGE.COM
NEW YORK TRISTATE casting
•• Pays $16.53/hr. Walt Disney World
Agreement. EOE.
THEME PARKS
‘The Fabulous 50’s!’ & Untitled
Children’s Show
•• Seeking six performers (three males
and three females) for “The Fabulous
50’s!” and an untitled children’s show.
•• Company: JRW Productions. Staff:
James Wilkinson, pres.-exec. prod.
•• Rehearsals begin end of May; runs
June 18-Sept. 5, 2016 at Six Flags The
Great Escape in Queensbury, NY.
•• Seeking—Singers Who Dance &
Dancers Who Sing: males & females,
18-35, all ethnicities, with good harmonization; outgoing with a love of being
onstage who have a professional attitude, and a strong work ethic; three
males and three females.
•• Auditions will be held April 10 from
12-3 p.m. at Six Flags The Great Escape
Indoor Waterpark, 1172 Route 9,
Queensbury, NY, 12804.
•• Send submissions to
[email protected].
•• Prepare 16 bars of an up tempo song, as
well as 16 bars of a ballad to be sung a
cappella. You may be asked to harmonize with our director. Bring something
comfortable to change into, as you will
be taught a short dance combination by
our choreographer on site. For more
info, call James at (212) 802-7436.
•• Negotiable.
GIGS
I Luv A Party, Performers
•• Seeking male and female performers
for the entertainment company I Luv A
Party Inc., to perform at children and
adult parties in the roles of princesses
and superheroes, as well as Santa and
other holiday characters for various
companies and at children’s home parties. Costumes and some training are
provided.
•• Company: I Luv A Party, Inc. Staff:
Nancy Douglass, pres.
•• Work dates ongoing in the greater
Westchester County, NY and
Connecticut areas.
•• Seeking—Performers: males & females,
18+, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from CT and NY.
•• For an interview audition, email your
photo and bio to nancy_jane2003@
yahoo.com or call (203) 461-3357.
•• Professional pay provided. Talent
must own their own vehicle as often
there are numerous gigs in one day.
WORKSHOPS
ACTeen Summer Acting
Conservatories
•• Seeking actors for four teen summer
film-theater acting conservatories.
Director states: “ACTeen, a three-time
BACKSTAGE.COM
Backstage Reader’s Choice winner and
the nation’s first on-camera acting program for teens, offers full- or part-time
summer conservatories. Selected participants are offered comprehensive
training in film, theater, Meisner,
Alexander Technique, movement,
speech, musical theater, audition technique, Shakespeare, voiceovers, auditioning, monologues and improvisation
taught by professional staff from theater, casting, film/TV, and competitive
acting conservatories. Summer students have the opportunity to audition
for our ACTeen Fall Talent Showcase,
showcases which have launched the
careers of hundreds of alumni for over
35 years.”
•• Company: ACTeen. Staff: Rita Litton,
dir.
•• Young adult programs run June 27-July
2, July 11-28, Aug. 1-12, or Sat. only July
9-Aug. 13; Junior Intensives (ages 10-12)
run June 27-July 1, Aug. 1-5, or Sat. July
9-Aug. 13 at ACTeen summer studios,
134 W. 29th St, 2nd fl., NYC.
•• Seeking—Teenage Actors: males &
females, 10-19, all ethnicities, all skill
levels. Pre-Teen Actors: males &
females, 10-12, all ethnicities, for junior
program.
•• Seeking submissions from NY, NJ and
CT.
•• To apply, visit www.acteen.com/apply.
For more info, visit www.acteen.com/
summer-admissions, or email info@
acteen. Beginners or professionals welcome; students are grouped accordingly. Note: Skype audition or online
submissions accepted.
•• No pay; fee for programs range from
$325-$2,400 (courses average $350 per
term) with discounts for registering by
Apr. 15, or for full programs.
approach, but is adjusted to the personal desires, strengths, and challenges of each actor. In this way, each
actors’ unique journey is honored and
supported.”
•• Company: Craft Gym Actors
Workshop. Staff: Sean Patrick Folster,
facilitator; Stefanie Londino, admin.
•• Workshops run Mon. (Apr. 4, 11, 18,
and 25; 12-5 p.m.); Tues. (Apr. 5, 12, 19,
and 26; 6-11 p.m.); and Wed. (Apr. 6, 13,
20, and 27) in NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• For consideration, email details about
yourself and what you’re looking to
work on at this phase of your career to
[email protected]. For more
info, visit www.craftgymnyc.com.
•• $250 tuition fee required for a month
of four workshops.
GROUPS &
MEMBERSHIP
COMPANIES
‘Beyond the Fringe!’
•• Casting early for “Beyond the Fringe!”
for The Actor’s Project NYC’s 36th season of full-length theatrical showcases
of music, scenes, monologues, and
sketch comedy, all original works by
company writers. Producer states:
“TAPNYC is a company that assists its
members in landing agents and getting
work through industry showcases and
plays. All shows are attended by agents,
managers, and casting directors. Past
productions have been attended by producers (Broadway, off-Broadway & offoff-Broadway, film, and TV), agents
(commercial and legit), managers, and
NY/L.A. casting directors.”
•• Company: The Actor’s Project NYC.
Staff: Joe Naples, Duvall O’Steen,
Bobby Holder, & Ann Bonner, co-dirs.;
Sam Carner & Derek Gregor, musical
dirs.
•• Rehearses and performs in summerfall 2016 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors & Singers Seeking
Representation Through Showcases:
males & females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. April 5
from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at TAPNYC @
Studios 353, 353 W. 48th St., NYC,
10019.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• In your submission, include an audition date selected from the options;
casting personnel will email you an
audition request. Add [email protected] to your contacts to
ensure the confirmation lands in your
inbox. Prepare a one-minute contemporary comedic monologue. Auditions
will be done in groups. Producer states:
“We suggest (though do not require)
monologues from Bobby Holder’s book
‘Out of the Blue’ (available on
TheActorsProjectNYC.com,
BobbyHolder.com, Amazon, iBooks,
Craft Gym Actors Workshop
•• Seeking participants for Craft Gym
Actors Workshop. Facilitator states:
“Craft Gym is a multi-functional
workshop and artistic home for actors
looking to deepen their craft and
themselves in a safe, supportive environment. Our innovative, integrative
approach utilizes: the wonderful
instrumental and approach work of
Eric Morris and Lee Strasberg; the
powerful moment-to-moment and
crafting principles of Sanford
Meisner; the character and physicalization stylings of Stella Adler and
Larry Moss; the vocal and presence
work of Patsy Rodenburg; Harold
Guskin’s approach to taking it off the
page; and our own unique innovations with the text, including Script
Inquiry, The Given Circumstances
Inventory, and the Inner Imagery
Workout, all designed to bring you
into immediate, free, and intimate
contact with the script and your character. These processes are fast, impulsive, and go very deep, bypassing the
excessive time and over-intellectualization of traditional script analysis.
Each Gym focuses on instrument,
technique, and scene/monologue
study, so the actors’ workout is total.
Personally-prescribed exercises give
each participant specific homework to
help break through blocks and deepen
their craft. This is not a canned
03.31.16 backstage
29
COMEDY
CAMPS!
VISIT SECONDCITY.COM
OR CALL 323.464.8542
SAY YES TO FUN!
1-WEEK DAY CAMPS
AGES 8-18 • $350
casting CALIFORNIA
PLAYS
MUSICALS
etc.) or TAPNYC-approved monologues
on the MonologuesToGo.com website.”
•• Membership dues are $495/season
and include agent/manager coaching,
resume workshops, branding-yourself
workshops, and entry into The
Acting-Career Seminar, where company members meet with a commercial agent, a legit agent, and a talent
manager. Possible pay provided;
actors cast in company plays share a
percent of the profits (you must be an
accepted member to participate).
‘Characters on Edge!’
•• Casting early for “Characters on
Edge!” for The Actor’s Project NYC’s
36th season of full-length theatrical
showcases of music, scenes, monologues, and sketch comedy, all original works by company writers.
Producer states: “TAPNYC is a company that assists its members in landing agents and getting work through
industry showcases and plays. All
shows are attended by agents, managers, and casting directors. Past productions have been attended by
producers (Broadway, off-Broadway &
off-off-Broadway, film, and TV),
agents (commercial and legit), managers, and NY/L.A. casting directors.”
•• Company: The Actor’s Project NYC.
Staff: Joe Naples, Duvall O’Steen,
Bobby Holder, and Ann Bonner, codirs.; Sam Carner & Derek Gregor, musical dirs.
•• Rehearses and performs in summerfall 2016 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors & Singers Seeking
Representation Through Showcases:
males & females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. April 5
from 2:30-3:30 p.m. (group audition) at
TAPNYC @ Studios 353, 353 W. 48th St.,
NYC, 10019.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• In your submission, include an audition date selected from the options;
casting personnel will email you an
audition request. Add [email protected] to your contacts
to ensure the confirmation lands in
your inbox. Prepare a one-minute
contemporary comedic monologue.
Auditions will be done in groups.
Producer states: “We suggest (though
do not require) monologues from
Bobby Holder’s book ‘Out of the Blue’
(available on TheActorsProjectNYC.
com, BobbyHolder.com, Amazon,
iBooks, etc.) or TAPNYC-approved
monologues on the MonologuesToGo.
com website.”
•• Membership dues are $495/season
and include agent/manager coaching,
resume workshops, branding-yourself
workshops, and entry into The
Acting-Career Seminar, where company members meet with a commercial agent, a legit agent, and a talent
manager. Possible pay provided;
actors cast in company plays share a
percent of the profits (you must be an
accepted member to participate).
EVENTS
VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING
for full character breakdowns, script
sides, and more casting notices
30 backstage 03.31.16
SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA
PLAYS
Cygnet Theatre 2016/17 Season
•• Casting the Cygnet Theatre 2016-2017
season. Season includes “Seven
Guitars” (August Wilson, writer.
Rehearsals begin Aug. 9; runs Sept.
28-Nov. 6); “King Hedley II” (August
Wilson, dir. Rehearsals begin Aug. 9;
runs Sept. 28-Nov. 6); “A Christmas
Carol” (Charles Dickens, writer; Sean
Murray, adaptation & lyrics-dir.; Billy
Thompson, score. Rehearsals begin
Nov. 8; runs Nov. 22-Dec. 24); “Bad
Jews” (Joshua Harmon, writer; Rob
Lutfy, dir. Rehearsals begin Dec. 13;
runs Jan. 12-Feb. 12, 2017); “On the
Twentieth Century” (Betty Comden
and Adolph Green, book & lyrics; Cy
Coleman, music; Sean Murray, dir.
Rehearsals begin Jan. 24; runs Mar.
9-Apr. 30), and “Shockheaded Peter”
(Adrian Huge, Martyn Jacques, Adrian
Stout, music; Martyn Jacques, lyrics;
Julian Bleach, Anthony Cairns, Graeme
Gilmour, Tamzin Griffin, book;
Heinrich Hoffman, source material
“Struwwelpeter”; Rob Lutfy, dir.
Rehearsals begin Apr. 18; runs May
18-June 18).
•• Company: Cygnet Theatre. Staff: Sean
Murray, Rob Lutfy, dirs.; Jacob
Caltrider, casting dir.
•• Season rehearses and performs in San
Diego, CA.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
March 31 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and April
1 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Cygnet Theatre
Old Town, 4040 Twiggs St., San Diego,
CA, 92110. A monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects
of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected].
•• Prepare either two short contrasting
monologues or one short monologue
and one vocal selection. Note:
Auditions for these projects will only be
held in San Diego, CA.
•• Pays $550/wk. Equity SPT 8 Contract.
‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’
•• Seeking Equity/non-Equity actors for
“Laughter on the 23rd Floor.”
•• Company: North Coast Repertory
Theatre. Staff: David Ellenstein, artistic
dir.; Benjamin Cole, artistic assoc.
•• Rehearsals begin Sept. 20; tech weekend Oct. 15 & 16; runs Oct. 19-Nov. 13,
with possible extension Nov. 16-20, at
North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987
Lomas Santa Fe Dr., Ste. D, Solana
Beach, CA.
•• Seeking—Lucas: male, 18+, all ethnicities. Milt: male, 18+, all ethnicities. Val:
male, 18+, all ethnicities. Brian: male,
18+, all ethnicities. Kenny: male, 18+,
all ethnicities. Carol: female, 18+, all
ethnicities. Ira: male, 18+, all ethnicities. Max Prince: male, 18+, all ethnicities. Helen: female, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• For consideration, email submissions
to [email protected] or mail
to Benjamin Cole, Artistic Associate/
Casting Dir., 987 Lomas Santa Fe Dr.,
Suite D, Solana Beach, CA 92075.
Submissions deadline is Apr. 22. For
more info, visit www.northcoastrep.
org.
•• Pays: $443/wk. Agreement pending.
Equity SPT 6 Contract.
North Coast Rep 2016-17 Season
•• Casting the 2016-17 Season for the
North Coast Repertory Theatre. Season
includes “The Cocktail Hour” (A.R.
Gurney, writer; Rosina Reynolds, dir.
Rehearsals begin Aug. 10, 2016; runs
Sept. 7-Oct. 2 with a possible extension
through Oct. 9); “Laughter on the 23rd
Floor” (Neil Simon, writer; Geoffrey
Sherman, dir. Rehearsals begin Sept.
20; runs Oct. 19-Nov. 13 with a possible
extension through Nov. 20); “Marjorie
Prime” (Jordan Harrison, writer;
Matthew Wiener, dir. Rehearsals begin
Dec. 13; runs Jan. 11-Feb. 5, 2017 with a
possible extension through Feb. 12);
“The Illusion” (Pierre Conrneille,
writer; Tony Kushner, adaptation;
David Ellenstein, dir. Rehearsals begin
Jan. 24, 2017; runs Feb. 22-Mar. 19 with
a possible extension through Mar. 26);
“Travels With My Aunt” (Graham
Greene, writer; Giles Havergal, adaptation; David Ellenstein, dir. Rehearsals
begin Mar. 14, 2017; runs Apr. 12-May 7
with a possible extension through May
14); “The Spitfire Grill” based on the
film by Lee David Zlotoff (James Valcq,
music & book; Fred Alley, lyrics &
book; Jeffrey Moss, dir. Rehearsals
begin May 2, 2017; runs May 31-June
25); and “At This Evening’s
Performance” (Nagle Jackson, writer;
Andrew Barnicle, dir. Rehearsals begin
June 13, 2017; runs July 12-Aug. 6 with a
possible extension to Aug. 13 or Aug.
20).
•• Company: North Coast Repertory
Theatre. Staff: David Ellenstein, artistic
dir.; Benjamin Cole, artistic assoc.
•• Season runs in Solana Beach, CA.
•• Seeking—Actors & Actors Who Sing:
males & females, 18-75, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 18 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (sign-in, 10
a.m. ) at Actors’ Equity Association L.A.
Audition Center, 5636 Tujunga Ave.,
North Hollywood, CA, 91601. EPA Rules
are in effect. A monitor will be provided. And May 9 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
(sign-in, 10 a.m. ) at North Coast
Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe
Dr., Ste. D, Solana Beach, CA, 92075. A
monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• All should bring pix & resumes, stapled together. Prepare two contrasting
monologues (classic/contemporary or
dramatic/comedic). If interested in
musicals, prepare two contrasting
songs (uptempo/ballad), or one song
and one monologue. Bring sheet music
in the correct key. Limit audition pack-
age to three minutes total. For more
info, visit www.northcoastrep.org.
•• Pays: $443/wk. Equity SPT 6
Agreement pending.
‘The Cocktail Hour’
•• Casting Equity and non-Equity actors
for “The Cocktail Hour,” a play.
•• Company: North Coast Repertory
Theatre. Staff: David Ellenstein, artistic
dir; Benjamin Cole, artistic assoc.
•• Rehearsals begin Aug. 10; tech
rehearsals Sept. 3-4; runs Sept. 7-Oct. 2;
possible extension Oct. 5-9 at North
Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas
Santa Fe Dr., Ste. D, Solana Beach, CA.
•• Seeking—Bradley: male, 70-79, all ethnicities. Ann: female, 66-69, all ethnicities. John: male, 40-44, all ethnicities.
Nina: female, 44-47, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• For consideration, email submissions
to [email protected] or mail
to Benjamin Cole, Artistic Assoc./
Casting Dir., 987 Lomas Santa Fe Dr.,
Ste. D, Solana Beach, CA, 92075.
Submissions deadline is Apr. 1. For
more info, visit www.northcoastrep.
org.
•• Pays: $443/wk. Equity SPT 6,
Agreement pending.
MUSICALS
‘Hamilton,’ B’way & Nat’l Tours,
LA Appts.
•• Seeking Equity and non-Equity singers and dancers of all ethnicities for
Broadway’s “Hamilton.”
•• Company: Hamilton, c/o Baseline
Theatrical. Staff: Jeffrey Seller, Sander
Jacobs, Jill Furman, and The Public
Theater, prods.; Thomas Kail, dir.; LinManuel Miranda, music & lyrics; Andy
Blankenbuehler, choreo.; Alex
Lacamoire, music dir./orchestrator;
Andy Jones, general mgr.; Bethany
Knox (Telsey + Company), casting.
•• Currently running on Broadway in
NYC.
•• Seeking—Alexander Hamilton: male,
30-39, all ethnicities. Eliza Hamilton:
female, 20-39, all ethnicities. Angelica
Schuyler: female, 20-39, all ethnicities.
Aaron Burr: male, 20-39, all ethnicities.
George Washington: male, 30-39, all
ethnicities. Marquis de Lafayette/
Thomas Jefferson: male, 20-39, all ethnicities. Hercules Mulligan/James
Madison: male, 20-39, all ethnicities.
John Laurens/Philip Hamilton: male,
18-29, all ethnicities. Peggy Schuyler/
Maria Reynolds: female, 18-29, all ethnicities. King George: male, 30-49,
Caucasian. Ensemble Singers: males &
females, 19-39, all ethnicities.
Ensemble Dancers: males & females,
19-39, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Auditions will be held in San Francisco
and Los Angeles in April. For an audition appointment, email picture/
resume to Casting@
HamiltonBroadway.com with the city
name in the subject line. Submissions
deadline is Apr. 13.
•• Pays $1917/wk. Equity Production
(League) Contract.
BACKSTAGE.COM
CALIFORNIA casting
‘Monsoon Wedding,’ Singers
•• Casting Actors’ Repertory Theatre of
Simi’s production of “The Wiz: The
Super Soul Musical ‘Wonderful Wizard
of Oz.’” Synopsis: “The Wiz” is a glorious musical retelling of Frank Baum’s
“Wonderful Wizard of Oz” set in the
context of African-American culture.
With an infectious funky soul score and
lyrics by Charlie Smalls, “The Wiz”
brought renewed relevance to a timeless classic. The 1975 Broadway production was like nothing Broadway had
ever seen, and ultimately won seven
Tony Awards, including Best Musical
and Best Score.
•• Company: Actors’ Repertory Theatre
of Simi. Staff: Jan Glasband, artistic dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Apr. 17; runs June
4-July 10 (Fri. & Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun.
at 2 p.m.) at the Simi Valley Cultural
Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles Ave.,
Simi Valley, CA.
•• Seeking—Dorothy: female, 16-25,
African American, Ethnically
Ambiguous / Mixed Race, must look/
play 13-16; range: mezzo soprano,
G3-B5; bright-eyed, energetic, curious,
adventurous. Aunt Em: female, 35-42,
African American, Ethnically
Ambiguous / Mixed Race, range: mezzo
BACKSTAGE.COM
03.31.16 backstage
31
show tune of a similar genre (with a
funky, soulful style). Choosing a selection from the production is acceptable.
Sheet music is preferable; an accompanist will be provided.
•• No pay.
STUDENT FILMS
‘A Rose for Emily’
•• Casting background for “A Rose for
Emily,” an adaptation of William
Faulkner’s short story.
•• Company: UCLA. Staff: Andrea
Massaro, prod.; James Franco, exec.
prod.
•• Shoots Apr. 5-7, 9, 11 & 12 in L.A.
•• Seeking—Townspeople: males &
females, 18-50, Caucasian, African
American, churchgoers and funeral
attendees; some will be featured
extras. Gravedigger: male, 18-40,
Caucasian, able-bodied, strong, fit;
featured extra. Construction Worker:
male, 18-40, Caucasian, African
American, able-bodied, strong, fit;
will have the chance to star in a scene
with James Franco. Gossiping
Woman: female, 18-30, Caucasian,
jealous, gossips about the protagonist; featured.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Send submissions to a.h.massaro@
gmail.com.
•• Note availability.
•• No pay, but lunch provided.
‘Across the String’
•• Casting the five-minute surreal short
“Across the String,” a student film for
Chapman University.
•• Company: Chapman University. Staff:
Keon Ali, dir.
•• Rehearses Apr. 10-23 (two rehearsals;
flexible); shoots Apr. 24 in Irvine, CA.
•• Seeking—Abby: female, 18-23, all ethnicities, quirky, sharp, tense; she’s itching to do something new before
starting college in one month; since her
friends left for college months earlier,
she fears losing her therapist and only
remaining friend Eric; she works in web
design, spends her paychecks on therapy, and screws around online for
months--and she can’t get this damn
indie folk song out of her head. Eric:
male, 30-45, all ethnicities, patient and
pragmatic; he’s worked as a psychologist for a few years and asks Abby
engaging questions; over the months,
he’s started conversing more casually
and offering advice, but he considers
himself a smaller part of her life since
Abby grew equipped to deal with her
depression.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. April 1
from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at Dodge College of
Film and Media Arts, 283 N. Cypress St.,
Audition Room A, Orange, CA, 92866.
•• Send submissions to pazan100@mail.
chapman.edu.
•• No pay.
‘Best Buddies’
•• Casting “Best Buddies,” a student
film.
FILM
‘The Wiz’
soprano, G3-C5; Dorothy’s aunt; life has
not been easy for her and promises little else; harsh towards Dorothy at
times, but acts out of love. Uncle Henry:
male, 40-50, African American,
Ethnically Ambiguous / Mixed Race,
range: non-singing; Dorothy’s uncle;
physically run-down from years of hard
work on the farm; often acts as the
voice of reason towards Aunt Em.
Addaperle: female, 21-40, all ethnicities, age flexible; range: mezzosoprano, F3-C5; good Witch of the
North; has magic powers that don’t
always pan out as well as she would like
them to. Scarecrow: male, 25-40, all
ethnicities, age flexible; range: tenor,
D3-A4; tired of being a scarecrow and
the prospect of not going anywhere;
embarks on the journey to see The Wiz
in hopes he can provide a brain. Tin
Man: male, 25-40, all ethnicities, age
flexible; range: baritone, E3-A4; lost all
his limbs to a cursed axe; joins in the
journey in hopes the Wiz will provide
him a heart because “it isn’t enough to
be good-looking.”. Lion: male, 25-40, all
ethnicities, age flexible; range: baritone, G2-Bb4; travels around the jungle
scaring people, but has “a yellow streak
a mile wide”; joins in the journey to see
the Wiz to gain some courage.
Gatekeeper: male, 30-60, all ethnicities, age flexible; range: non-singing;
guards the gate to the Emerald City.
The Wiz: male, 30-50, African
American, Ethnically Ambiguous /
Mixed Race, age flexible; range: tenor,
C3-A4; all-powerful leader over the
land of Oz; his true identity is an
enigma. Evillene: males & females,
30-45, African American, Ethnically
Ambiguous / Mixed Race, age flexible;
range: alto, Bb3-Db5; Wicked Witch of
the West; low-down evil; not a kind
bone in her body or kind thought in her
rotten mind. This role can be played in
drag. Lord High Underling: male,
28-40, all ethnicities, non-singing;
weak coward; Evillene’s number one.
Winged Monkey: males & females,
25-35, all ethnicities, non-singing; servant of the Wicked Witch of the West,
summoned to do her bidding; the mere
mention of him brings fear. Adult &
Children’s Ensemble: males & females,
10-55, all ethnicities, Pit Singers (seated
with orchestra), Tornado (dancers),
Munchkins (Children), Crows,
Kalidahs, Poppies, Field Mice, Emerald
City Citizens, Soldier Messenger. Note:
Children’s ensemble will be comprised
of six dancer/singers with a prerequisite of considerable stage performance.
Yellow Brick Road: males & females,
18-35, all ethnicities, four dancing/singing actors combine to create the Yellow
Brick Road; metaphorically represents
the road Dorothy travels down, encouraging her along the way.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. April 5
from 7-10 p.m. (singing audition only),
April 6 from 7-10 p.m. (singing audition
only) and April 7 from 7-10 p.m. (singing audition only) at Simi Valley
Cultural Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles
Ave., Simi Valley, CA, 93065.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• This is a singing audition only. Be prepared to sing 16-32 bars of a Broadway
MUSICALS
•• Casting a developmental lab of
“Monsoon Wedding” with book by
Sabrina Dhawan, music by Vishal
Bhardwaj, and lyrics by Susan
Birkenhead.
•• Company: Margo Lion, Ruth & Stephen
Hendel, Colin Callender. Staff: Mira
Nair, dir.; Sarna Lapine, assoc. dir.;
Andy Einhorn, music dir.; Roy Gabay,
general mgr.; Cindy Tolan/Adam
Caldwell, casting.
•• Lab runs May 30-June 17 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Pimmi Verma: female, 40-49,
South Asian. Aditi Verma: female, 18+,
South Asian. Ria Verma: female, 30-39,
South Asian. Saroj Rai/Ensemble:
female, 40-49, South Asian. Veena
Verma/Ensemble: female, 50-59, South
Asian. Vijaya/Ensemble: female, 50-59,
South Asian. Ma/Ensemble: female,
70-79, all ethnicities. Shashi Chawla:
female, 40-49, South Asian. Aliya
Chawla/Ensemble: female, 18+, South
Asian. Vikram/Tameezuddin/
Ensemble: male, 18+, South Asian.
Hemant Rai: male, 30-39, South Asian.
Varun Verma: male, 18+, South Asian.
Lalit Verma: 40-69, South Asian. PK
Dubey: male, 30-39, South Asian. Alice:
female, 18-29, South Asian. Tej: male,
50-59, South Asian. CL Chawla: male,
50-59, South Asian.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 2 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at 3rd Street
Dance, 8558 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA,
90048. A monitor will not be provided.
The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• Prepare a brief contemporary song of
your own a cappella, ideally in the style
of Indian Pop, Bollywood, or Classical.
Bring picture of yourself with contact
information. Note: If you are unable to
attend our open call, email your information to mwcastingoffice@gmail.
com.
•• Pays $1000/wk. Equity Developmental
Lab Agreement.
casting CALIFORNIA
PLAYS
FILM
•• Company: USC. Staff: Naomi Iwamoto,
casting dir.-dir.
•• Shoots Apr. 16-17 and 23-24 in Los
Angeles, CA.
•• Seeking—Grace: female, 18-22,
Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, South
Asian, Native American, Middle
Eastern, Southeast Asian / Pacific
Islander, Ethnically Ambiguous / Mixed
Race, seems like the girl next door;
smart, funny and cool; she has a charm
to her that no one can deny; she has a
nice balance of feminine and masculine
energy; she can hold her own at Sunday
football with the boys but can rock a
summer dress; has dated boys all her
life but is struggling with coming out of
the closet as a lesbian; and now, she has
to tell her best friend. Danny: male,
18-22, all ethnicities, funny, chill and
easy going; is what most people would
describe a good guy; the guy who rolls
the joint for the group with no complaints; met Grace when they were in
kindergarten; they’ve been inseparable
since; has had a crush on Grace for
years but he’s always kept it to himself,
he can’t take it anymore and is going to
tell her his feelings for her since they
were kids; he loves her.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. April 1
and April 2 in Los Angeles, CA.
•• Apply on Backstage.com.
•• USC SAG-AFTRA Agreement.
‘In No Sense’
EVENTS
•• Casting “In No Sense,” a USC School of
Cinematic Arts junior thesis that
explores how betrayal and loss of innocence can transform an individual.
•• Company: USC School of Cinematic
Arts. Staff: Paul Snow, casting dir.
•• Shoots Apr. 9-10 & 16-17 in L.A.
•• Seeking—Young Charles: male, 4-12, all
ethnicities, the main protagonist, a
30-year-old man in the body of a young
child. His middle-class suburban life
has become routine and he dreams of a
life of freedom. When he catches his
wife with another boy on his anniversary however, he finds that his freedom
might be closer than he thinks. Charles:
male, 50-80, all ethnicities, the main
protagonist. After murdering his wife
and her lover in a fit of jealous rage,
Charles must go on the run and hide the
bodies. He has finally broken free of his
mundane, cookie-cutter life, but at the
expense of his own identity. Must be
comfortable with moderate physical
activity. Minnie: female, 4-12, all ethnicities, Charles’ wife, a 30-year-old
woman in the body of a young child;
your perfect Betty Draper housewife,
but with a secret: whenever her husband leaves for work, she meets up with
the man she is actually in love with. Mr.
Edwards: males & females, 4-12, all ethnicities, Charles’ and Minnie’s happygo-lucky next door neighbor, loves
gardening and his prize possession is
his rose garden. He is flamboyant and a
little oblivious but has a good heart.
(This role can also be changed to a
female). The Cop: males & females, 4-12,
all ethnicities, a 40-year-old man in the
body of a child; in law enforcement for
years now. He just got bumped from the
biggest case of his career however, causing him to be distracted on the job.
When he comes across Charles while
32 backstage 03.31.16
AUDITION
HIGHLIGHT S
Fri. Apr. 1
CA L I F O R N I A
‘Best Buddies’ (also 4/2)
Cygnet Theatre 2016/17 Season
‘Across the String’
‘The Good Memory’ (also 4/3)
Sat. Apr. 2
‘Beachwood Charter’ (also 4/3)
‘T-Flats’ (also 4/3)
‘Romeo and Juliet’ (also 4/3)
‘Monsoon Wedding’
‘The Spitfire Grill’ (also 4/5)
‘Take Me Home’ (also 4/3)
Sun. Apr. 3
‘Sex, Relationships....Love’
‘The Clean House’
‘Letters from the Front’
Mon. Apr. 4
‘Lights Out’ (also 4/5)
Tues. Apr. 5
‘Figaro’ (also 4/6)
Summer Shakespeare Festival
‘The Wiz’ (also 4/6)
For the full auditions calendar,
visit backstage.com/auditions
giving him a ticket, his distraction
causes him to not see the bodies hidden
in the back of Charles’ car. (This role can
also be changed to a female).
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Send submissions to pwsnowfilm@
gmail.com.
•• No pay.
‘Leo Johnson’
•• Casting “Leo Johnson,” a short student film.
•• Company: American Film Institute.
Staff: Shi Qiu, coord.
•• Shoots Apr. 10 (5-11 a.m.) in Sherman
Oaks, CA.
•• Seeking—Silvia: female, 25-35, all ethnicities, a nurse at a local hospital; she
moved to L.A. three years ago. Richard:
male, 24-38, all ethnicities, works at a
software company; plans to propose to
Silvia soon. Furniture Shopper: males
& females, 20-60, all ethnicities, shoppers in the furniture store.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Apply on Backstage.com.
•• For more info on the project and the
team, visit www.leojohnsonfilm.com.
•• No pay.
‘Plastic Wrap’
•• Casting a student film, “Plastic Wrap,”
about a man that has to sneak a
wrapped up dead body past his two
roommates.
•• Company: LBCC. Staff: Jake Brisbin,
casting.
•• Shoots Apr. 12 & 14, noon-6 p.m. in
Long Beach.
•• Seeking—Peter: male, 18-40,
Caucasian. Male Roommate: male,
18-30, Caucasian, Hispanic, Native
American. Female Roommate (no dialogue): female, 18-30, Caucasian,
African American, Hispanic, Native
American, Ethnically Ambiguous /
Mixed Race.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Apply on Backstage.com.
•• No pay, but copy, lunch, and credit
provided.
GROUPS &
MEMBERSHIP
COMPANIES
L.A. Connection, Comedy
Improv Groups
•• Seeking improv and sketch performers
for adult, teen, and kids’ improv groups
to be part of L.A. Connection’s brandnew theater in Burbank, as well as a
teen/kid sketch improv group to create
content for a new YouTube channel.
Coordinator states: “We have ten
weekly adult improv shows, a teen
improv show, and a kids’ improv show.
Adult groups also perform for corporations, camps, events, and parties. LAC
also has three shows in development
for weekly TV series, including a teen
improv reality show, a classic dubbing
show, and a paparazzi parody show.
Our adults has performed four times a
year at the Comedy Store main room
the last 7 years. LAC also has up to 100
summer camp jobs and books parties
all year round. We have moved to a new
beautiful theater in Burbank in Feb.
2016.”
•• Company: LA Connection Comedy
Theatre. Staff: Kent Skov, prod.-dir.
•• Rehearses once a week (three hours,
Sat.-Wed., depending on talent’s group
placement); runs Thurs.-Sun. at the
L.A. Connection Comedy Theatre in
Burbank. Note: Outside showtimes may
vary based on bookings.
•• Seeking—Improv Performers: 5+, all
ethnicities, ensemble improv performers who think fast on their feet, are able
to create characters on the spot, and
work well with others.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. April 2
from 3-4:30 p.m., April 3 from 1:30-3
p.m., April 6 from 6-7:30 p.m., April 9
from 3-4:30 p.m. and April 17 from
1:30-3 p.m. at L.A. Connection Comedy
Theatre, 3435 West Magnolia Blvd.,
Burbank, CA, 91505.
•• Send submissions to kentskov@aol.
com.
•• Submit headshot, resume, and a contact phone number for casting personnel to schedule an audition. You may
also request the audition time that
works best for you.
•• Pays: 25% of the LAC box office split
equally or 35% for outside shows.
Special event pay varies. Note: LAC is a
dues-based company. Dues range from
$0-$125 monthly. That includes three
hours of rehearsals weekly plus
monthly or weekly shows and ten tickets to the group’s shows. Some performers must pay dues, some trade
services (door, lights, office work, or
handyman skills) for some or all their
dues, and some members (who have
been part of the company a long time)
pay no dues.
NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA
PLAYS
ACT San Francisco Season
•• Casting ACT San Francisco’s 20162017 season. Season includes “King
Charles III” (Mike Bartlett, writer;
David Muse, dir. San Francisco
rehearsals begin Aug. 15; runs Sept.
14-Oct. 9 with an extension through
Oct. 16. Seattle rehearsals begin Nov. 5;
runs Nov. 11-Dec. 11 with a possible
extension through Dec. 17. DC rehearsals begin Jan. 31, 2017; runs Feb. 7-Mar.
12 with a possible extension through
Mar. 19); Show #2 TBD, Charles
Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol’ (Carey
Perloff and Paul Walsh, adaptation); “A
Thousand Splendid Suns” (Ursula Rani
Sarna, writer; Khaled Hosseini, novel;
Carey Perloff, dir.); “John” (Annie
Baker, writer.); and two additional
shows.
•• Company: American Coast Theater
Company. Staff: Janet Foster, dir. of
casting.
•• Season rehearses and performs in San
Francisco, CA.
•• Seeking—Actors: males & females, 18+,
all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
March 31 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch, 1-2
p.m.) at American Conservatory
Theater, 30 Grant Ave., San Francisco,
CA, 94108. A monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects
of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, call (415)
439-2395 or email [email protected].
•• Prepare a contemporary or classical
monologue. For more info, visit www.
act-sf.org.
•• Pays $992/wk. (LORT A) and $799/wk.
(LORT C). Equity LORT Non-Rep
Contracts.
‘Margaret of Anjou’
•• Casting “Margaret of Anjou,” an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry VI cycle
focusing on Henry’s queen, Margaret.
•• Company: Those Women Productions.
Staff: Elizabeth Vega, casting dir.
•• Rehearsals begin July 25; runs Aug.
26-Sept. 11, in Berkeley, CA.
•• Seeking—All Roles: males & females,
18+, all ethnicities.
BACKSTAGE.COM
CALIFORNIA casting
‘Six Degrees of Separation’
•• Casting additional roles for Contra
Costa Civic Theatre’s production of
“American Idiot,” the musical.
•• Company: Contra Costa Civic Theatre.
Staff: Alex Perez, casting dir.
•• Rehearsals begin in April, in El Cerrito,
CA.
•• Seeking—Actor/Singer: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Send submissions to alexmth1@gmail.
com.
•• Submit a video performances of two
songs/32 bars & some dance experience
(if applicable), via email.
•• Some pay.
•• Casting “Six Degrees of Separation,” a
play by John Guare.
•• Company: The Western Stage.
•• Rehearsals begin Aug. 6; runs Sept.
23-Oct. 9 in Salinas, CA.
•• Seeking—Paul: male, 18-30, African
American. Flanders Kittredge: male,
30-45, all ethnicities. Geoffrey: male,
45-69, all ethnicities. Ben: male, 20-30,
all ethnicities. Doug: male, 18-30, all
ethnicities. Woodrow (Woody)
Kittredge: male, 18-35, all ethnicities.
Elizabeth: female, 25-40, all
ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Send submissions to twscasting@
gmail.com.
•• Some pay.
‘Wait Until Dark’
•• Casting “Wait Until Dark”, a thriller
written by Frederick Knott (“Dial M for
Murder”).
•• Company: Pinole Community Players.
Staff: Janet Obrien, dir.
•• Rehearsals and productions to take
place in Pinole, CA.
•• Seeking—All Roles: males & females,
18+, all ethnicities, adults and one girl
(must look 12-15 years old).
•• Auditions will be held by appt. April 3
and April 4 at Community Playhouse,
601 Tennent Ave., Pinole, CA, 94564.
•• Send submissions to jhobrien@aol.
com.
•• Cold reading from the script; no monologue required.
•• Some pay.
MUSICALS
6th Street Playhouse
•• Casting adult and child actors/singers
for 6th Street Playhouse’s upcoming
2016-2017 season of plays and musicals.
•• Company: 6th Street Playhouse.
•• All rehearsals and productions to take
place in or near Santa Rosa, CA.
•• Seeking—Actors/Singers: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. May 28
and May 29 at The Studio Theatre at 6th
Street Playhouse, 52 W. 6th St., Unit B,
Santa Rosa, CA, 95401.
•• Send submissions to
[email protected].
•• Prepare two contrasting monologues
to present at the audition, not to exceed
five minutes. Actor/singers wishing to
also be considered for the season musicals should prepare 32 bars from one
Broadway style song in addition to the
monologues as specified above; bring
sheet music. Do not select an audition
song from one of the scheduled shows
in the season. No a cappella; an accom-
VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING
for full character breakdowns, script
sides, and more casting notices
BACKSTAGE.COM
‘American Idiot’
‘Hamilton,’ B’way & Nat’l Tours,
San Francisco Appts.
•• Seeking Equity and non-Equity singers and dancers of all ethnicities for
Broadway’s “Hamilton.”
•• Company: Hamilton, c/o Baseline
Theatrical. Staff: Jeffrey Seller, Sander
Jacobs, Jill Furman, and The Public
Theater, prods.; Thomas Kail, dir.; LinManuel Miranda, music & lyrics; Andy
Blankenbuehler, choreo.; Alex
Lacamoire, music dir./orchestrator;
Andy Jones, general mgr.; Bethany
Knox (Telsey + Company), casting.
•• Currently running on Broadway in
NYC.
•• Seeking—Alexander Hamilton: male,
30-39, all ethnicities. Eliza Hamilton:
female, 20-39, all ethnicities.
Angelica Schuyler: female, 20-39, all
ethnicities. Aaron Burr: male, 20-39,
all ethnicities. George Washington:
male, 30-49, all ethnicities. Marquis
de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson: male,
20-39, all ethnicities. Hercules
Mulligan/James Madison: male,
20-39, all ethnicities. John Laurens/
Philip Hamilton: male, 18-29, all ethnicities. Peggy Schuyler/Maria
Reynolds: female, 18-29, all ethnicities. King George: male, 30-49,
Caucasian. Ensemble Singers: males
& females, 19-39, all ethnicities.
Ensemble Dancers: males & females,
19-39, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• For an audition appointment, email
picture/resume to Casting@
HamiltonBroadway.com with the city
name in the subject line. Submissions
deadline is Apr. 13.
•• Pays $1917/wk. Equity Production
(League) Contract.
Kaiser Permanente
Educational Theatre,
Performer/Educator
•• Seeking full-time performer/educators
for Kaiser Permanente Educational
Theatre in Northern California.
Company states: “Our award-winning,
health education themed plays and theatre based workshops tour Northern
California communities daily. “
•• Company: Kaiser Permanente
Educational Theatre Northern CA.
Staff: Jamie Asdorian, prod.
supervisor.
•• Positions begin late July/early August,
2016, based in Oakland, CA. School tour
ends June 2017 but positions are yearround, full-time.
•• Seeking—Company Members: males &
females, 18-40, all ethnicities, 18+ with
a valid CA driver’s license to play various roles ranging from 8-18 years of
age. Must read as high school age or
younger (ages 8 to 18). Theatre experience, teaching artist experience, actor
experience, experience working with
youth, experience in health education,
preferred. BA in theatre arts, public
health, or related field. Bilingual in
Spanish, Hmong, Cantonese, Tagalog,
or Vietnamese is a plus.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. April 21
and April 22 in Oakland, CA, 94612.
•• Send submissions to etpauditions@
gmail.com.
•• For consideration, submit your application at http://etnortherncalifornia.
kaiserpermanente.org/jobs-and-auditions-2/. Note: Read all of the job information on the website carefully before
applying. Follow the instructions on
the page to submit yourself for audition
consideration. All genders and ethnicities are encouraged to apply.
Submissions deadline is Apr. 18 at 9
a.m. Callbacks will be held Apr. 25-26.
•• Pays $800/wk. plus full benefits.
‘Monsoon Wedding,’ Bay Area
Singers
•• Casting a developmental lab of
“Monsoon Wedding” with book by
Sabrina Dhawan, music by Vishal
Bhardwaj, and lyrics by Susan
Birkenhead.
•• Company: Margo Lion, Ruth & Stephen
Hendel, Colin Callender. Staff: Mira
Nair, dir.; Sarna Lapine, assoc. dir.;
Andy Einhorn, music dir.; Roy Gabay,
general mgr.; Cindy Tolan/Adam
Caldwell, casting.
•• Lab runs May 30-June 17 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Pimmi Verma: female, 40-49,
South Asian. Aditi Verma: female, 18+,
South Asian. Ria Verma: female, 30-39,
South Asian. Saroj Rai/Ensemble:
female, 40-49, South Asian. Veena
Verma/Ensemble: female, 50-59, South
Asian. Vijaya/Ensemble: female, 50-59,
South Asian. Ma/Ensemble: female,
70-79, all ethnicities. Shashi Chawla:
female, 40-49, South Asian. Aliya
Chawla/Ensemble: female, 18+, South
Asian. Vikram/Tameezuddin/
Ensemble: male, 18+, South Asian.
Hemant Rai: male, 30-39, South Asian.
Varun Verma: male, 18+, South Asian.
Lalit Verma: male, 40-69, South Asian.
PK Dubey: male, 30-39, South Asian.
Alice: female, 18-29, South Asian. Tej:
male, 50-59, South Asian. CL Chawla:
male, 50-59, South Asian.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 9 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at
Cubberley Communitiy Center
Auditorium, 4000 Middlefield Rd., Palo
Alto, CA, 94303. A monitor will not be
provided. The producer will run all
aspects of this audition.
•• Prepare a brief contemporary song of
your own a cappella, ideally in the
style of Indian Pop, Bollywood, or
Classical. Bring picture of yourself
with contact information. Note: If you
are unable to attend our open call,
email your information to [email protected].
•• Pays $1000/wk. Equity Developmental
Lab Agreement.
‘Pride and Prejudice: The
Musical’
•• Casting for the national premiere of
“Pride and Prejudice: The Musical,” by
Rita Abrams & Josie Brown.
•• Company: IAM Theatre Company.
Staff: Lexie Papedo Gasparini, casting
dir.
•• Rehearsals to be held in Marin.
Performs in San Francisco, CA.
•• Seeking—Elizabeth Bennett: female,
20-35, all ethnicities. Mr. Fitzwilliam
Darcy: male, 20-35, all ethnicities.
Jane Bennet: female, 20-35, all ethnicities. Mr. Charles Bingley: male,
20-35, all ethnicities. Charlotte
Lucas: female, 20-35, all ethnicities.
Caroline Bingley: female, 20-35, all
ethnicities. Mr. Collins: male, 25-40,
all ethnicities. Mr. Bennet: male,
45-60, all ethnicities. Mr. George
Wickham: male, 20-30, all ethnicities. Lydia Bennet: female, 16-25, all
ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. April 3
from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Knights of
Columbus Hall, 167 Tunstead Ave., San
Anselmo, CA, 94960.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• To apply, submit pix & résumés.
Prepare 32 bars of a musical theater
song (comedic/uptempo or ballad) that
best showcases your vocal range and
acting ability; an accompanist will be
provided. Also prepare a one- to twominute comedic monologue, and be
ready to cold read sides from the show.
For more info. visit www.tinyurl.com/
aaw5le.
•• Travel stipend.
Woodminster 2016 Season
•• Casting the Woodminster 2016 season. Season includes “Shrek” (Joel
Schlader, dir.; Daniel Thomas, musical dir.; Jody Jaron, choreo.
Rehearsals begin June 21; runs July
8-17), “Chicago” (Daniel Thomas,
musical dir.; Lainie Sakakura, choreo.
Rehearsals begin July 19; runs Aug.
5-14) and “La Cage Aux Folles” (Joel
Schlader, dir.; Jody Jaron, choreo.;
Michael Horsley, musical dir.).
•• Company: Producers Assoc. Inc./
Woodminster Summer Musicals.
•• Season rehearses and performs in
Oakland, CA.
•• Seeking—Actors: males & females, 18+,
all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 4 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at
Woodminster Amphitheatre, Joaquin
Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd.,
Oakland, CA, 94602. A monitor will not
be provided. The producer will run all
aspects of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, Equity
members call (510) 339-0241.
•• Prepare two contrasting songs. Bring
photo and resume. Note: All roles are
available. Local hires preferred. We do
not accept video submissions.
•• Pays $605/wk. (last year’s min.).
Equity LOA ref WCLO Contract,
pending.
03.31.16 backstage
33
MUSICALS
panist will be on hand for those singing. For more info, visit www.tinyurl.
com/h3f6err.
•• Some pay.
PLAYS
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Send submissions to ElizabethLVega@
gmail.com.
•• To apply, submit pix & résumés.
•• $500 stipend.
casting NATIONAL/REGIONAL
PLAYS
NATIONAL/
REGIONAL
PLAYS
Act II Playhouse Season,
GPAAs
•• Casting Equity performers for the Act
II Playhouse 2016-2017 Season and for
various Philadelphia Theatres’ upcoming 2016-2017 Seasons. The Act II
Playhouse 2016-2017 Season includes:
“Electile Dysfunction” (Tony
Braithwaite, writer’dir. Runs Sept.
6-Oct. 9), “Mauritius” (Theresa Rebeck,
writer; David Bradley, dir. Runs Oct.
25-Nov. 20), “This Wonderful Life”
(Steve Murray, writer. Runs Dec.. 6-24),
“Tomfoolery” (Tom Lehrer, music and
lyrics; Cameron Mackintosh and Robin
Ray, adapted by; Tony Braithwaite, dir.
Runs Feb. 28, 2017-Apr. 9, 2017), and
“Brighton Beach Memoirs” (Neil Simon,
writer; Runs May 16, 2017-June 25,
2017).
•• Company: Act II Playhouse. Staff: Tony
Braithwaite, artistic dir.; Tony
Braithwaite and David Bradley, dirs.
•• Season runs in Ambler, PA.
•• Seeking—Equity Performers: 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 4 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch, 1-2
p.m.) at Walnut Street Theatre, 825
Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA. A monitor will no tbe provided. The producer
will run all aspects of this audition.
•• All actors will be given three minutes
to perform any kind of combination of
songs and monologues. You will be contacted by a staff member to confirm an
appointment and will be required to
send 30 photocopies of headshots for
the attending organizations. For consideration, email
[email protected]
with your name, phone number, 1st and
2nd choice of appointment times, as
well as any time during the day that
you are not available. Appointments
will be accepted on a first come first
serve bases until full. Equity members
are still encouraged to come for standby list to be seen as time permits. These
auditions are instrumental in helping
the region’s theatres discover local
actors and cast their shows for the
upcoming season. For more info, visit
www.phillyannualauditions.org and
the Act II website www.act2.org.
•• Equity SPT Tier 8 Agreement.
Blue Man Group, Atlanta
Auditions
•• Casting Blue Man Group. Description:
Best known for multimedia performances that feature three bald and blue
characters, “Blue Man Group is theater,
ritual, comedy, rock music, and dance
party all rolled into one. The character
has strong roots of the downtown New
34 backstage 03.31.16
York performance art scene as well as
significant nods to vaudeville and Le
Coq’s principals of playfulness, togetherness, and openness.
•• Company: Blue Man Productions.
Staff: Tascha Van Auken, mgr., casting
and training.
•• Ongoing performances.
•• Seeking—Blue Man: 18+, all ethnicities,
must be between 5’10”-6’2” with an
athletic build; strong candidates frequently have backgrounds in physical
theater and improvisation and are compelling and genuine nonverbal storytellers; must thrive in a constantly
evolving team environment on and off
stage; drumming skills/musicianship
are an advantage but a good sense of
rhythm is necessary.
•• Auditions will be held April 26 at 10
a.m. at Alliance Theatre, 1280
Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• When submitting, be sure to include
your height, weight, and any instrumental experience on your resume. All
submissions must be in by Apr. 22.
Bring a recent and clear photo or headshot and a performance résumé. Wear
whatever you are comfortable in. Jeans
and a T-shirt are fine. Casting personnel will conduct a brief acting audition
with you. There is nothing you need to
prepare for the audition. Callbacks for
these auditions will be held on Apr. 27 &
28. Casting personnel will let you know
by 7 p.m. on Apr. 26 if we are interested
in bringing you to callbacks.
•• Pay provided.
‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’
•• Casting “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” a play.
•• Company: Berkshire Theatre Group.
Staff: Kate Maguire, artistic dir.;
Tennessee Williams, author; David
Auburn, dir.; Alan Filderman, casting
dir.
•• Rehearsals begin May 30; runs June
22-July 16 in Stockbridge, MA.
•• Seeking—Brick: male, 30-39, all ethnicities. Big Mama: female, 50-69, all ethnicities. Gooper: male, 38-44, all
ethnicities. Mae: female, 37-39, all ethnicities. Reverend Tooker: 50-69, all
ethnicities. Dr. Baugh: 50-69, all
ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from MA.
•• For consideration, email a picture and
resume to [email protected] with
“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof/NYC
Appointment Submission” in the subject line. Seeking submissions from
Equity members only via this posting.
Equity members must submit themselves directly in order to be considered
(no agent submissions). NYC auditions
to be held on an upcoming date TBD, by
appointment only. Note: The roles of
Big Daddy and Maggie have already
been cast; do not submit.
•• Pays: $799/wk. plus housing and transportation provided. Equity LORT NonRep Contract.
Core Ensemble Touring Season
•• Casting The Core Ensemble’s 20162017 season. Season includes “Los
Valientes” (Jose Cruz Gonzalez, writer.
Runs Sept. 5-Oct. 31 with a possible
extension); “Tres Vidas” (Marjorie
Agosin, writer. Runs Sept. 5-Oct. 31
with a possible extension); “Of Ebony
Embers” (Akin Babatunde, writer. Runs
Jan. 2, 2017-Feb. 26, 2017 with a possible
extension); and “Ain’t I A Woman”
(Kim Hines, writer. Runs Jan. 23, 2017Mar. 26, 2017 with a possible extension). The Core Ensemble is a touring
company that presents ethnic-centered
educational plays performed by a solo
actor with a chamber trio of percussion,
cello & piano.
•• Company: Core Ensemble. Staff:
Michael Parola, prod.; Fiona Choi, dir.casting dir.
•• Season rehearses in Lake Worth, FL.
All shows will rehearse for three weeks
then tour for five weeks with possible
extension.
•• Seeking—Actors: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 15 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (by appointment only) at St. Andrews Church, 100
North Palmway, Lake Worth, FL, 33460.
A monitor will not be provided. The
producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected]. AEA
members email for an appointment.
AEA members without appointments
seen as time permits.
•• Sides will be provided. Actors interested in Los “Valientes” or “Tres Vidas”
should also prepare a Spanish folk song
to be sung a cappella. Actors interested
in “Ain’t I A Woman” should also prepare a short spiritual or folk song to be
sung a cappella. Bring picture and
resume. For more info, visit www.
coreensemble.com.
•• Pays $435/wk. (three perfs. min. @
$145/perf.) plus $50/day per diem while
on tour. Equity LOA Per Performance
Agreement.
Curious Theatre Company
•• Casting the Curious Theatre
Company’s 2016-17 season. Season
includes “Water By The Spoonful”
(Quiara Alegría Hudes, writer.
Rehearsals begin Aug. 8; runs Sept.
3-Oct. 15); “Hand To God” (Robert
Askins, writer. Rehearsals begin Oct.
10; runs Nov. 5-Dec. 17); “The Happiest
Song Plays Last” (Quiara Alegría Hudes,
writer. Rehearsals begin Dec. 19, 2016;
runs Jan. 14, 2017-Feb. 18, 2017);
“Constellations” (Nick Payne, writer.
Rehearsals begin Feb. 13, 2017; runs
Mar. 11-Apr. 15); and “The Luckiest
People” (Meridith Friedman, writer.
Rehearsals begin Apr. 10, 2017; runs
May 6-June 17).
•• Company: Curious Theatre Company.
Staff: Chip Walton, prod. artistic dir.;
Dee Covington, education dir.-founding artistic company member; John
Jurcheck, assoc. prod.
•• Rehearses and performs in Denver, CO.
•• Seeking—Actors: males & females, 18+,
all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 16 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and April 17
from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Curious Theatre
Company, 1080 Acoma St., Denver, CO,
80204. Enter through the red doors at
the front of the building. A monitor will
not be provided. The producer will run
all aspects of this audition. For an audition appointment, email Production
Management Associate, Marlena
Schwartz at [email protected].
•• Prepare two contrasting contemporary
monologues not exceeding four minutes combined. For more info, visit
www.curioustheatre.org.
•• Pays $318/wk. Equity SPT 3 Contract.
Gloucester Stage, Stage Source
•• Casting Equity actors for the
Gloucester Stage 2016 Season as part of
the Stage Source 2016 auditions. Season
includes: “Lettice and Lovage” (Peter
Shaffer, writer; Benny Sato Ambush,
dir. Rehearsals begin May 3; runs May
19-June 11); “Albatross” (Matthew
Spangler & Benjamin Evett, writers;
Rick Lombardo, dir. Rehearsals begin
June 7; runs June 16-July 3); “The Last
Schwartz” (Deborah Zoe Laufer, writer;
Paula Plum, dir. Rehearsals begin June
21; runs July 7-30); “Songs for a New
World” (Jason Robert Brown, book,
music, & lyrics; Robert Walsh, dir.
Rehearsals begin July 19; runs Aug.
4-27); “The Totalitarians” (Peter Sinn
Nachtrieb, writer; Jeff Zinn, dir.
Rehearsals begin Sept. 1; runs Sept.
17-Oct. 3); and “Man in Snow” (Israel
Horovitz, writer; Andrea Paciotto, dir.
Rehearsals begin Sept. 13; runs Sept.
29-Oct. 23).
•• Company: Gloucester Stage Company.
Staff: Robert Walsh, artistic dir.; Jeff
Zinn, managing dir.
•• Seasons runs in Gloucester, MA.
•• Seeking—Equity Performers: 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held April 11 from 10
a.m.-5 p.m. (Equity actors & Equity
actor/singers) at ImprovBoston, 40
Prospect St., Cambridge, MA, 02139. A
monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• Be prepared to bring at least 30 copies
of your headshot/resume trimmed to
size and securely fastened to each other
with you on the day of your audition.
An accompanist will only be available
from 2-5 p.m. For an audition appointment, visit www.stagesource.org/page/
AuditionSignUps. For more info, visit
www.gloucesterstage.com.
•• Pays: $401/wk. Equity NEAT
Agreement.
Goodman Theatre
•• Casting the Goodman Theatre’s 20162017 season. Season includes
“Wonderful Town” (Leonard Bernstein,
music; Betty Comden and Adolph
Green, lyrics; Joseph A Fields and
Jerome Chodrov, book; Mary
Zimmerman, dir.; Doug Peck, musical
dir.; Alex Sanchez, choreo. Runs Aug.
6-Oct. 16 with a possible extension
through Oct. 30); Charles Dickens’ “A
Christmas Carol” (Tom Creamer, adaptation; Henry Wishcamper, dir. Runs
Oct. 25-Dec. 31); “Gloria” (Branden
Jacobs-Jenkins, writer; Evan Cabnet,
dir.); “Destiny Of Desire” (Karen
Zacarίas, writer; José Luis Valenzuela,
dir. Runs Feb. 7-Apr. 16, 2017); “Objects
In The Mirror” (Charles Smith, writer;
Chuck Smith, dir. Runs Apr. 4-June 4,
2017); “Ah, Wilderness!” (Eugene
O’Neill, writer; Robert Falls, dir. Runs
May 16-July 23, 2017 with a possible
BACKSTAGE.COM
NATIONAL/REGIONAL casting
Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse,
Stage Source Auditions
•• Seeking Equity actors for the 2016
Season for Martha’s Vineyard
Playhouse. Season includes: “High
Time” (Larry Mollin, writer; Randal
Myler, dir. Rehearsals begin May 10;
runs June 2-25); “Crumbs From the
Table of Joy” (Lynn Nottage, writer;
Adrienne D. Williams, dir. Rehearsals
begin June 14; runs July 7-30); “Red”
(John Logan, writer; MJ Bruder
Munafo, dir. Rehearsals begin July 21;
runs Aug. 11-Sept. 3); and “The Second
Girl” (Ronan Noone, writer; MJ Bruder
Munafo, dir. Rehearsals begin Aug. 23;
runs Sept. 15-Oct. 8).
•• Company: Lyric Stage Company. Staff:
MJ Bruder Munafo, artistic dir.; Michele
Ortlip, casting dir.
•• Season runs in Vineyard Haven, MA.
•• Seeking—Actors: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held April 11 from 10
a.m.-5 p.m. (Equity actors) at
ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St.,
Cambridge, MA, 02139. A monitor will
not be provided. The producer will run
all aspects of this audition.
•• For an appointment, go to www.stagesource.org/page/AuditionSignUps.
Note: This audition will be part of the
Stage Source 2016 Annual Auditions. Be
prepared to bring at least 35 copies of
your headshot/resume trimmed to size
and securely fastened to each other
with you on the day of your audition
BACKSTAGE.COM
•• Pays: $355/wk. Equity NEAT Cat. 5
Contract, approval pending.
‘Naperville’
•• Casting Equity actors for “Naperville,”
n which a son moves back home help
his mother after a recent accident has
left her blind.
•• Company: Theater Wit. Staff: Jeremy
Wechsler, artistic dir-prod. dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Aug. 19; runs Aug.
26-Oct. 16 in Chicago, IL.
•• Seeking—Candice: female, 50-65, all
ethnicities. Howard: male, 30-39, all
ethnicities. Anne: female, 30-39, all
ethnicities. Roy: male, 40-49, all ethnicities. T.C.: male, 20-35, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 4 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and April 5
from 5-10 p.m. at Theater Wit, 1229 W.
Belmont, Chicago, IL, 60657. EPA Rules
are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• Sides will be available at the Equity
Office. Bring headshot and resume. For
an audition appointment, Equity members call (312) 641-0406, 9:30 a.m.-12:30
p.m. and 3-4:30 p.m. or email casting@
theaterwit.org. For more info, visit theaterwit.org. Note: All performers
should have excellent comedic chops.
•• Pays $382.25/wk. Equity CAT Tier 3
Agreement.
New Repertory Theatre Season
•• Casting Equity actors for various roles
in New Repertory Theatre’s upcoming
2016-17 season. Season includes
“Regular Singing,” “Good,” “Golda’s
Balcony,” “The Gift Horse,” “Fiddler on
the Roof,” “Thurgood,” and “Brecht on
Brecht.”
•• Company: New Repertory Theatre.
Staff: Jim Petosa, artistic dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Aug. 16, 2016; season
runs Sept. 3, 2016-Mar. 5, 2017 in
Watertown, MA.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities. Equity
Actor/Singers : males & females, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 14 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (plays) and
April 15 from 1-5 p.m. (musicals) at
Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal
Street, Watertown, MA. A monitor will
not be provided. The producer will run
all aspects of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, call
Bridget Kathleen O’Leary at (617) 9237060 ext. 8204 (Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6
p.m.) or email pix & resumes to [email protected]. You have three
minutes to audition. Prepare material
of choice (including, if you wish, selections from the season’s repertoire). For
those who wish to perform a scene, a
reader will be available. State your
starting and stopping places. Bring a
picture and resume, stapled together.
Note: All scripts available at the
StageSource offices: 88 Tremont St.,
Ste. 714, Boston, MA 02108; Equity
Members without appointments will be
seen throughout the audition day as
time permits; theatre will also be
attending Stage Source AEA Auditions
on Apr. 11. For more info, visit www.
stagesource.org.
•• Pays $413/wk. Equity NEAT Contract.
Nora Theatre Company Season
•• Seeking Equity actors of all ethnicities
and backgrounds for the 2016-17 Season
for the Nora Theatre Company. Season
includes: “Marjorie Prime” (Jordan
Harrison, writer. Rehearsals begin Aug.
15; runs Sept. 8-Oct. 9); “Journey to the
West” ((co-production with the
Underground Railway Theater; Mary
Zimmerman, adaptation; Lee Mikeska
Gardner, dir. Rehearsals begin Oct. 24;
runs Nov. 17, 2016-Jan. 1, 2017);
“Intimate Exchanges” (Alan
Ayckbourn, writer. Rehearsals begin
Dec. 19, 2016; runs Jan. 12-Feb. 12, 2017);
“Precious Little” (Madeleine George,
writer. Rehearsals begin Feb. 6, 2017;
runs March 2-26); and “Midvale High
School Reunion” (Alan Brody, writer.
Rehearsals begin May 8, 2017; runs
June 1-July 2).
•• Company: Nora Theatre Company.
Staff: Lee Mikeska Gardner, artistic dir.
•• Season runs in Cambridge, MA.
•• Seeking—Actors: males & females, 18+,
all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 8 from 12-8 p.m. (by appointment)
at Central Square Theater, 450
Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA.
And April 11 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Equity
actors) (open call) at ImprovBoston, 40
Prospect St., Cambridge, MA, 02139.
•• EPA: Equity Members sign up at www.
SignUpGenius.com/
go/30E0A45A9AF2DA6FE3-nora to
make an appointment. A monitor will
not be provided. The producer will run
all aspects of this audition. Bring two
copies of pix/resume. Prepare two contrasting monologues. If you encounter
problems with the appointment sign-up
process, email Sarah Morin at smorin@
centralsquaretheater.org. For more
info, visit www.centralsquaretheater.
org.
•• Note: Actors will also be auditioning
for the Underground Railway Theater’s
season at this EPA. See separate notice
for URT’s info. The theatre will also be
participating in the Stage Source
Annual Auditions on April 11. Visit
Stagesource.org/annualauditions for
more info.
•• Pays: $413/wk. min. Equity NEAT
Contract. Note: Housing is unavailable
for out-of-town performers.
Philadelphia Shakespeare
Theatre 2016-17 Season, PA
•• Seeking Equity actors for the 2016-17
Season of the Philadelphia Shakespeare
Theatre. Actors must have previous
Shakespeare performance and training
experience. Season includes: “The
Winter’s Tale” (runs Apr. 12-May 14,
2017) and “Hamlet” (runs Feb. 8-May
21, 2017).
•• Company: Philadelphia Shakespeare
Theatre. Staff: Carmen Khan, artistic/
exec./stage dir.
•• Season runs in Philadelphia, PA.
•• Seeking—Actors: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 25 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (by
appointment; break, 12:30-1 p.m.) at
Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111
Sansom St., 2nd fl., Philadelphia, PA,
19103. A monitor will not be provided.
The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• For an audition appointment, Equity
members email [email protected]. No phone calls. Bring pix &
resumes, stapled together. Prepare two
contrasting Shakespearean monologues and 16-bars of a song to be sung
a cappella (optional). For more info,
visit www.phillyshakespeare.org.
•• Pays: $550/wk. Equity LOA ref. to
LORT Contract.
Philadelphia Shakespeare
Theatre, GPAA
•• Equity performers for various roles for
various Philadelphia Theatres’ upcoming 2016-17 Seasons. Season includes
“The Winter’s Tale” (runs Apr. 12-May
14, 2017) and “Hamlet” (runs Feb.
8-May 21, 2017).
•• Company: Philadelphia Shakespeare
Theatre. Staff: Carmen Khan, artistic/
exec. dir.-stage dir.
•• Season rehearses and performs in
Philadelphia, PA.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 4 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch, 1-2
p.m.) at Walnut Street Theatre, 825
Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA. A monitor
will not be provided. The producer will
run all aspects of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, Equity
members email your name, phone
number, first and second choice for
appointment times and any time during that day you aren’t available to
[email protected].
Appointments will be accepted on a
first come first serve bases until full.
Equity members are still encouraged to
come for stand-by list to be seen as time
permits.
•• All actors will be given three minutes
to perform any kind of combination of
songs and monologues. You will be contacted by a staff member to confirm an
appointment and will be required to
send 30 photocopies of headshots for
the attending organizations.
•• For more info, visit www.phillyannualauditions.org.
•• Pays $550/wk. Equity LOA ref. to LORT
Contract.
‘Pictures of Marilyn’
•• Casting “Pictures of Marilyn.”
•• Company: National World War II
Museum. Staff: Cavan Hallman, writerdir.; Heidi Malnar, choreo.
•• Rehearsals begin Sept. 12, 2016; runs
Oct. 7-Nov. 27 in New Orleans, LA.
•• Seeking—Amy Greene/Helen: 20-39, all
ethnicities. Natasha Lytess: 40-45, all
ethnicities. Joe DiMaggio: 30-39, all
ethnicities. Ray Anthony/Watch the
Birdie Dancer: 30-39, all ethnicities.
Arthur Miller: 30-45, all ethnicities.
Milton Greene: 30-39, all ethnicities.
Bob Hope/Daryl Zanuck/Reporter:
40-59, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 16 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at The
National WW2 Museum Stage Door
Canteen, 945 Magazine St., New
Orleans, LA, 70130. EPA Rules are in
effect. A monitor will not be provided.
The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• For an audition appointment, call
Jessica Leach at (504) 528-1944 ext. 287.
03.31.16 backstage
35
PLAYS
extension through July 30 or Aug.
6);”The Magic Play” (Andrew
Hinderaker, writer. Halena Kays, dir.
Runs Sept. 27-Nov. 20, 2016); “Uncle
Vanya” (Anton Chekhov, writer.
Adapted by Annie Baker from a translation by Margarita Shalina. Robert Falls,
dir. Runs Jan. 10-Mar. 12, 2017 with a
possible extension through Mar. 19)
1/10-3/12/17 possible extension 3/19/17);
“King Of The Yees” (Lauren Yee, writer.
Joshua Kahan Brody, dir. Runs Mar.
7-Apr. 30 with a possible extension
through May 7, 2017); and “Lady In
Denmark” (Dael Orlandersmith, writer.
Chay Yew, dir. Runs Apr. 25-June 18,
2017 with a possible extension through
June 25, 2017).
•• Company: Goodman Theatre. Staff:
Adam Belcuore, dir. of casting-assoc.
prod.; Erica Sartini-Combs, assoc. casting dir.; Rachael Jimenez, casting
assist.
•• Season rehearses and performs in
Chicago, IL.
•• Seeking—Actors: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 11 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (lunch, 1-2
p.m.) at Goodman Theatre, 170 N.
Dearborn, Chicago, IL, 60601. EPA
Rules are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• For an audition appointment, Equity
members call (312) 641-0406, 9:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. or 3-4:30 p.m. beginning Apr.
5.
•• Prepare one contemporary monologue
and one classical (heightened language), not to exceed three minutes
total. Note: All roles will be
understudied.
•• Pays $909/wk. (LORT B+) and $618/wk.
(LORT D). Equity LORT Non-Rep
Contracts.
casting NATIONAL/REGIONAL
PLAYS
•• Prepare 16 bars uptempo and 16 bars
ballad. Bring sheet music in your key;
an accompanist will be provided. Note:
All characters are based on historical
figures. All actors (except Marilyn) will
be expected to play other small ensemble roles, people at parties, etc. The role
of Marilyn has been cast.
•• Pays $300/wk. Equity NOLA Contract.
••
‘The Unfortunates’
•• Casting a solo play by Aoise Stratford,
“The Unfortunates.”
•• Company: SoloChicago Theatre
Company. Staff: Kurt Johns, artistic dir.
•• Runs June 16-July 10 at Theater Wit in
Chicago, IL.
•• Seeking—Mary Jane Kelly Understudy:
female, 30-39, all ethnicities, an East
End prostitute in 1880s London, tells an
entire evening’s worth of stories
through the voices of different characters of the day; well-versed and fluent
in dialect Cockney, RP, Irish and Welsh
(all are used in the play). Understudy
will perform.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 13 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (lunch,
1-1:30 p.m.) at Actors’ Equity Building,
557 W. Randolph St., 1st fl., Member
Center, Chicago, IL, 60661. EPA Rules
are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• For an audition appointment, Equity
members call (312) 641-0406, 9:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. and 3-4:30 p.m. beginning
Apr. 6. Prepare one short 30-second
monologue using any U.K. dialect and
work from sides supplied at the AEA
office. Bring headshot and resume. You
can also download the sides at http://
solochicagotheatre.com/audition.html.
•• Pays: $281.50/wk. Equity CAT Tier 2
Contract.
‘Trans Scripts’
•• Casting “Trans Scripts,” a play.
•• Company: American Repertory
Theatre. Staff: Paul Lucas, writer; Jo
Bonney, dir.; Mark Lunsford, line prod.
•• Rehearsals begin Dec. 27; first preview
Jan. 19, 2017; press/opening Jan. 26;
closes Feb. 5 in Cambridge, MA.
•• Seeking—Eden: 30-49, Caucasian.
Josephine: 54-58, Caucasian. Luna: 28,
African American, Hispanic. Sandra:
65, Caucasian. Tatiana: 47-54,
Caucasian. Violet: 72, all ethnicities.
Zakia: 30-39, African American.
•• Auditions will be held April 8 from 9
a.m.-5 p.m. (lunch 1-2 p.m.; check in
with receptionist) at Loeb Drama
Center, 64 Brattle St., 2nd fl.,
Cambridge, MA, 02138. A monitor will
not be provided. The producer will run
all aspects of this audition. This EPA is
focused on actors in the greater Boston
community.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected].
Equity members without appointments
will be seen if time permits.
•• Prepare one contemporary monologue. Individuals should look toward
material from verbatim pieces, but that
is not a requirement. Bring pix &
resume, stapled together. For more
info, visit www.americanrepertorytheater.org. Transgender, gender nonconforming, and gender queer actors are
36 backstage 03.31.16
encouraged to audition.
•• Pays: $861/wk. Equity LORT Non-Rep B
Contract.
Underground Railway Theater
•• Seeking Equity actors for the upcoming 2016-17 Season of the Underground
Railway Theater. Season includes:
“When January Feels Like Summer”
(Cori Thomas, writer; Benny Ambush,
dir. Rehearsals begin Sept. 26; runs Oct.
20-Nov. 13); “Journey to the West”
(Mary Zimmerman, adaptation; Lee
Mikeska Gardner, dir.; co-production
with The Nora Theatre Company;
rehearsals begin Oct. 24; runs Nov.
25-Dec. 31); “Gregory Maguire’s
‘Matchless’ & ‘The Happy Prince’”
(Oscar Wilde, writer; Debra Wise, dir.
Rehearsals begin Nov. 7; runs Nov.
25-Dec. 31); and “Paradise” (Laura
Maria Censabella, writer; Debra Wise,
artistic dir. Rehearsals begin March 13,
2017; runs April 6-May 7).
•• Company: Underground Railway
Theater. Staff: Debra Wise, artistic dir.
•• Season runs in Cambridge, MA.
•• Seeking—Actors: males & females, 18+,
all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 8 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (by appointment) at Central Square Theater, 450
Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA.
And April 11 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
(Equity actors) (open call) at
ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St.,
Cambridge, MA, 02139.
•• EPA: Equity Members sign up at www.
SignUpGenius.com/
go/30E0A45A9AF2DA6FE3-urt201617 to
make an appointment. A monitor will
not be provided. The producer will run
all aspects of this audition. Bring two
copies of pix/resume. Prepare two contrasting monologues. Preferably, one
should be comic. Actors are welcome to
read from the plays being planned for
the 2016-17 season, if desired. If you
encounter problems with the appointment sign-up process, email Debra
Wise at [email protected]. For more info, visit www.
centralsquaretheater.org.
•• Note: Actors will also be auditioning
for The Nora Theatre Co. Season at this
EPA. See separate notice for Nora
Theater Co.’s info.
•• The theatre will also be participating
in the Stage Source Annual Auditions
on April 11. Visit Stagesource.org/annualauditions for more info.
•• Pays: $413/wk. min. Equity NEAT
Contract.
Victory Gardens Theatre
•• Casting the Victory Gardens Theatre
season. Season includes “Hand To God”
(Robert Askins, writer. Rehearsals
begin Aug. 23; runs Sept. 16-Oct. 16
with a possible extension through Oct.
23); “Roz And Ray” (Karen Hartman,
writer. Rehearsals begin Oct. 18; runs
Nov. 11-Dec. 11); “Native Gardens”
(Karen Zacarias, writer. Rehearsals
begin Jan. 17, 2017; runs Feb. 10-Mar.
12); “Queen” (Madhuri Shekar, writer.
Rehearsals begin Mar. 21 or Mar. 14,
2017; runs Apr. 14-May 14); and “A
Wonder In My Soul” (Marcus Gardley,
writer. Rehearsals begin May 2; runs
June 2-July 2).
•• Company: Victory Gardens Theatre.
Staff: Monty Cole, artistic programs
mgr.
•• Season rehearses and performs in
Chicago, IL.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors: males &
females, 20-65, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 5 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., April 6 from
11 a.m.-5 p.m. and April 7 from 11 a.m.-5
p.m. at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433
N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL, 60614. EPA
Rules are in effect. A monitor will be
provided. Parking information: Free
spots at Children’s Hospital on 2316 N.
Lincoln.
•• For an audition appointment, Equity
members call (312) 641-0406, 9:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. or 3-4:30 p.m. beginning
Mar. 29.
•• Prepare two contrasting contemporary
90 second monologues. Monologues
from new plays are very much encouraged. Bring one headshot/resume.
•• Pays $382.25/wk. Equity CAT Tier 3
Contract.
Walnut Street Theatre, GPAAs
•• Casting Equity performers for various
roles for the Walnut Street Theatre
2016-2017 Season and various
Philadelphia Theatres’ upcoming 20162017 Seasons. Walnut Street Theatre
2016-2017 Season includes: “South
Pacific” (Charles Abbott, dir.
Rehearsals begin Aug. 16; runs Sept.
6-Oct. 23. LORT A), “The Wizard Of
Oz” (Glenn Cassal, dir. Rehearsals
begin Oct. 18; runs Nov.8, 2016-Jan. 8,
2017. LORT A), “Laughter On The 23rd
Floor” (Frank Ferrante ,dir. Rehearsals
begin Dec. 26; runs Jan. 2017-Mar. 5,
2017. LORT A), “The Importance Of
Being Earnest” (Bob Carlton, dir.
Rehearsals begin Feb. 21, 2017; runs
Mar. 14-Apr. 30, 2017. LORT A),
“Saturday Night Fever (Rehearsals
begin Spring 2017; runs May 16-July 16,
2017. LORT A), “The Other Place”
(Rehearsals begin Sept. 13; runs Oct.
4-30. 1st Reh: 9/13/16. LORT D), Studio
Show 2 (Musical. Rehearsals begin Oct.
25; runs Nov. 15-Dec. 23 . LORT D),
“Last Of The Red Hot Lovers” (Adam
Immerwahr, dir. Rehearsals begin Dec.
19; runs Jan. 10, 2017-Feb. 5, 2017 + U.S.
Tour. LORT D), “The Gift” (Will Stuts,
dir. Rehearsals begin Jan. 31, 2017;
runs Feb. 24-Mar. 19, 2017. LORT D),
and Studio Show 5 (Musical.
Rehearsals begin Mar. 14, 2017; runs
Apr. 4-July 2, 2017. LORT D).
•• Company: Walnut Street Theatre.
Staff: Brian Kurtas, CSA, casting dir.;
Bernard Havard, prod. artistic dir.
•• Season runs in Philadelphia, PA.
•• Seeking—Equity Performers: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 4 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch, 1-2
p.m.) at Walnut Street Theatre, 825
Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA. A monitor will not be provided. The producer
will run all aspects of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected]
with your name, phone number, first
and second choice of appointment
times, as well as any time during the
day that you are not available.
Appointments will be accepted on a
first come first serve bases until full.
Equity members are still encouraged to
come for stand-by list to be seen as time
permits.
•• All actors will be given three minutes
to perform any kind of combination of
songs and monologues. You will be contacted by a staff member to confirm an
appointment and will be required to
send 30 photocopies of headshots for
the attending organizations. For more
info, visit www.phillyannualauditions.
org or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
•• Pays $992/wk/ and $637/wk. Equity
LORT Non-Rep A and D Agreements.
‘Wig Out!’
•• Seeking Equity actors for various roles
in “Wig Out!” a play that explores NYC
House Drag Queen culture and completion ball/club circuit.
•• Company: The REP at Pittsburgh
Playhouse. Staff: Tarell Alvin
McCraney, writer; Tome Cousin, dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Aug. 9; runs Sept.
8-25 in Pittsburgh, PA.
•• Seeking—Lucian: male, 18+, Hispanic.
Rey: 18+, all ethnicities. Wilson aka Ms.
Nina: male, 18-29, all ethnicities.
Venus: male, 18+, all ethnicities. Diety:
male, 18+, all ethnicities. Fay: female,
18-29, all ethnicities. Fate: female,
18-29, all ethnicities. Faith: female,
18-29, all ethnicities. Serena: male, 18+,
all ethnicities. Loki: male, 18-29,
Caucasian. Eric: male, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 12 from 2-10 p.m. (break, 6-7 p.m.;
by appointment) at Pittsburgh
Playhouse, 222 Craft Ave., Pittsburgh,
PA, 15213. A monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects
of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, Equity
members call (412) 392-8141, or email
[email protected]. AEA
Members without appointments seen
as time permits.
•• Sides from the script will be provided
when making an appointment. Reader
will be provided. Bring a picture and
resume, stapled together. All women
auditioning for The Fates Three, prepare a brief spiritual or pop song;
accompanist provided. Those reading
for Lucian, Rey-Rey, Wilson, Ms. Nina,
Venus, Deity, Serena, Loki, Eric prepare marked sides and a brief spiritual
or pop song; accompanist provided.
Those auditioning for the roles of Ms.
Nina and Serena prepare an up tempo
lip sync song. Note: All should be
excellent movers with a great command of physical musicality and a
wicked sense of humor. Visually
impaired performers may request an
advance copy of the sides when making an audition appointment.
Rehearsal speakers work off an 1/8”
plug that fits most smartphones and
MP3 players. Computers too. Basically
anything with a small headphone
jack. There will also be a boom box
available for CDs. Callbacks, if
needed, will be held Apr. 16-18. Note:
All auditioning should be excellent
movers with a great command of
physical musicality and a wicked
sense of humor.
•• Pays $352/wk. Equity SPT Contract.
BACKSTAGE.COM
NATIONAL/REGIONAL casting
‘Winter’
‘Annie Warbucks,’ EPA & ECC
•• Casting adult male and female actors/
singer of all ethnicities, genders, ages,
and types for “Annie Warbucks.” Note:
No children will be seen at this time.
•• Company: Theatre At The Center.
Staff: Linda Fortunato, artistic dir./dir./
choreo.; Bill Underwood, music dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Oct. 31; runs Nov.
17-Dec. 18 in Munster, IN.
•• Seeking—Oliver Warbucks: male, 18+,
all ethnicities. Grace Farrell: female,
18+, all ethnicities. Simon Whitehead:
male, 18+, all ethnicities. Commissioner
Harriet Doyle: female, 18+, all ethnicities. Mrs. Sheila Kelly: female, 18+, all
ethnicities. Drake: male, 18+, all ethnicities. Alvin Patterson: male, 18+, all ethnicities. Ella Patterson: female, 18+, all
ethnicities. FDR: male, 18+, all ethnicities. Ensemble: males & females, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 4 from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (also
holding an Equity Chorus Call for singers) and April 5 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (also
holding an Equity Chorus Call for singers) at Theatre At The Center, 1040
Ridge Road, Munster, IN, 46321. EPA
and Chorus Rules are in effect. A monitor will not be provided. The producer
will run all aspects of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, email
headshot, resume, and questions to
[email protected] or call the
audition hotline at (816) 399-2692. Free
parking available in lot. Prepare 32 bars
in the style of the show. Bring your
book should they need to hear more; an
accompanist will be provided. Note;
Local hires only in the greater Chicago
and Northwest Indiana areas.”
•• Pays $470/wk. Equity CAT 3.5+ Contract.
Lyric Stage Company Season,
Stage Source Auditions
•• Seeking Equity actors for Lyric Stage
Company’s 2016-17 Season. Season
includes: “Company” (Stephen
BACKSTAGE.COM
‘Monsoon Wedding,’ Houston
•• Casting a developmental lab of
“Monsoon Wedding” with book by
Sabrina Dhawan, music by Vishal
Bhardwaj, and lyrics by Susan
Birkenhead.
•• Company: Margo Lion, Ruth & Stephen
Hendel, Colin Callender. Staff: Mira
Nair, dir.; Sarna Lapine, assoc. dir.;
Andy Einhorn, music dir.; Roy Gabay,
general mgr.; Cindy Tolan/Adam
Caldwell, casting.
•• Lab runs May 30-June 17 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Pimmi Verma: female, 40-49,
South Asian. Aditi Verma: female, 18+,
South Asian. Ria Verma: female, 30-39,
South Asian. Saroj Rai/Ensemble:
female, 40-49, South Asian. Veena
Verma/Ensemble: female, 50-59, South
Asian. Vijaya/Ensemble: female, 50-59,
South Asian. Ma/Ensemble: female,
70-79, all ethnicities. Shashi Chawla:
female, 40-49, South Asian. Aliya
Chawla/Ensemble: female, 18+, South
Asian. Vikram/Tameezuddin/
Ensemble: male, 18+, South Asian.
Hemant Rai: male, 30-39, South Asian.
Varun Verma: male, 18+, South Asian.
Lalit Verma: male, 40-69, South Asian.
PK Dubey: male, 30-39, South Asian.
Alice: female, 18-29, South Asian. Tej:
male, 50-59, South Asian. CL Chawla:
male, 50-59, South Asian.
•• Seeking submissions from TX.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 16 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at Rhythm
India Dance, 867 Dulles Ave., Ste. B,
AUDITION
HIGHLIGHT S
Fri. Apr. 1
C H I CAG O
Steppenwolf Theatre (also 4/4-4/5)
‘Million Dollar Quartet’
‘Hi, Dad’ (also 4/2)
‘The Flying Housewife’ (also 4/2-4/3)
Sat. Apr. 2
‘The Filthy Habit’ (also 4/3)
‘Dark Sisters’ (also 4/3)
‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ (also 4/4)
‘Transmigration’ (also 4/6)
Sun. Apr. 3
‘West Side Story’
‘Cabaret’ (also 4/4)
‘The Cemetery Club’ (also 4/4)
Mon. Apr. 4
‘Naperville’ (also 4/5)
‘The Little Mermaid’ (also 4/5)
‘Dirty Dancing’ Nat’l Tour
Tue. Apr. 5
Victory Gardens Theatre (also 4/6)
For the full auditions calendar,
visit backstage.com/auditions
Stafford, TX, 77477. A monitor will not
be provided. The producer will run all
aspects of this audition.
•• Prepare a brief contemporary song of
your own a cappella, ideally in the style
of Indian Pop, Bollywood, or Classical.
Bring picture of yourself with contact
information. Note: If you are unable to
attend our open call, email your information to mwcastingoffice@gmail.
com.
•• Pays $1000/wk. Equity Developmental
Lab Agreement.
Weathervane Theatre Season
•• Seeking Equity actors for Weathervane
Theatre’s 2016 rotating repertory company. Each actor is contracted to perform roles in five-six of the season’s
shows. Packages are subject to change.
All roles are open. Weathervane is looking for singers/comic actors/good movers. Season includes: “Mamma Mia”
(Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Stig
Anderson, music-lyrics; Catherine
Johnson, book); “Meet the Beatles”
(musical revue with music and lyrics by
various artists); “Driving Miss Daisy”
(Alfred Uhry, writer); “The King and I”
(Richard Rodgers, music; Oscar
Hammerstein II, lyrics-book); Harper
Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”
(Christopher Sergel, dramatization);
“The Wiz” (Charles Smalls, songs;
William F. Brown, book); and “Peter and
the Starcatcher” (Rick Elice, writer).
•• Company: Weathervane Repertory
Theatre. Staff: Jacques Stewart, artistic
dir.; Colin Keating, music dir.
•• Rehearsals begin June 27; season ends
Sept. 3 in Whitefield, NH.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors: 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 8 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (by appointment; no scheduled lunch break) at
Boston Playwrights Theatre, 949
Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA,
02215. A monitor will not be provided.
The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• For Boston appointment only, Equity
members may text (preferred) or call
(917) 204-3713. Equity members without
appointments seen as time permits.
Prepare pop or Broadway song. Bring
sheet music; accompanist provided.
Bring pix & resumes, stapled together.
For more info, visit weathervanetheatre.org.
•• Salary TBD. Equity LOA ref. to LORT
Contract.
CHORUS CALLS
Disney on Broadway: ‘The Lion
King’ & ‘Aladdin,’ Singers
•• Seeking singers for “Aladdin” and
“The Lion King.” Disney Theatrical
Productions announces a multi-city
open casting call across North
America for its current and future productions of the award-winning musicals “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.”
Casting representatives from both
productions will hold open auditions
for local singers in Chicago, Los
Angeles, Atlanta, Toronto,
Washington, D.C., Orlando, Miami,
Dallas, and New Orleans. Both productions are seeking singers who move
well to be in the ensemble and to
cover or replace lead roles. Casting
states: “We are not seeing performers
for ‘Frozen’ or ‘Freaky Friday’ at this
time.”
•• Company: Disney Theatrical Group.
Staff: “Aladdin”: Casey Nicholaw, dir.choreo.; Alan Menken, music; Howard
Ashman & Tim Rice, lyrics; Alan
Menken & Chad Beguelin, add. lyrics;
Chad Beguelin, book; Michael Kosarin,
music dir.; Tara Rubin Casting & Eric
Woodall, casting. “The Lion King”:
Julie Taymor, dir.; Elton John & Tim
Rice, songs; Hans Zimmer, Lebo M,
Mark Mancina, & Jay Rifkin, add.
music; Irene Mecchi & Roger Allers,
book; Garth Fagan, choreo.; Mark
Brandon & Binder Casting, casting.
•• Casting current and future productions of “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.”
•• Seeking—Singers: males & females,
17+, all ethnicities, seeking strong male
and female singers who move very well
to be in the ensemble and to cover or
replace lead roles. Visit www.disneyonbroadwaycasting.com for more information and character breakdowns.
•• Auditions will be held April 9 from 9-11
a.m. (singers only; park admission not
required) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Rehearsal Facility, 3271 Sherberth Rd.,
Kissimmee, FL, 34747. And April 12
03.31.16 backstage
37
MUSICALS
MUSICALS
Sondheim, writer; Spiro Veloudos, dir.;
Catherine Stornetta, music dir.
Rehearsals begin Aug. 9; runs Sept.
2-Oct. 9); “Warrior Class” (Kenneth Lin,
writer; Dawn M. Simmons, dir.;
Catherine Stornetta, music dir.
Rehearsals begin Sept. 27; runs Oct.
21-Nov. 13); “Murder for Two” (Joe
Kinosian, book & music; Kellen Blair,
book & lyrics; A. Nora Long, dir.
Rehearsals begin Oct. 25; runs Nov. 25,
2016-Jan. 1, 2017); “Stage Kiss” (Sarah
Ruhl, writer; Courtney O’Connor, dir.
Rehearsals begin Jan. 31, 2017; runs
Feb. 24-March 26); and “Barbecue”
(Robert O’Hara, writer; Summer L.
Williams, dir. Rehearsals begin March
14, 2017; runs April 7-May 7).
•• Company: Lyric Stage Company. Staff:
Spiro Veloudos, producing artistic dir.;
A. Nora Long, assoc. artistic dir.
•• Season runs in Boston, MA.
•• Seeking—Actors & Actors Who Sing:
males & females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held April 11 from 10
a.m.-5 p.m. (Equity actors & Equity
actor/singers) at ImprovBoston, 40
Prospect St., Cambridge, MA, 02139. A
monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• For an appointment and/or audition
instructions, visit www.stagesource.
org/page/AuditionSignUps.Be prepared
to bring at least 30 copies of your headshot/resume trimmed to size and
securely fastened to each other with
you on the day of your audition. Note:
An accompanist will only be available
from 2-5 p.m.
•• Pays: $582/wk. Equity NEAT Category
6 Contract. Housing is not available to
out-of-area performers.
PLAYS
•• Casting Equity actors for “Winter” by
Julie Jensen.
•• Company: Salt Lake Acting Company.
Staff: Tracy Callahan, dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Sept. 12; runs Oct.
12-Nov. 13 in Salt Lake City, UT.
•• Seeking—Annis: female, 18+, all ethnicities. Robeck: male, 18+, all ethnicities. Roddy: male, 40-49, all
ethnicities. Evan: 40-49, all ethnicities.
LD: female, 20-29, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
April 13 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and April 14
from 3-8 p.m. at Salt Lake Acting
Company, 168 W 500 N., Salt Lake City,
UT, 84103. A monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects
of this audition.
•• Must bring headshot and resume.
Prepare sides. For an audition appointment, call (801) 363-7522 during regular
business hours. For more info, visit
www.saltlakeactingcompany.org.
•• Pays $443/wk. Equity SPT 6
Agreement.
casting NATIONAL/REGIONAL
from 9-11 a.m. (singers only; sign-in,
9-11 a.m.) at In Motion Dance, 4700
Biscayne Blvd., 2nd Fl., Miami, FL,
33137.
•• For “Aladdin”: Prepare 16 bars of an
uptempo musical theater song and
bring a picture and resume, stapled
together. Bring your own sheet music.
An accompanist will be provided.
•• For “The Lion King”: Prepare your best
16 bars (approximately 30 seconds, with
sheet music) of a R&B, pop, or rock ‘n’
roll song that best showcases your voice
and range. Do not sing material from
the show or standard Broadway theater
music. An accompanist will be
provided.
•• Pays: $1861/wk. Equity Production
(Disney) Contract.
FILM
FEATURE FILMS
‘Krystal’
TV & VIDEO
COMMERCIAL
MODELING
•• Casting background for the feature
film, “Krystal,” starring Felicity
Huffman, Jane Fonda, Josh Hutcherson
and John Hawkes. Project description:
“A young man living a sheltered life
develops a crush on a stripper and joins
her Alcoholics Anonymous group just
so he can be in the same room with
her.”
•• Staff: William H. Macy, dir.; Kendall
Cooper, casting dir.
•• Shooting this April, in Atlanta, GA.
•• Seeking—Extras: males & females,
18-70, all ethnicities, specifically looking for professional types of all ethnicities, as well as character faces,
alternative types with tattoos & piercings, and cigarette smokers.
•• Seeking submissions from GA.
•• Send submissions to
[email protected].
•• Include three recent photos, name,
age, phone number, location, height,
weight, measurements, and whether or
not you smoke cigarettes.
•• Some pay.
VARIETY
‘Office Christmas Party’
•• Casting the Paramount Pictures feature film “Office Christmas Party,”
starring Kate McKinnon, Jennifer
Aniston, Jason Bateman & T.J. Miller.
•• Company: Dreamworks Pictures,
Paramount Pictures, 4 Star Casting.
Staff: Josh Gordon & Will Speck, dirs.
•• Shoots Mar. 29-Apr. 5, in Chicago, IL.
•• Seeking—Rockers at Party: 18+, all ethnicities, shoots April 2-5. Drag Queens at
Party: 18+, all ethnicities. Little
Monsters/Lady Gaga Fans at Party: 18+,
all ethnicities, shoots April 2-5. Club Kids
at Party: 18+, all ethnicities, shoots April
2-5. Haggard Partiers: 18+, all ethnicities,
shoots April 2-5. Hip-Hop Partiers: 18+,
all ethnicities, shoots April 2-5. Rappers
at Party: 18+, all ethnicities, shoots April
2-5. Rock-A-Billies at Party: 18+, all ethnicities, shoots April 2-5. Frat Guys at
Party: male, 18+, all ethnicities. Sorority
Girls at Party: female, 18+, all ethnicities,
shoots April 2-5. Harajuku-Style Partiers:
18+, all ethnicities, shoots April 2-5. Punk
Rockers at Party: 18+, all ethnicities,
shoots April 2-5. Corporate Office
Workers: 18+, all ethnicities, shoots April
38 backstage 03.31.16
2-5. Department Store Sales People: 18+,
all ethnicities, high-end dept. store
employees, shoots April 2-5. Hotel Staff
and Managers: 18+, all ethnicities, shoots
April 2-5. Homeless Guy: male, 18+, all
ethnicities, shoots April 2-5.
•• Seeking submissions from IL.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• Must be registered at
www.4starcasting.com. Fill out eligibility form at http://tiny.cc/officechristmasparty. Include a photo in
appropriate attire/look.
•• Pay starts at $80/8 hrs.
SCRIPTED TV & VIDEO
‘The Recruiters’
•• Casting lead for the HBO TV pilot “The
Recruiters,” from exec. prod. Kathryn
Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”). Project
description: “Set in Minnesota, it will
draw open an iron curtain behind
which viewers will see the highly
impenetrable world of Jihadi
recruitment.”
•• Company: Cassie Hiatt Casting. Staff:
K’naan Warsame, writer/director;
Kathryn Bigelow, exec. prod.
•• Shooting in 2016.
•• Seeking—Sameer: male, 17-25, African
Descent, Somali, high school senior,
handsome, melancholic eyes, enchanting to watch, thoughtful, passionate,
likes music, not an ordinary teen, has
that look of nostalgia, like a mute poet an ancient heretic - is struggling to say
one last thing through him, swings the
pendulum between articulate and
aggressive, poetic and violent, popular
with the neighborhood girls, but shares
a beautiful connection and love with
girlfriend.
•• Seeking submissions from VA.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• SAG-AFTRA scale rates, plus 10%.
MUSIC VIDEOS
Macklemore Music Video
•• Casting a music video. Project description: “This is the newest music video
for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.”
•• Company: Groove Street Productions,
Macklemore LLC. Staff: Alex Pesusich,
casting dir.
•• Rehearses April 25-27. Shoots May 1-6,
in Seattle, WA.
•• Seeking—Dancers: males & females,
18+, all ethnicities, dancers of all styles,
acrobatics, circus acts, martial arts,
stunts, and other athletic talents.
•• Auditions will be held April 1 from
2:30-5 p.m. at Harbour Dance Centre,
927 Granville St, Vancouver, BC. And
April 10 from 6-10 p.m. at Velocity
Dance Center, 1621 12th Ave, Seattle,
WA, 98122.
•• Send submissions to apesusich@
gmail.com.
•• Audition will consist of some freestyle
and learning some choreography. If
you’re not able to make it to one of the
auditions, submit a video audition
including one minute of freestyle.
Bring pix, résumés & a completed registration form. Registration forms are
avaiable online at www.tinyurl.com/
mackform.
•• Some pay.
LOCAL COMMERCIALS
‘Moonlighting’ Commercial
•• Casting a commercial for
“Moonlighting.” Project description: “A
new mobile app by Verizon.”
•• Company: Arvold Casting. Staff: Erica
Arvold, casting dir.
•• Shooting April 9 or 10, in
Charlottesville, VA.
•• Seeking—Small Business Owner: male,
43-47, Caucasian, sophisticated yet
approachable, this professional and
hardworking business owner is looking
to grow his company, casual in an
oxford, and perhaps glasses, and in
good physical shape, comfortable
speaking to camera, handling multiple
lines and able to represent a ‘real’ person. Graphic Designer: female, 23-37,
African American, hip and creative,
independent artist seeking the flexibility of a non-traditional 9-5, aspirational, professional and in good
physical shape, comfortable speaking
to camera, handling multiple lines and
able to represent a ‘real’ person.
Working Mom: female, 33-37,
Caucasian, approachable everywoman
looking for some extra help around the
house, physically fit, casual and ‘real’
looking, omfortable speaking to camera, handling multiple lines and able to
represent a ‘real’ person. Retired
Handyman: male, 60-69, Ethnically
Ambiguous / Mixed Race, energetic and
likable, may be retired but still pursuing the work he loves, physically agile,
comfortable speaking to camera, handling multiple lines and able to represent a ‘real’ person.
•• Seeking submissions from VA.
•• Send submissions to commercial@
arvold.com.
•• Fill out the online submission form at
www.tinyurl.com/hdoyhod.
•• Pays $500/day, plus 10% agency fee, if
applicable.
PRINT MODELING
4Eleven.club Digital Calendar,
Models
•• Casting models, singers, actresses,
dancers, entrepreneurs, producers
between 4’11” and 5’0” for an international calendar shoot. Like the calendar
for www.5fiveandunder.club,
www.4eleven.club will produce a digital calendar. In addition, company
states: “We do a lot of productions and
editing for, TV shows, reality shows, TV
specials, commercials, recording projects through the parent company www.
blueboxentertainment.com. Model’s
will have the opportunity to star and
co-star in upcoming movies, TV shows,
and various productions.”
•• Company: 4 Eleven Production
Company. Staff: Ecclesia Holmes, casting dir.
•• Shoots in various locations in NYC.
•• Seeking—4Eleven.club Calendar
Model: female, 18-60, all ethnicities,
4’11”-5’0”
•• Seeking submissions nationwide.
•• Send submissions to info@4eleven.
club.
•• Submit face and full body shot. For
more info visit www.4eleven.club.
•• Pays $200/hr. (shoot should only take
an hour)
DANCERS &
CHOREOGRAPHERS
Disney on Broadway: ‘Aladdin’
& ‘The Lion King,’ Dancers
•• Seeking dancers for “Aladdin” and
“The Lion King.”
•• Company: Disney Theatrical
Productions. Staff: “Aladdin”: Casey
Nicholaw, dir.-choreo.; Alan Menken,
music; Howard Ashman & Tim Rice,
lyrics; Alan Menken & Chad Beguelin,
add. lyrics; Chad Beguelin, book;
Michael Kosarin, music dir.; Tara Rubin
Casting & Eric Woodall, casting; “The
Lion King”: Julie Taymor, dir.; Elton
John & Tim Rice, songs; Hans Zimmer,
Lebo M, Mark Mancina, & Jay Rifkin,
add. music; Irene Mecchi & Roger
Allers, book; Garth Fagan, choreo.;
Mark Brandon, CSA & Binder Casting,
casting.
•• Currently running on Broadway and
touring across North America.
•• Seeking—‘Aladdin’ Dancers: males &
females, 17-40, all ethnicities, excellent
dancers with athletic builds to comprise the ensemble and also play lead
roles for possible future replacements;
tap, ballet, and jazz; must also be great
singers. Casting states: “We strongly
encourage actors of all cultural backgrounds.” Come ready to dance and
bring jazz and tap shoes. Women
should also bring character heels. Bring
a picture and resume stapled together.
Prepare 16 bars of an up-tempo musical
theatre song. Please bring your own
sheet music. An accompanist will be
provided. ‘The Lion King’ Dancers:
males & females, 18-34, all ethnicities,
strong dancers with a modern/ballet
dance background; late teens to early
30s. You must be warmed up and ready
by the start time. Wear form-conscious
clothing appropriate for dancing, plus
flat jazz shoes or bare feet. You may be
asked to sing, so please bring a contemporary song that shows off your voice
and range. Bring sheet music.
•• Auditions will be held April 10 at 10
a.m. (dancers) at Disney’s Animal
Kingdom Rehearsal Facility, 3271
Sherberth Rd., Kissimmee, FL, 34747.
And April 13 at 10 a.m. (dancers) at In
Motion Dance, 4700 Biscayne Blvd.,
2nd Fl., Miami, FL, 33137.
•• For registration times and details,
visit www.disneyonbroadwaycasting.
com. For “Aladdin”: Arrive ready to
dance and bring jazz and tap shoes.
BACKSTAGE.COM
NATIONAL/REGIONAL casting
Females should also bring character
heels. Bring pix & resumes, stapled
together. Prepare 16 bars of an uptempo
musical theater song. Bring your own
sheet music. An accompanist will be
provided.
•• For “The Lion King”: Arrive warmed
up and ready by the start time. Wear
form-conscious clothing appropriate
for dancing, plus flat jazz shoes or bare
feet. You may be asked to sing, so bring
a contemporary song that shows off
your voice and range. Bring sheet
music. Bring pix & resumes, stapled
together.
•• Pays: $1861/wk. Equity Production
(Disney) Contract.
‘Mickey’s Royal Friendship
Faire’
THEME PARKS
‘The Big 80’s!’
ABC Casting’s TV Scene Night
Workshop
Alliance Theatre, 2016-17
LORT & TYA Seasons, Stage
Managers
•• Seeking Equity Stage Managers for
Alliance Theatre’s 2016-17 LORT and
TYA Seasons. LORT season/Alliance
Stage includes: “The Prom” (Bob
Martin and Chad Beguelin, book;
Matthew Sklar, music; Chad Beguelin,
lyrics; Casey Nicholaw, dir.-choreo.;
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, musical dir.
Rehearsals begin July 12, 2016; closes
Sept. 25); “Moby Dick” (Herman
Melville, writer; David Catlin, adaptation-dir. Rehearsals begin Sept. 13;
closes Oct. 30); “A Christmas Carol”
(Charles Dickens, writer; David Bell,
adaptation; Rosemary Newcott, dir.
Rehearsals begin Nov. 4; closes Dec.
24); “Troubador” (Janece Shaffer,
book; Kristian Bush, music; Susan
Booth, dir. Rehearsals begin Dec. 20,
2016; closes Feb. 12, 2017); and “The
Temple Bombing” (Melissa Faye
Greene, book; Jimmy Maize, adaptation-dir. Rehearsals begin Jan. 24;
closes Mar. 12). LORT season/Hertz
Stage includes: “Ugly Lies the Bone”
(Lindsey Ferrentino, writer; Jessica
Holt, dir. Rehearsals begin Aug. 23;
closes Oct. 9); “Courtenay’s Cabaret”
(Courtenay Collins, writer; Susan
Booth, dir. Rehearsals begin Nov. 15;
closes Dec. 24); “Too Heavy for Your
Pocket” (Jireh Breon Holder, writer.
Rehearsals begin Jan. 10, 2017; closes
Feb. 26); and “The Magic Negro” (TBD
title; Mark Kendall, writer; Susan
Booth, dir. Rehearsals begin Mar. 7;
closes Apr. 15). TYA season includes:
“Pancakes Pancakes!” (Eric Carle,
writer; Kenneth Lin, adaptation; David
De Vries, dir. Rehearsals begin May 10,
2016; closes July 3); “Slur” (Greg
Changnon, writer; Rosemary Newcott,
dir. Rehearsals begin Sept. 27; closes
Nov. 12); and “Cinderella and Fella”
(Janece Shaffer, writer; Rosemary
Newcott, dir. Rehearsals begin Feb. 13,
2017; closes Apr. 9).
•• Company: Alliance Theatre. Staff:
Jody Feldman, prod.-casting dir.; Emily
Kleypas, artistic support assoc.
•• Rehearsals begin May 10, 2016; season
opening June 3, 2016; season closing
Apr. 15, 2017 in Atlanta, GA.
•• Seeking—Equity Stage Managers: 18+,
all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from GA.
•• For consideration, submit cover letter
and resume to [email protected] or Bret Torbeck, Alliance
Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta,
GA 30309. Or you may attend the EPA
on Mar. 24 at the Alliance Theatre for a
•• Seeking actors for audience passes to a
one-night-only TV Scene workshop
with ABC Primetime Casting’s Blaine
Johnston. Robert Peterpaul
Productions states: “Blaine Johnston is
the Showcase Coordinator and Casting
Assistant for ABC Primetime Television
in NY. He is in charge of the ABC Talent
Showcase that happens once a year and
works as a Casting Assistant to Janet
Murphy-Butler and Marci Phillips. He
has recently worked on ABC shows such
as the Family, Wicked City and of Kings
and Prophets. He has also worked in the
offices of Tara Rubin Casting. He has a
background in both theatre and behind
the camera casting. He also has acted as
a Casting Director for two small New
York theatre companies, RAL
Productions and Goldfish Memory
Productions. He looks forward to meeting all the amazing New York talent.
This workshop includes: Blaine will
assign each participant a TV scene to
perform (Note: the scene will be given
the week of the event, possibly the day
before, as it is in the business). At the
workshop, each participant will receive
coaching and valuable insider insight
from Blaine. You will ‘Mock audition’
with your TV scene for Blaine in a comfortable environment. Walk away with
feedback from Blaine on your acting,
resume, headshot and more. Question
and Answer Session will give you the
opportunity to ask Blaine your questions about the business. This class is
limited to 16 actors with some audience
members. You won’t want to miss this
wonderful opportunity. Join us for a
wonderful night of TV scene work.”
•• Company: Robert Peterpaul
Productions. Staff: Robert Peterpaul,
coord.
•• Workshop runs May 5 (7-9 p.m.) in
NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors/Actresses: 15+, all ethnicities, seeking to further their craft
and work in primetime television.
•• Seeking submissions from NJ, CT, NY,
MA, PA, RI and MD.
•• Submit your headshot/resume to
robertpeterpaulproductions@gmail.
com with the subject “Blaine TV Scene
Class” to be considered. For more info,
visit www.robertpeterpaul.com or
www.robertpeterpaulproductions.
com/#!blaine/muhot.
•• No pay. $109 participation fee
required. $50 limited audience passes
available as well ($30 for students).
‘Find Your Honesty: Acting
Through Song,’ Classes
•• Seeking participants for classes with
Find Your Honesty: Acting Through
Workshop With Michelle
Cutolo (Brette Goldstein
Casting)
•• Seeking actors for a workshop with
casting associate Michelle Cutolo of
Brette Goldstein Casting. There will be
an introduction from Michelle and then
each study will have the opportunity to
perform a prepared one-minute monologue (on camera) for Michelle and the
class. Michelle will work with and provide feedback for each participant
while the other students observe.
Session will end with a question and
answer session in which the class can
ask questions. Owner states:
“[Michelle] will take a look at all headshot/resumes. She is currently casting
for the new USA TV series ‘Donny!,’ an
untitled TV series, a pilot, and the feature films ‘The Lost Prince’ and ‘Extra
Innings.’”
•• Company: Robert Peterpaul
Productions LLC. Staff: Robert
Peterpaul, owner.
•• Workshop will be held May 11th (7-9
p.m.) in NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors/Actresses: males &
females, 14+, all ethnicities, performers
looking to expand their knowledge of
the industry and potentially make vital
connections.
•• Seeking submissions from NY, NJ, CT,
RI, MA and PA.
•• For consideration, email headshot and
resume to [email protected]. For more info, visit
www.robertpeterpaulproductions.
com/#!michelle/ozlor.
•• $109 participation fee required.
(includes copy of your performance).
03.31.16 backstage
39
EVENTS
BACKSTAGE.COM
STAGE STAFF & TECH
WORKSHOPS
Song. Owner states: “We work directly
with actors to find their natural core in
each piece and believe that a true performance should be grounded in honesty and evoke the artist’s organic
instincts. It’s my goal to help you
uncover your genuine individuality,
because that’s what casting directors
are looking for. We offer private oneon-one sessions as well as group classes
designed to focus on you, giving you
the tools to anchor you in the moment-all to get you centered and solid in your
craft. We will also solidify your repertoire and discuss the business side of
your career. There is no right, and there
is no wrong: there is only finding your
honesty in your work and, in that,
booking you the job.”
•• Company: Find Your Honesty: Acting
Through Song. Staff: Alex Covington,
coord.
•• Ongoing sessions are held at RipleyGrier Studios in NYC or via Skype or
FaceTime (if out of town).
•• Seeking—Actors/Singers: males &
females, 10+, all ethnicities, musical
theater artists interested in taking their
craft to the next level.
•• Seeking submissions nationwide.
•• Send submissions to actingthrusong@
gmail.com.
•• Headshot, resume, and video clip(s)
are preferred, but not required. In your
cover letter, tell the instructor a little
bit about yourself and what you would
like to gain from coaching.
•• No pay. Fees required. Introductory
session offered at $50.
GIGS
•• Casting “The Big 80’s!,” a theme park
revue show at Knoebels Amusement
Resort in Elysburg, PA for the 2016
Summer Season.
•• Company: JRW Productions. Staff:
James Wilkinson, pres.
•• Rehearsals begin May at Knoebles;
performs May 14-Sept 25 at Knoebles in
Elysburg, PA.
•• Seeking—Singers Who Dance &
Dancers Who Sing: males & females,
18-35, all ethnicities, with good harmonization skills.
•• Auditions will be held April 3 from 12-3
p.m. (singers and dancers) at The
Alamo Restaurant at Knoebles
Ameusement Resort, 391 Knoebels
Blvd., Route 487, Elysburg, PA, 17824.
•• Send submissions to
[email protected].
brief interview (see EPA notice for info).
Submissions deadline is Apr. 15. For
more info, visit www.alliancetheatre.
org.
•• Pays: $996 LORT B; $762 LORT D; and
$614 TYA. Equity Non-Rep and TYA
Contracts.
VARIETY
•• Seeking male and female dancers for
“Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire.”
•• Company: Walt Disney Entertainment.
Staff: Darla Hayward, casting dir.
•• Runs at Walt Disney Entertainment in
Lake Buena Vista, FL.
•• Seeking—Dancers: males & females,
18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held April 1 at 10 a.m.
(sign up 9-10 a.m.; AEA and non AEA)
and at 7 p.m. (sign up 6-7 p.m.; AEA and
non AEA) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Rehearsal Facility, 3271 Sherberth Rd.,
Kissimmee, FL, 34747. And April 6 at 10
a.m. (sign-in, 9-10 a.m.) at Creative Arts
Academy, 165 S Main St., Bountiful, UT,
84010. And April 8 at 10 a.m. (sign in,
9-10 a.m.) at Power House of Dance,
12300 Inwood Rd., Dallas, TX, 75244. A
monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this audition.
•• Provide headshot/resume. All dancers
will be taught a ballet routine. Selected
dancers will move on to an advanced
jazz routine. Dancers should be
warmed up and ready to begin at the
time listed. Wear form fitting attire to
show your silhouette. Wear appropriate
ballet/jazz shoes. Note: Late arrivals
will not be accepted. Applicants must
be 18+ and authorized to work in the
United States.
•• Pays $16.53/hr. Walt Disney World
Agreement.
•• Prepare 16 bars up tempo and 16 bars
of a ballad to be sung a cappella. You
may be asked to harmonize with the
director. Also bring comfortable clothing to change into, as you will be taught
a short dance combination on site by
the choreographer. For questions, call
James at (212) 802-7436.
•• Pay is negotiable, and housing is
available.
backstage life
“Life in Pieces”
1
2
4
3
5
The hit CBS family sitcom about three siblings, their spouses, and their parents
features Zoe Lister-Jones and Colin Hanks as a married couple with a new infant at
home. When she’s not raising a baby onscreen, Lister-Jones is snapping photos off,
and shares a few of her favorites from the first season.
(1) I’m not a mom, but I play one on TV. At first I was freaked as heck by holding babies
all the dang time but Colin Hanks, the baby whisperer, has taught me the tricks of the
trade. Biggest trick? Trade Colin baby-holding duties. (2) Tommy Sadoski had to wear
makeup on an episode and didn’t have time to take it off before our table read. No one
acknowledged it and it will forever be my favorite table read of all table reads. Also, I’ve
never said “table read” this many times in a sentence. (3) It’s such a dream to work
with Dianne Wiest. She is an icon of stage and screen, and I am so humbled to now call
her a friend. (4) Helen Hunt directed an episode this season, which was thrilling. I am
such a fan of hers and to get to work/hang with her was fab. Also, big ups to female
directors! (5) We have live Twitter parties on Thursday nights, when we watch the
episodes together and tweet to our fans. On this particular night, I had to shoot in this
wedding dress and didn’t have time to change before the Twitter party. (Actually I did,
but I didn’t want to.) •
Photographs courtesy Zoe Lister-Jones
40 backstage 03.31.16
BACKSTAGE.COM
College
Planning
Guide
Reach students
and parents
in all planning
stages as they
make decisions
about their
college careers.
Summer Guide, May 19, 2016: PREP
Geared toward students going into their senior year of high school or undergrad. How to spend your
summer vacation, picking and practicing songs and monologues, visiting schools.
Fall Guide, October 13, 2016: EXECUTION
Geared toward students getting ready to audition. What’s the best format? How to film auditions, etc.
For more details, contact your sales rep today or [email protected]
NY: 212-493-4249 or 212-493-4236
A P R I L 1 -1 0
THE PLAZA THEATRE
,
7 STAGES, THE
RIALTO
THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART
& THE CENTER FOR PUPPETRY ARTS
HOST 150+ FILMS SELECTED FROM
4,700+ INTERNATIONAL SUBMISSIONS
20,000+ ATTENDEES
150 EVENTS IN 10 DAYS
WWW.ATLANTAFILMFESTIVAL.COM
#ATLFF