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10.20.16 • BACKSTAGE.COM
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CONTENTS
vol. 57, no. 42 | 10.20.16
NEWS
6 “Frozen” developmental Equity actors will
share in profits of the Broadway musical
8 T his week’s roundup of who’s casting what
starring whom
9 A new stateside acting showcase for Royal
Welsh College graduates
ADVICE
11 THE WORKING ACTOR COVER STORY
page 14
OUTSIDE
THE BOX
Between “UnREAL” and Broadway’s
“Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet
of 1812,” Denée Benton is the ingenue
breakthrough of the year
Bon appétit!
11 #IGOTCAST Patrick Brancato
12 SECRET AGENT MAN Rules of the pop-in
13 #IGOTCAST Waverly Winchester
FEATURES
4 BACKSTAGE 5 WITH... Colin Donnell
10 MEET THE MAKER Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
12 SPOTLIGHT ON... Hannah Marks
13 INSIDE JOB Neill Hartley and Christine Rouse, Acting Without Boundaries artistic director
and founder
18 WHEN THE TRAVEL BUG BITES For actors itching for a new place to hone
their craft, Performing Arts Abroad delivers
19 SHIVERING WITH ANTICIPATION Director Kenny Ortega takes us inside Fox’s
new “Rocky Horror Picture Show”
32 LEAGUE OF RESIDENT THEATRES Arden Theatre Company
CASTING
20 New York Tristate
27 California
MATT DOYLE
28 National/Regional
Denée Benton photographed by Matt Doyle in NYC on
Sept. 8. Styling by Erin Walsh. Hair by Ted Gibson. Makeup
by Brigitte Reiss-Andersen. On this page: coat by Ulyana
Sergeenko, dress by Mugler, socks by Wolford, sandals by
Prada. On the cover: jacket by Erdem, top by Marissa Webb,
choker by Jennifer Fisher, necklace by Hirotaka. Cover
designed by Jessica Balaschak.
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BAC KS TAG E 5 W ITH . . .
Colin Donnell
By Jim Halterman
Tell us about Season 2 of ‘Chicago Med.’ Connor has now
started his fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery and his new
mentor-slash-attending surgeon doesn’t waste any time causing
a little bit of friction. It’s a very different relationship than he
had with Dr. Downey [played by Gregg Henry]. Dr. Latham [Ato
Essandoh] is quite a character!
How did you get your SAG and Equity cards? “Miss Saigon”
was my first professional show. It was one of the first regional
productions of “Miss Saigon.” [I played] Soldier No. 2! My SAG
card, the first TV job that I ever had was “Pan Am,” as a reporter.
But that may not be entirely true. I did some motion capture
work, doing reshoots on a video game.
Back when you were auditioning for musicals, what was your
go-to audition song? The one that got me the most jobs was
from “Golden Boy,” [and it] was a totally inappropriate song for
me to be singing. I can’t remember the title of the song, but it
was, like, a 16-bar cut from “Golden Boy.”
Did you use Backstage back in those days? I did! I may
have gotten my first job from Backstage. I remember going to
the Equity offices and I signed up for an audition. I left. I was
grabbing a coffee somewhere and looking at Backstage and
saw that there was an audition for another project going on at
the same time. It was called “Almost Heaven: The Songs of John
Denver.” It was at the Equity building as well, and I ended up
coming back from my appointment and then kind of crashing
that one.
What were your first headshots like? My brother took them.
He’s a photographer so they were good, but I can picture it in my
head. They were outside the back door of my parents’ house.
I’ve only had pictures done by him, and it’s always just sort of
when we’re in the same place at the same time. The last time I
had him take some photos of me was when I was in Philadelphia
with “Wicked.” It was the second national tour and I looked very
different but it’s still the one being used these days. It’s not
good. It’d be nice to be able to send a headshot where my hair is
not coming across my face like some emo teenage rocker. •
Theatergoers know Colin Donnell from
shows like “Anything Goes,” “Wicked,” and
“Love’s Labour’s Lost” (with his now-wife
Patti Murin). But the St. Louis native has not
been a stranger to TV, with roles on shows
like “Arrow,” “The Affair,” and his current
gig as the dreamy Dr. Connor Rhodes on
“Chicago Med,” which just kicked off its
second season on NBC. He tells Backstage
about his go-to audition song, getting his
Equity card, and who takes his headshots.
“ ‘THE PRINCESS BRIDE’ [IS] MY FAVORITE MOVIE, HANDS DOWN, EVER....
4 backstage 10.20.16
JOEL KIMMEL
IT’S SUCH BRILLIANT WRITING. IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL MOVIE.”
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HAVE YOU BEEN CAST in a project through a Backstage casting notice? Share your story with us and you might be featured in an
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and Anna, voiced by Idina Menzel and Kristen
Bell, respectively, in the 2013 film. Inspired by
Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow
Queen,” it follows Princess Anna as she sets off
to convince her estranged and magical sister,
Elsa, to thaw their kingdom from its everlasting
winter. Memorable supporting roles like Olaf the
snowman (Josh Gad) and Kristoff the ice seller
(Jonathan Groff)—plus sing-along music and
lyrics by Oscar winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez
and Robert Lopez—elevated the animated film
to being not just fun for the whole family, but a
modern classic in its own right.
UNIONS
‘Frozen’ Strikes
Profit-Sharing Deal
DEVELOPMENTAL EQUITY ACTORS WILL SHARE
IN THE DISNEY MUSICAL’S STAGE SUCCESS
T
BY BENJAMIN LINDSAY
he cast of the upcoming Broadwaybound “Frozen” has yet to be
announced; how these actors will be
compensated, however, has.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this
month that Disney Theatrical Productions
will share profits with the original cast of its
anticipated musical. (“Frozen” can be seen as
a developmental lab in New York City later this
month with a world premiere in Denver set for
August 2017. It will premiere on the Great White
Way in Spring 2018.)
The theatrical company reportedly notified
its developmental cast via email on Tuesday,
Oct. 11, of the specially designed contract,
which stipulates that the Equity talent who
6 backstage 10.20.16
develop the show from this upcoming lab to
opening night will be granted “0.5 percent
of net profits from the first three Englishlanguage productions for the first 10 years of
profitability.” If an Equity actor plays a part
in the lab but does not go on to the Broadway
production, he or she will still be part of this
group receiving that percentage (though there’s
opportunity for buyout, as well).
“We treasure the relationship with our actors
and stage managers and are proud to have
hired several hundred of them on Broadway
alone,” Thomas Schumacher, president of
Disney Theatrical Productions, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled that, should ‘Frozen’
reach success, our Equity collaborators will
share in the profit.”
“Frozen” is the story of royal sisters Elsa
“We’re thrilled that, should
‘Frozen’ reach success,
our Equity collaborators
will share in the profit.”
—THOMAS SCHUMACHER, PRESIDENT OF
DISNEY THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS
While deals like that of “Frozen” have been
seen in the past—including Broadway’s “The
Book of Mormon” and “Hamilton”—this particular development with Disney Theatrical
Productions marks the first time such a deal
has been made prior to any stage incarnation
of a production, workshop or otherwise. That
said, Disney is no stranger to drawing them up:
Its Broadway production of “Tarzan” and its
2004 touring production of “On the Record”
both had profit-sharing deals established for
development actors, but neither were profitable
enough to set the deal into effect. Its Tonywinning 2000 musical “Aida” had a similar deal
where annual bonuses were given to development actors for its four years on Broadway.
There’s no crystal ball to predict the exact
profitability of “Frozen” and whether or not a
pre-emptive profit-sharing contract is necessary. But considering the award winner is
Disney’s highest-grossing animated film of all
time, Elsa and Anna’s success in the spotlight
would come as no surprise.
The “Frozen” lab will premiere in New York
City on Oct. 24—just in time for you to dust off
your Elsa costume for Halloween. Stay tuned
for more casting news. •
BACKSTAGE.COM
DISNEY
“Frozen”
news Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more news and advice at youtube.com/user/backstagecasting
INDUSTRY NEWS
LADIES TAKE THE LEAD
“PITCH PERFECT 3” GETS A NEW DIRECTOR
FOR MORE UPCOMING
productions and casting news,
visit backstage.com/resources.
The fascinating and quirky
mind of “Parks and Recreation”
alum Aubrey Plaza is about to
manifest in her new pilot pickup,
“Nightmare Time.” TBS has
BACKSTAGE
Get Resourceful
THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO BACKSTAGE THAN THE LATEST
industry news or profiles of your favorite (or soon-to-be favorite) actors.
Visit backstage.com/resources, and there you’ll find a wealth of
industry information that you can leverage to take your career to the
8 backstage 10.20.16
ordered the pilot from Plaza, who
co-wrote the project and will
serve as a guest star and executive
producer on the half-hour comedy.
The project will feature two public
nightmares, each playing off of
modern-day horrors, thanks in
part to an advanced technology
that allows an audience to watch
a person’s dreams live. Right now,
Plaza is the only name attached,
and only in a guest-starring
capacity, but additional casting
announcements are expected.
Should the pilot go to series,
there would likely be a rotating
cast of dreamers. Lauren Grey is
casting the Vancouver, British
Columbia–based production.
Shooting is expected to start in
mid-November.
For the latest news, check out
backstage.com/resources to find
thousands of production listings,
casting directors, acting classes,
agents, and more! •
next level. Want to land an agent? Browse our listings and find one in
your area! Curious about what projects might be filming nearby? Check
out our Production Listings. We even provide a list of casting offices and
their submission regulations!
Taking the time to explore the carefully curated content on backstage.
com may mean the difference between struggle and success—so go
check it out now!
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DA N C A L L I S T E R
T
The pilot, also titled “Heathers,” is
sticking pretty close to the original, right down to the character
names. Veronica and J.D., now
played by Grace Victoria Cox and
James Scully, respectively, are
about to meet a new version of the
popular yet villainous Heathers.
The synopsis notes that the new
mean girls are a mix of outcasts
who’ve risen to the top of the
social ladder. Included among
them are an African-American
lesbian and a male who identifies
as genderqueer, putting a new-age
spin on the classic film trope of
evil, pink-wearing blondes. The
pilot that’s been picked up by
TV Land will go into production
in early November. The hub of
television, Los Angeles, will host.
Additional casting on the comedy
is being conducted by CDs Felicia
Fasano and Venus Kanani.
SPENCER ALEXANDER
BY REBECCA WELCH
he Barden Bellas are getting
their third shot at the big
screen with “Pitch Perfect
3,” now going full speed
ahead over at Universal Pictures.
Elizabeth Banks, who produces
and acts in the films, directed the
second installment and was slated
to direct the third film but chose
to step back and focus on her family. Taking Banks’ place is fellow
female director and choreographer
Trish Sie, who is best known for
her work on “Step Up: All In.” The
plot for the third film is being
kept under wraps, but it’s safe to
assume from the cast list that it
will pick up with the original a
capella group and a few newbies
vying for musical dominance.
The returning cast currently
includes Anna Kendrick, Rebel
Wilson, Brittany Snow, and Hailee
Steinfeld. Barden/Schnee is stepping in to select additional actors
with the best jazz hands before
January, when production starts
on the musical comedy. Atlanta
will host the film that’s slated for a
late 2017 premiere.
“What’s your damage,
Heather?” The classic 1989 film
that brought about a plethora of
quotable comebacks is headed for
television in a new adaptation.
news
Check the Casting section for full details on upcoming stage and screen roles, or visit casting.backstage.com
COLLEGES
A ROYAL WELCOMING
AMERICAN ACTING GRADUATES FROM ROYAL
WELSH COLLEGE STRUT THEIR STUFF IN NYC
BY JACK SMART
he Royal Welsh College of
Music & Drama is notable for
its stellar acting conservatory program as well as its
renowned theatrical alumni (it
counts Anthony Hopkins and Rob
Brydon among them). But on Sept.
26, the school made a move to further distinguish itself from other
U.K.-based acting schools, holding
an inaugural U.S. actors showcase
in New York City. In addition to
end-of-year showcases in both
Cardiff, Wales, and London,
American acting and musical
theater students were given the
opportunity to perform their best
material in front of American
industry professionals.
T
“I had so many teachers
tell me the training is
important, and Royal
Welsh has the training.
But they encourage you
to be your true self.”
—MAGGIE HAIGHT, ACTING
GRADUATE FROM RWCMD
“It felt good to be home,” said
Leandra Del Pozo, an acting
graduate from the class of 2016.
“It felt comfortable being in my
home base doing a showcase.”
Because the event was attended
by American agents and casting
directors, the exposure benefited
the RWCMD students planning to
work stateside. “The Americans
in London didn’t really have quite
the exposure; it wasn’t as beneficial as it was here,” said Del Pozo.
Emmy and Tony Award nominee Kate Burton, daughter of the
great Welsh actor Richard Burton,
introduced the showcase. “I have
been associated with the college
for a long time and have been
very impressed by the quality of
work I have seen, so much so that
I offered to introduce them to the
New York entertainment community,” she said.
Among the attendees was Welsh
actor and “The Americans” Emmy
nominee Matthew Rhys, one of
the college’s International Chairs
alongside Michael Sheen and
Simon Stephens. “I was staggered
by the quality of the performers,”
he said in a statement. “It was way
beyond what I expected from a
student showcase. They looked
like they had been doing this as
professionals for years.”
“None of us knew what we were
getting into,” Maggie Haight, acting class of 2015, told Backstage.
Nerves, of course, are a natural
part of any college showcase or
networking event, she said, “but it
was a second shot at this. It’s kind
of a nerve-racking idea, but you
have to put that out of your head—
that’s the only way to do it without
DA N C A L L I S T E R
SPENCER ALEXANDER
BACKSTAGE
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DON’T JUST READ ALL ABOUT IT—NOW YOU CAN WATCH, TOO!
Backstage’s YouTube channel, BackstageCasting, has even more
great advice and tips on how to build (and sustain!) an acting career as
part of our Set the Scene series. From casting directors to agents to
BACKSTAGE.COM
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama NYC showcase
shaking the whole time.”
Haight booked an agent during
the RWCMD London showcase,
performing material she had written in addition to more standard
showcase fare. “I had so many
teachers tell me the training is
important, and Royal Welsh has
the training. But they encourage
you to be your true self.” Head of
actor training Dave Bond and her
other teachers dissuaded her from
putting on an English accent for
her U.K. showcases, advice that
clearly paid off. “They said, ‘Be
yourself and do what you do best.’
People like to cast for who you are.”
Del Pozo, who after the Sept.
26 event booked a meeting with
CBS Casting, has similar advice
for acting students preparing for
showcases. “It’s always good if you
can come up with something completely yours,” she said. “Stay away
from the cookie cutters! It’s not
about that anymore. That’s what
was so special about my time at
Royal Welsh: they strip back your
vanity. It’s about being true to your
character and getting messy with
it.... Stay true to your craft, not
what you think people want.” •
dance instructors, we talk to the people in the know about an actor’s
need to know.
New videos are posted twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so be
sure to keep an eye out on Youtube.com/BackstageCasting and also on
Backstage.com. Even better, subscribe to our YouTube channel! And let us
know what else you’d like to see from us—your suggestion might become
a new video series!
10.20.16 backstage
9
ACTOR 101
For more Actor 101 stories, visit backstage.com/actor101
Chiron’s hands as Kevin touches him,
his fingers curling through the sand;
Harris’ drug-addled Paula staring
straight into the camera’s lens, yelling at her son, on mute. These and
other creative elements resonate
with audiences without necessarily
advancing plot. They fit under Jenkins’ self-described “universal.”
Choices like these require a certain amount of trust between the
filmmaker and his actors. “Sometimes I let them know what I’m
doing, [but] I don’t want them to get
into the headspace of the machinations of what’s going on. I just want
them to be in their bodies in the
scene,” Jenkins says.
[Meet the Maker]
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
BY BENJAMIN LINDSAY
WITH HIS ADAPTATION OF
Tarell Alvin McCraney’s stirring
play “In Moonlight Black Boys Look
Blue,” writer-director Barry Jenkins
and his cast have shot to the top of
many a shortlist this film awards
season, and with good reason. In
a post-#OscarsSoWhite climate,
“Moonlight” is one of several 2016
films that elucidate a black American experience with poetry and
visceral grace. Here, it is the story of
Chiron, a young queer man growing
up in inner-city Miami.
Divvied up into three acts—
“Little,” “Chiron,” and “Black”—the
film depicts three interrelated life
experiences that affect Chiron
and his drug addict mother, Paula
(Naomie Harris), for years to come.
10 backstage 10.20.16
As a young boy (Alex Hibbert), he
finds an unlikely friend and makeshift guardian in a local drug dealer
(Mahershala Ali) and his wife (Janelle
Monáe); as a teen (Ashton Sanders),
he faces high school bullies and his
first sexual encounter; and finally,
as an adult (Trevante Rhodes), he
moves north and becomes a drug
dealer—but he still can’t shake that
one encounter on the beach with a
friend named Kevin (André Holland).
“We see so many movies that
you know when the beats are going
to fall, you know what’s going to
happen, you know when you’re supposed to feel this and when you’re
supposed to feel that,” Jenkins tells
Backstage. The filmmaker sought
to rid his film of those expected
emotional cues by introducing
unorthodoxy in subject and structure. “I ascribe to the theory that in
order to be universal, you have to be
specific. This story is set in a very
specific place and it’s [got] very specific characters. And we approached
it visually and also structurally in
these very distinct ways.”
The result is a filmic gem that
proves hard to shake. Jenkins
employs a warm, caressing fluidity
in his camera work, as seen in the
long panning shot at the film’s opening that follows Ali’s drug dealer on
his day-to-day routine. But there
are also utterly surprising images
he stirs up that freeze-frame and
stick in viewers’ minds long after the
credits roll—the sensual close-up on
BACKSTAGE.COM
I L L U S T R AT I O N : H A N N A B A R C Z Y K ; B R A N C AT O : C H R I S FA I N
Alex Hibbert in “Moonlight”
He could not have asked for a
better cast. Harris, in particular,
and Monáe, in her feature film
debut, faced the challenge of aging
with their characters. Casting six
separate actors for Chiron and
Kevin in three acts was another
hurdle altogether. Jenkins says they
cast the widest net possible.
“I said right away that they don’t
need to look like each other, [but]
they need to feel like each other.
And so we had a very specific thing
that we were looking for with each of
those guys,” he says. “There had to
be a certain spiritual continuum....
The big thing with this film was that
I knew there was going to be a lot of
silence. I was looking for someone
who could emote without speaking,
and mostly, that was in the eyes. I
was really paying attention to what
they were doing when they weren’t
speaking, what they were doing with
their eyes.
“And they were fully on board,”
Jenkins adds. “The one thing I’ll say
with this cast is if I asked them to do
anything, they were like, ‘Yes. How
do you want me to do it? How many
times do you need me to do it?’ It
was amazing.” •
DAV I D B O R N F R I E N D
“I ascribe to the
theory that in order
to be universal, you
have to be specific.”
actor 101
For more advice from industry professionals, visit backstage.com/advice-for-actors
the agents all ate scallops. It is
my greatest regret in my time in
entertainment.
I know that you want these people
who can help you to like you. It
makes sense. Our initial instinct is to
please them, to not get them mad,
to not be presumptuous and order
dessert. To hell with that—always
get the crème brûlée.
And not out of spite for them or
your past. Order it because you’ve
earned it. If you have their attention
enough to sit down at that table,
it means they see potential in you:
artistic potential, and the potential
to make them money.
My first lunch was at
a comedy festival and
I ordered a side salad
while the agents all
ate scallops. It is my
greatest regret in my
time in entertainment.
[ The Working Actor ]
Bon Appétit!
I L L U S T R AT I O N : H A N N A B A R C Z Y K ; B R A N C AT O : C H R I S FA I N
DAV I D B O R N F R I E N D
BY CHRIS GETHARD
WHAT ADVICE WOULD I GIVE MY
younger self? That’s a tough ask.
There were so many missteps along
the way. Right now I recognize that
yes, on some level, I’m meeting with
success. I’m a working actor. I’m a
touring comedian. I host a television
show. I’m mounting an Off-Broadway show. These are good things.
But I’ve spent so many years in
the trenches. I’ve done countless
bad improv shows that fulfill every
cheesy stereotype of that performance style. I’ve been on thousands
of auditions that made me feel less
than human (most notably a commercial audition where I was told to
stand still and not react while a man
threw Cheerios at my face). I once
performed 90 minutes of standup
to a literally empty field.
So it’s hard to choose—what is
the advice my younger self most
BACKSTAGE.COM
needs to hear? And after a lot of
soul-searching, I think it’s this:
Never, ever turn down free food.
You spend so much time in the
trenches as you find your way. For
the first phase—and this can last
years—you often feel like you’re on
your own. You’re scrapping for stage
time, setting up your own auditions,
praying for a break, all while figuring out how to pay your rent. It’s
not easy, and it doesn’t happen the
same way for any of us.
But eventually, if you work hard
enough and you get lucky, people
come along who can help. These
are agents, managers, publicists.
And these people are going to take
you out for lunch once in a while.
You should never feel bad about
accepting this free lunch. My first
lunch was at a comedy festival
and I ordered a side salad while
Remember that these relationships are parasitic. Not in a bad way,
just in that, should these relationships develop, you will help each
other live. Nature is full of species
that live off of one another. There
is a type of shark, for example, that
has its teeth routinely cleaned by
smaller fish. They swim into the
shark’s mouth, eat food out of its
teeth, and then swim away. Everyone gains something by it.
And this is why you must accept
the free lunch with no guilt, and why
you deserve to have a couple of
sides with your main course. When
you get to the point where you’re
invited to the lunch, you need to realize that you’re no longer the small
fish. You’re the shark. People think
they can now make their living off of
you, which means you yourself are
making a living. So live. Order one
of the fancy drinks instead of a Diet
Coke and know you’re really living.
Actor and comedian Gethard can be
seen in his Off-Broadway comedy
“Chris Gethard: Career Suicide”
through Nov. 27.
#IGOTCAST.
Patrick Brancato
By Casey Mink
“I keep coming back [to Backstage]
because you’ve been around forever,
so you must be doing something
right,” concludes New York–based
actor PATRICK BRANCATO.
Brancato’s résumé is a testament to his dedication. In the nearly
three years since he began using
Backstage, the versatile performer
has been cast in numerous projects
ranging from a web series to a
feature film to a television series to
an Off-Broadway musical.
For Brancato, though, the
medium in which he’s working
is unimportant, so long as the
character or piece speaks to him.
“I like projects with characters that
are different,” he says. “If I read the
plotline and the character descriptions and it piques an interest for
me, I will apply.”
The ability to easily sift through
audition notices catered specifically to his interests and abilities
is another reason Brancato relies
on Backstage as a most trusted
resource for getting cast—and
why he uses it every single day.
“[Backstage] makes it easy to find
upcoming auditions, especially
when you can make custom filters
tailored to you,” he says. “It makes
finding auditions really helpful,
easy, and hassle-free.”
TO SEE YOUR SUCCESS
story in print, tweet @Backstage
using the hashtag #IGotCast.
10.20.16 backstage
11
actor 101 Find representation at backstage.com/callsheet
Should you show up at
a talent agency without
an appointment? Well,
there are two ways
to answer that....
[ Secret Agent Man ]
Rules of
the
Pop-In
W
hen I lived in
Chicago, my
friends would
drop by all the
time. They never called to check
if I was home. They would just
show up. And that was totally
cool because those unplanned
visits always led to good times.
Sadly, I’ve been living in Los
Angeles for almost 20 years
now and I’ve never, ever had a
friend just pop in. That sort of
thing doesn’t happen here. The
reason might be that we all live
in our cars and it forces us to
make plans, which we always
cancel at the last minute. That’s
just the way we roll in Southern
California, and that aversion to
12 backstage 10.20.16
spontaneity applies to both our
personal and professional lives.
Unless you’re an actor. Then
you have no boundaries. We have
pop-ins at my office all the time.
Sometimes, they’re a pleasant
diversion from the Hollywood
grind. And sometimes, they’re
an annoying interruption that
makes me wish I had a loaded
shotgun behind my desk.
Should you show up at a talent
agency without an appointment?
Well, there are two ways to
answer that: First, I’ll focus on
actors (strangers) who aren’t represented by the company. And
then I’ll discuss actors who are.
Despite what you’ve heard,
you’re allowed to visit an agency
that doesn’t represent you.
We don’t have guard towers or
German shepherds protecting
our perimeter. All we have is a
waiting area and a receptionist.
So come on by!
But expect nothing. You will
be allowed to drop off your material and that’s it. You will not
get face time with an agent. You
won’t even get face time with
(No, seriously. Don’t.)
If you’re a client, it’s a totally
different ball game. Every
agency I know has an opendoor policy. But that doesn’t
mean you can visit every single
day. That would be stupid. You
should have a reason and that
reason should be positive.
For example, let’s say you just
got engaged and you want to tell
me all about it. Or maybe you
just had an audition that went
extraordinarily well and you
want to tell me about that. Those
are both excellent reasons to pop
in. Guys like me love hearing
good news from their clients.
The trick is to limit your expectations. The amount of time
you’re given will depend on how
busy I am. It might be a quick
exchange or we might sit down to
chat. Either way, it’s all good.
On the flip side, you don’t want
to come by and spend your visit
complaining about the lack of
activity. That’s a major buzzkill.
And I will hate you for ruining my
mood. Do this sort of thing often
enough and your name will end
up on the drop list.
So the key here is to find the
right balance between never
seeing your agents in person
and being an annoying pest that
shows up every day.
See you soon!
Or not… •
SPOTLIGHT ON…
HANNAH MARKS
By Eric Eidelstein
No stranger to the
small screen, HANNAH
MARKS can next be
seen with Elijah Wood
in Max Landis’ adventurous BBC America
series, “Dirk Gently’s
Holistic Detective
Agency.” She speaks
with Backstage about playing Amanda, a
woman with a rare and bizarre disease.
On her character.
“I’m Elijah Wood’s sister on the show.
[She] is a punk girl who has this disease
that causes hallucinations that are
life-and-death scenarios. It leaves her
agoraphobic. Throughout the show, it’s
about her journey trying to get out of the
house and return to her former self.”
On going to extreme lengths during
preparation.
“For an episode where I light on fire in
a grocery store, I watched every movie
where a character lights on fire. I was
watching a lot of movies. I would also go
on YouTube, and there’s real teenagers out
there who just light themselves on fire and
put it on YouTube. They light themselves
on fire with a lighter and then they jump
in a shower or pool. Also, this is going to
sound a little crazy or Method, but the
episode where I freeze to death, I tried
taking some baths in just ice just to get to
the feeling of being so cold.”
On her earliest audition horror story.
“I remember one of my first auditions was
when I was 12 and I was auditioning for
‘Malcolm in the Middle.’ I had the flu and
I threw up in my audition. That was one
of my earliest, [most] traumatizing auditions. After something like that, you just
get back up and do it again.”
FOR THE FULL Q&A,
visit backstage.com.
BACKSTAGE.COM
“ T H E J U N G L E B O O K ”: AC T I N G W I T H O U T B O U N DA R I E S ; W I N C H E S T E R : PAU L V I C K E R Y
our bathroom. And quite frankly,
no one will take you seriously
because professional actors don’t
do this sort of thing.
In other words, there’s no
legitimate reason for you to pop
in at a talent agency that doesn’t
represent you. But until Trump
takes over, this remains a free
country and you can do whatever
you want. So like I said before,
come on by!
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 ; M A R K S : C H R I S T I N A S C H E R E R
actor 101
Find answers to your industry questions at backstage.com/resources
“The Jungle Book”
[Inside Job ]
Neill Hartley and
Christine Rouse
“ T H E J U N G L E B O O K ”: AC T I N G W I T H O U T B O U N DA R I E S ; W I N C H E S T E R : PAU L V I C K E R 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 ; M A R K S : C H R I S T I N A S C H E R E R
ACTING WITHOUT BOUNDARIES
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER
BY MOLLY EICHEL
THE GOAL OF THE PHILADELPHIA-BASED ACTING WITHOUT
Boundaries is to give people with physical disabilities a chance to
perform. But according to artistic director Neill Hartley, the nonprofit
founded by Christine Rouse, who herself has cerebral palsy,
accomplishes something else as well: “It’s about changing perceptions
about how people think about differences in the world, and maybe make
them a little less frightened.”
Why is a theater a good medium
for changing perceptions? Neill
Hartley: Theater is creative in
so many ways because there is a
structure, but there’s a tremendous
amount of flexibility. If we have a
dance, it doesn’t have to happen
in conventional terms. It’s a venue
that brings people together and
allows you to see things in different
kinds of ways. We want to share
experiences together and theater is
a wonderful medium for us.
Why is theater’s fluidity an attractive quality? NH: I will often
completely revamp shows. Like
in “The Sound of Music,” the
Captain and Maria have a beautiful
moment together and we created a
ballet with wheelchairs. There are
certain times when certain roles
have gender changes. We use whatever [an actor’s] skill sets are to
make these characters come to life.
Christine Rouse: We open up possibilities, we focus on abilities, not
disabilities. You don’t see the disability, you see the ability. NH: It’s
about what you can do. We bring
in choreographers and movement
folks who work with some performers who can’t move both their
arms, so they’ll move one arm. Or
we’ll have volunteers maneuver
the performers. It’s beautiful.
What are important qualities for
volunteers to have? NH: An ability
to be flexible and creative. You
need to say, “Move over there
and do this,” to folks who might
not be able to do that. You need
patience and creativity to [work
with] something that’s a problem
and detriment but is really beautiful and wonderful. Last year,
with “Singin’ in the Rain,” we did
a whole umbrella dance, so we
told the volunteers to do this cool
twirling scene; a lot of volunteers
didn’t expect to be onstage but
they said, I came here to work and
create this wonderful picture on
the stage. Folks who get involved
are excited about what happens.
CR: It’s important that [volunteers]
have the ability to be inclusive.
What do you think volunteers get
out of Acting Without Boundaries?
NH: We don’t set out to preach and
teach, but the experience opens
people’s minds. So when they
encounter someone with a disability, they’ll be receptive and open.
Our performers and volunteers are
part of a community and there are
deep friendships there. •
“Instead of saying, ‘You don’t fit this role,’
we adjust the role to fit the performers we have.”
#IGOTCAST.
Waverly Winchester
By Casey Mink
WAVERLY WINCHESTER got cast
as the younger version of YouTuber
Rachel Levin in her video “I Am
Ugly.” The now-viral video marks
Winchester’s biggest gig yet. But
the young talent, who found out
she booked the job on her first day
of third grade, was particularly
enthralled by one specific aspect
of the project. “I wore eyeliner and
mascara, which I don’t usually get
to do,” she says.
Winchester has been using
Backstage with her mother’s help
since 2014. She credits it for booking most of her acting work. “I ask
my mom to find me fancy roles,”
explains the precocious performer.
“I would love to play Sleeping Beauty
or anything that would let me wear a
pretty dress, but I am happy playing
anything that has a good message
for children and adults.”
Finding roles as a child actor can
be particularly challenging, and
Team Winchester entrusts Backstage with the task. “Backstage has
the best roles and my mom says she
trusts Backstage,” says Winchester.
“I love acting and love when I get to
express myself.”
TO SEE YOUR SUCCESS
story in print, tweet @Backstage
using the hashtag #IGotCast.
—NEILL HARTLEY
BACKSTAGE.COM
10.20.16 backstage
13
BETWEEN
“UNREAL” AND
BROADWAY’S
“NATASHA, PIERRE
& THE GREAT
COMET OF 1812,”
DENÉE BENTON
IS THE INGENUE
BREAKTHROUGH
OF THE YEAR
BY JACK SMART
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MATT DOYLE
14 backstage 10.20.16
BACKSTAGE.COM
BACKSTAGE.COM
10.20.16 backstage
15
16 backstage 10.20.16
In “Natasha, Pierre & the
Great Comet of 1812”
“IF YOU DON’T
LOOK OR SOUND
LIKE THE
PEOPLE WHO
COME BEFORE
YOU, GREAT!
GET REALLY
GOOD
AT WHAT
YOU DO
SOUND LIKE.”
starring Phillipa Soo as Natasha. For the production’s Broadway transfer (opening Nov. 14 at
the Imperial Theatre), the creative team agreed
the role had to be Benton’s.
“She’s just an unbelievably skilled actress in
terms of her nuance and her ability to mingle
vulnerability with core strength,” Chavkin
says. “Denée is able to swing between those
two poles. She has an incredible sense of humor
as well...she has these hilarious moments that
play at [Natasha’s] youth and arrogance, which
is what makes her so attractive.
“And her singing is just beautiful,” the director adds. “Those pipes are extraordinary.”
“To have a role and hear the music and go, ‘I
can do this,’ to not feel like I need to fake it...it’s
exciting to be given that opportunity because I
don’t think it comes very often,” Benton says.
Particularly for actors outside the mainstream
or considered “other,” she says—“whether it
be your sexuality or your race or anything that
Hollywood or the media hasn’t quite decided is
universal”—fitting into a box to become commodifiable can prove challenging.
“We all have faced that plight of, ‘I’m
not like that box, does that mean I’ll never
work?’ I think maybe there are a lot of us
walking around feeling ‘other.’ I’m always
a little disheartened to think about how
many people might be discouraged and just
decide not to try.... We all have access to the
human story.”
As Benton points out, representation in
entertainment matters for emerging talent. “We are all affected by popular culture,
whether you’re the president or a plumber
in New Jersey.” When even fantasy projects
like “Game of Thrones,” “Into the Woods,”
or “Wicked” continue to feature all-white
casts, that sends a message to people of color,
she says. Inclusive casting “needs to be more
frequent—something that becomes the norm,
instead of something that makes headlines
every time it happens. It needs to become old
news. I hope in 30 years this conversation
doesn’t need to happen anymore, like the
way they talk about how cocaine used to be
in Coca-Cola.”
Judging by the American theater’s growing
attention to diversity and inclusion, however,
Benton anticipates the tide turning. Led by
trailblazers like Audra McDonald and Cicely
Tyson, black women are slowly but surely
accessing a wider array of roles. “The fact
that a black girl in college might learn ‘No
One Else’ [from ‘The Great Comet’] or might
learn something from ‘Hamilton,’ it’s exciting.
There’s room for you to tell different versions
of your story. It’s still a version of blackness
and womanhood.”
Roles written specifically about blackness
and womanhood seem to be increasing,
too—especially on the small screen. “When
I decided to go natural, to stop putting
relaxers in my hair,” Benton remembers,
“I was a little concerned. There are very
few natural women on television. I’ve always
had very high hopes, I’m a very ambitious
person. So I was like, was this a smart,
logical decision? Or should I just package
myself in a way that sells?” Then she read
the breakdown for Ruby, a contestant on the
reality dating show within “UnREAL.” “They
wanted natural hair, college-age, all these
BACKSTAGE.COM
E VG E N I A E L I S E E VA
enée Benton’s 2016
has been about
testing just how
high she can climb.
“It’s amazing what
can happen in a
year,” says the actor.
In the case of her big
break, though, it was more like a week. Benton
learned about her Broadway debut as the leading lady of “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet
of 1812” within days of booking a huge role on
Lifetime’s “UnREAL.”
“Me and my mom were just on the phone
crying for a week,” says Benton with a grin.
Natasha Rostova, the Russian countess of
Dave Malloy’s musical riff on Tolstoy’s “War
and Peace,” may not appear at first to have
much in common with a young black woman
from Florida who earned a musical theater
degree from Carnegie Mellon University
in 2014.
But from the moment she heard “No One
Else,” Natasha’s lovestruck aria, Benton clicked
with the role. “She has this incredible vitality
for life, she feels things so deeply. I thought,
She’s just as dramatic and romantic as I was—or
am, to be honest. Who wouldn’t want to be the
romantic lead chased by all these men, and in
furs and corsets, you know? I was like, Natasha:
I get you, girl!”
There was also the ingenue quality of
Malloy’s song itself. “Vocally and type-wise,
I tend to fit roles like that a lot better than
some of the roles I might be typecast for,” says
Benton, who at CMU cycled through what she
calls the “canon of black female songs” despite
having a more classical vocal style. For showstoppers from “The Color Purple” or “Ragtime,”
for example, “you need to be able to bring down
the house and take people to church. And it was
always the biggest plague of my existence. I
can’t take anybody to church.”
So in her audition for “The Great Comet” with
director Rachel Chavkin, Benton ignored the
fact that she doesn’t resemble a 19th-century
aristocrat and focused only on her responsibility as an actor to tell Natasha’s story. “It does
take ownership and a little bit of bravery to say,
‘You know what? I am going to walk into this
room and audition for this Russian countess
because I think I can do a really good job with
that.’ Deep down there’s always that fear—fear
based on fact—that they’re probably not looking
for you to tell that story. In this case,” she adds,
“they were looking for me.”
“I welled up with tears,” remembers
Chavkin. “She walked out and we all just
looked at each other and had melting smiles
on our faces.” Benton booked the part in the
show’s remount at American Repertory Theater
following its acclaimed 2013 Off-Broadway run
THE GREAT DEBUT
E VG E N I A E L I S E E VA
Benton has been daydreaming about her Broadway debut since
age 4. But because almost a year has passed between the Broadway
announcement of “The Great Comet” and its rehearsals, the pressure
to stick the landing keeps growing. Her new mantra, she jokes, is “Girl,
you better be really good.”
How does an actor physically and mentally prepare for such a milestone? “I want to make sure I give this opportunity as much respect as I
possibly can, and stay grounded in the fact that this is big and that not
everybody gets to do this,” Benton says.
That doesn’t mean it’s not scary, she adds. “It’s so intimidating. But
you have to rise to the occasion—that’s the only option. You look at an
obstacle and go, ‘I don’t know how to do this! What’s my process? Do I
know my ABCs? Can I sing?!’ And then you just sort of start. The material teaches you what you need.” And by the time she’s stepping onto
the stage, of course, “it’s the most incredible feeling in the universe.
“I think there’s an image attached to our job that it’s just glamorous
and fun and free and ‘you’re so talented’ and it’s easy. Like, no. You
need to prepare, keep quiet, do your vocal exercises, stretch, drink
your green juice, and go to bed on time. You have to be disciplined. That
discipline also makes you better than you thought you could be.”
things that were Denée, Denée, Denée.”
The twisty second season of Marti Noxon and
Sarah Gertrude Shapiro’s feminist drama series
found activist-student Ruby fighting for the
Black Lives Matter movement on a nationally
televised “Bachelor”-style show—while accidentally falling for the bachelor.
“Ruby wasn’t just this trope to push other
people’s plot devices, she was the center of this
love story,” Benton points out. “It was cool to
be a part of that. That’s also something you
don’t see: this really intelligent, outspoken,
dark-skinned black woman with natural hair is
the center of this love story.”
It goes to show that in the entertainment
business, authenticity can make the right part
come to you. “It’s so interesting trying to give
actors advice because you really never know,”
Benton says with a sigh. “You just have to have
a lot of faith, and keep doing it. Maybe it’ll
happen right away, maybe it’ll take 10 years, or
you’ll become Beyoncé.” The important thing is
to nurture the parts of yourself that distinguish
you from the rest, she says.
“If you don’t look or sound like the people
who come before you, great! Get really good at
what you do sound like. The things about you
that you think are going to be a hindrance for
you are actually the keys to your success. Screw
the boxes. Lean into who you are, into what
comes naturally for you and what you’re good
at, and sharpen that. And if you show up, it will
make room for you.” •
Styling by Erin Walsh. First spread: dress by Mugler.
This page: coat by Ulyana Sergeenko, dress by Mugler.
BACKSTAGE.COM
10.20.16 backstage
17
When the
Travel Bug Bites
For actors itching for a new place to hone their craft, Performing Arts Abroad delivers
By Briana Rodriguez
18 backstage 10.20.16
“Whatever video you’re uploading or sharing, you need to come
out of the gate with something impressive that shows your quality.”
country they’ve chosen as a supplement to the
educational program. It’s an extension of the
impetus that initially inspired the organization: a desire to connect artists across the globe
beyond the university setting.
To make PAA a bit more accessible to artists,
the organization offers scholarships ranging
from $500 to $1,500 for students exhibiting
a profound passion for and strength in their
desired concentration. Scholarships are awarded
based on the audition material sent to PAA,
which is used to assess required skill levels for
certain programs (not all require an audition).
But consider the content of your submission,
advises Whalen. “The most important thing is
to capture our attention in the first 10 seconds,”
he says. “Whatever video you’re uploading or
sharing, you need to come out of the gate with
something impressive that shows your quality. A
video with 30 seconds of music and you lying on
the floor without moving—that’s not the greatest
choice. If you’re deciding between two songs,
pick the one that has the strongest start; that’ll
make us want to watch more.”
Additionally, a tripod will do wonders for
raising the professionalism of a submission.
Aesthetics matter, says Whalen. “We’re all
artists. Everyone who works for us, especially on the U.S. side, we’re all performing
artists ourselves.”
It’s why PAA knows the importance of
expanding one’s experiences. An actor in the
audition room who has studied at the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art or interned at an
opera house in Florence, Italy, is guaranteed a
leg up on the competition. •
BACKSTAGE.COM
S T E V E W I L K I E / FOX
—REYNOLDS WHALEN, PERFORMING ARTS ABROAD FOUNDER
C O U R T E SY P E R FO R M I N G A R T S A B R OA D
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A NEW PERSPECTIVE
on your life and career? Nothing quite does
it like jetting off somewhere far away from
home and diving into something tailored to
your artistic passions. A trip abroad will not
only give you more knowledge to draw from in
your craft and interesting stories to bring back
home, it can provide a new lens through which
to examine something familiar.
Enter Performing Arts Abroad, an organization that pairs actors, dancers, musicians,
filmmakers, and theater professionals with the
exotic locations and educational foundations
they crave. Offering opportunities to apply to
study abroad programs, internships, training
intensives, and volunteer work, PAA designs
curriculums and cultural experiences around
artist applicants’ goals—whether they are to
learn the ins and outs of running a dance studio
or delve into Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre
in London.
Founded in 2011 by Reynolds Whalen, PAA’s
programs open doors to students wanting to
study film in New Zealand, learn the business
of dance in Barcelona, perform Shakespeare at
the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and volunteer for an international theater program in the
Galápagos Islands. According to Whalen, PAA
currently offers 53 programs in 12 countries
with a total of 13 destinations. But the organization expects to add new summer options to its
curriculums.
“Every program’s a bit different,” says
Whalen. A working actor himself, the program’s founder came up with the idea for
PAA after studying acting and traveling
throughout Africa. “With West End training,
for example, we collaborate with West End
performers…. We provide tickets to shows and
cultural activities like the London Eye and the
Buckingham Palace State Rooms. We design an
entire immersive program in addition to going
to class every day.”
All programs collaborate with a local entity
of some sort to ensure students gain firsthand
knowledge of the culture and practices of the
Christina Milian, Reeve Carney, and Annaleigh Ashford
Shivering With Anticipation
Director Kenny Ortega takes us inside Fox’s new “Rocky Horror Picture Show”
S T E V E W I L K I E / FOX
C O U R T E SY P E R FO R M I N G A R T S A B R OA D
By Jack Smart
EVERY CAST AND CREW MEMBER WORKING
on the 2016 tribute and remake of “The Rocky
Horror Picture Show” was a rabidly devoted
superfan of the original musical, according to
director Kenny Ortega.
“There was a line for every role and job,”
says the director. “It just showed the sort of
love affair people have with this project.” This
included a team of “wonderful triple-threat”
actors Ortega praises every chance he gets, as
well as a “crew and design team out of Toronto
that is the best I’ve worked with in television—all ‘Rocky’ fans! Everywhere we turned, it
brought more and more to the party.”
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do
the Time Warp Again,” Fox’s new adaptation of
Richard O’Brien and Jim Sharman’s 1973 cult
classic musical and 1975 film, revives that party
on the small screen Oct. 20—just in time for
Halloween. Starring Emmy nominee Laverne
Cox (“Orange Is the New Black”) as the twisted
transvestite scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the
TV movie event is the latest example of Ortega’s
ability to bring gutsy onscreen musicals to fruition. (He’s also behind the Disney Channel’s
“High School Musical” and “Descendants”
franchises, among other films and concerts.)
Ortega is further qualified thanks to his obsession with the first Los Angeles production of
“Rocky Horror.”
“It was this wonderful new energy—this great
piece with Tim Curry and all these incredible
actors,” he remembers. “I must have seen the
show four times.” After working with “Rocky
BACKSTAGE.COM
Horror Picture Show” producer Lou Adler on a
fundraiser revival timed to the film’s 35th anniversary, Ortega was asked to create something
that was part homage, part reimagining.
“I went back to the original theatrical production for a few things and remembered what
inspired me,” he says. In assembling the perfect
cast, he wanted actors not to “fill other people’s
shoes—to respectfully pay homage but to wear
their own shoes. It’s definitely recognizable if
you’re familiar with it, but it takes on its own
kind of energy and life. It was one of the most
“It’s definitely recognizable
if you’re familiar with it,
but it takes on its own kind
of energy and life.”
joyous experiences of my directing career.
“We looked outside the States; we were
open,” Ortega says of that casting process.
Filmed entirely in Canada but drawing talent
from the U.S., U.K., and elsewhere, the production really began to take shape, he says, when
Cox came on board as Frank-N-Furter, a role
she’d dreamed of stepping into all her life.
“Having her wanting to play the role gave us
all the confidence that there was true reason
to do a reimagining. She’s like no one I’ve ever
worked with before. She’s extraordinary.”
After countless auditions and negotiations,
the rest of the cast fell into place: Tony Award
winners Ben Vereen and Annaleigh Ashford,
Christina Milian, Reeve Carney, and newcomer
Staz Nair as Rocky. Best of all, says Ortega,
was getting Curry himself involved as the
Narrator and Criminologist, particularly after
a stroke in 2012 caused the actor to take a leave
from the industry. “I went to his home and his
pianist was there. They were rehearsing songs
for a cabaret show Tim was considering doing.
He started singing and I lost it. Like, are you
kidding me?”
So what does Ortega look for in his auditions?
In short, “an actor who’s going to bring something to the party every day. Somebody who’s
bright and has an imagination and is willing to
go out on the edge and take the leap with me.”
The bar was certainly set high when Ortega
directed 1993’s “Hocus Pocus” and was
introduced to a young Leonardo DiCaprio.
“We chatted about what he was up to,” he
remembers. “I was completely smitten: his
energy, his honesty, his presence, his ability to
just come into the room and be himself. I was
so blown away.
“It’s those first few minutes where they step
into a space where you feel a person has a kind
of bravery and sense of themselves. They’re not
there to get the part. That’s not the thing at the
front of their mind. They come in, they’ve done
their work, they look you in the eye, they’re
ready, and they deliver and surrender themselves in the moment. That’s what I look for.” •
10.20.16 backstage
19
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
‘An Empty Plate In The Cafe Du
Grande Boeuf’
•• Casting Equity actors for “An Empty
Plate In The Cafe Du Grande Boeuf.”
•• Company: Riverside Theatre Inc. Staff:
Allen D. Cornell, dir.; Wojcik/Seay,
casting.
•• Rehearsals begin Dec. 27; runs Jan.
17-Feb. 5, 2017 in Vero Beach, FL.
•• Seeking—Victor: male, 50-65, all
ethnicities. Claude: male, 35-45, all
ethnicities. Mimi: female, 30-39, all
ethnicities. Gaston: male, 45-59, all
ethnicities. Antoine: male, 20-29, all
ethnicities. Miss Berger: female, 30-45,
all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• For consideration, mail picture and
resume to Wojcik/ Seay Casting, 247
West 38th St., 10th Fl., New York, NY
10018. Attn: An Empty Plate In The Cafe
Du Grande Boeuf [Role____]/ NYC
Appointment AEA Submission.
Submissions deadline is Oct. 24. AEA
members must submit themselves
directly in order to be considered via
this posting (no agent or third-party
submissions). Callbacks will be held
Nov. 1.
•• Pays $637/wk. Equity LORT Non-Rep
LORT D Agreement.
‘As Much As I Can’
•• Seeking actor-participants for an
original immersive theatre production
exploring the lives of African American
gay men and the impact of HIV in
Baltimore and Jackson. This production
will be paired with a community
dialogue immediately following the
presentation with the goal of engaging
African American men and those who
care for them in the response to the
epidemic.
•• Company: Harley & Company (NYCbased creative marketing company).
Staff: Sarah Hall, creator; Alexandra
Hall, exec. prod.; Harrison David
20 backstage 10.20.16
Rivers, playwright; James Walsh, dir.;
Andrew Boyd, prod.
•• Costume fittings and Meet & Greet in
will be held Nov. 3-4 in NYC; rehearses
Nov. 7-21 (7-10 days, exact dates TBD);
shoots Nov. 27-Dec. 12 in Jackson and
Baltimore.
•• Seeking—George: male, 20-30, African
American, gay, struggling to come to
terms with his HIV+ diagnosis; sweet
guy with a big heart. Possibly will sing a
cappella. Larry (aka Miss Hope Chest):
male, 35-50, African American, George’s
gay best friend and a life force in the
play. Larry has been living a happy,
healthy life as an HIV+ man and tries to
spread positivity and love whenever he
can. Will perform (sing or lip-synch) as
his drag persona. Previous drag
experience ideal. Jeremie Clark: male,
20-30, African American, gay, middleclass college student; hopes to deepen
the intimacy in his six-month
relationship. Delius: male, 20-30,
African American, Jeremie’s best friend,
gay, but still in the closet to his religious
family. Must come to terms with his
sexual and HIV+ status, which he has
been in denial about for over a year.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• Send submissions to production@
harleyandcompany.com.
•• Include any conflicts with availability
through Dec. 12, 2016.
•• Weekly non-union compensation,
housing and travel included in contract.
‘Between Riverside and Crazy’
•• Casting the role of Pops only in
“Between Riverside and Crazy.”
•• Company: GableStage. Staff: Joseph
Adler, artistic dir.-dir.; Stephen Adley
Guirgis, writer; Harriet Bass, casting
dir.; Christine McKenna, casting assoc.
•• Rehearsals begin Dec. 27, 2016; runs
Jan. 21-Feb. 19, 2017 in Coral Gables, FL.
•• Seeking—Pops: male, 50-69, African
American.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• For consideration, email picture and
resume to harrietbasscasting@gmail.
com or mail to Harriet Bass Casting, 135
W. 35th St., 13th Fl., New York, NY
10018. Mark submissions: “Between
Riverside and Crazy [Pops]/NYC
Appointment submission.”
•• Pays: $393/wk. min. (pays above min.).
Equity SPT-5 Contract.
VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING
for full character breakdowns, script
sides, and more casting notices
CASTING PICKS
OF THE WEEK
BY M E L I N DA L O E W E N S T E I N
stage
‘Royal Family’
Step back into 1920s Manhattan
and take a chance at being royal in
the Gutherie Theater’s winter show
tv
‘Last Flag Flying’
This new Amazon series stars
Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell
& Laurence Fishburne
musicals
‘42nd St.’
Bring those dancin’ feet to the
Candelight Pavilion in Claremont
for this upbeat musical
film
‘Bruce’
Gymnasts and martial arts experts
needed for this short film
stage
‘Blue Man Group’
No need to wait for Halloween
to paint your face; just head
on over to Chicago to audition
for the colorful group
California Shakespeare
Theater, 2017 Season
•• Casting the California Theater’s 2017
season to include Shakespeare’s “As
You Like It” (Desdemona Chiang, dir.;
Rehearsals begin Apr. 25, 2017; tech
rehearsals begin May 18; runs May
24-June 18), Tennessee Williams’ “The
Glass Menagerie” (Lisa Portes, dir.;
Rehearsals begin June 6, 2017; tech
rehearsals begin June 29; runs July
5-30), “Black Odyssey” (Eric Ting, dir.;
Marcus Gardley, playwright.
Rehearsals begin July 11, 2017; tech
rehearsals begin Aug. 3; runs Aug.
9-Sept. 3), and Shakespeare’s “Measure
for Measure” (Rehearsals begin Aug.
22, 2017; tech rehearsals begin Sept. 14;
runs Sept. 20-Oct. 15).
•• Company: California Shakespeare
Theater. Staff: Eric Ting, artistic dir.;
Clea Shapiro, casting dir.; LeeAnn
Dowd, artistic coord.
•• Season rehearses and runs in
Berkeley, CA.
•• Seeking—Actors: transgender, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be
held Oct. 31 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
(lunch, 12:30-1:30 p.m.) at Actors’
Equity New York Audition Center, 165
W. 46th St., 16th fl., NYC, 10036. EPA
procedures are in effect for this audition. An Equity monitor will be
provided.
•• Prepare one monologue, either contemporary or Shakespeare in verse, not
to exceed two minutes. Bring two copies of headshot & resume, stapled
together. Actors with local housing in
the Bay Area encouraged to attend. For
more info, visit www.calshakes.org.
•• Pays: $861/wk. current min. Equity
LORT B Non-Rep Contract.
‘Dolphins & Sharks’
•• Casting “Dolphins & Sharks” by James
Anthony Tyler.
•• Company: LAByrinth Theater
Company. Staff: Charlotte Brathwaite,
dir.; Kevin Snipes, Labyrinth artistic
assoc.
•• Rehearsals begin Jan. 10, 2017; runs
Feb. 9-Mar. 19 (with availability
through Mar. 26) in New York, NY.
•• Seeking—Xiomara Yepez: female,
20-39, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be
held Nov. 2 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
(lunch, 1-2 p.m.) at Actors’ Equity New
York Audition Center, 165 West 46th St.,
16th fl., New York City, NY, 10036. EPA
Procedures are in effect for this audition. An Equity Monitor will be
provided.
•• Prepare a brief monologue from a contemporary play. Bring picture and
resume. For more info, visit www.labtheater.org.
•• Equity ANTC Tier 1 Contract, contract/
salary pending.
New Jersey Rep. Company
•• Seeking Equity actors for various roles
in New Jersey Repertory Company’s
upcoming 2017 season. Season
includes: “The Jag” (Gino DiIorio,
writer. Rehearsals begin Dec. 19, 2016;
BACKSTAGE.COM
NEW YORK TRISTATE casting
together. Theater’s statement: “Nontraditional casting is encouraged, and
actors of color, seniors, and performers
with disabilities are encouraged to
audition for all the plays.”
•• Equity SPT Tier 4 Contract, plus pension/health. Housing provided for outof-area performers.
com with “Iguana Casting” in the subject line. Attach pictures and resumes
as pdf’s. AEA members must submit
themselves directly in order to be considered via this posting (no agent or
third-party submissions).
•• Pays $861/wk. Equity Non-Rep LORT B
Agreement.
‘Night Of The Iguana’
‘Recent Alien Abductions’
•• Casting Tennessee Williams’ “Night Of
The Iguana.”
•• Company: American Repertory
Theater Company. Staff: Diane Paulus,
artistic dir.; Diane Borger, prod.; Mark
Lunsford, line prod.; Michael Wilson,
dir.; Telsey + Company, casting.
•• Rehearsals begin Jan. 17, 2017; runs
Feb. 23-Mar. 18 in Cambridge, MA.
•• Seeking—Reverend Lawrence
Shannon: male, 30-49, all ethnicities.
Hannah Jelkes: female, 35-49, all ethnicities. Maxine Faulk: female, 40-55,
all ethnicities. Jonathan Coffin (aka
Nonno): male, 60+, all ethnicities.
Hank: male, 20-49, all ethnicities. Herr
Fahrenkopf: male, 45-55, Caucasian.
Frau Fahrenkopf: female, 45-55, all
ethnicities. Hilda: female, 20-29,
Caucasian. Wolfgang: male, 25-40,
Caucasian. Judith Fellows: female,
50-79, all ethnicities. Charlotte
Goodall: female, 18-25, all ethnicities.
Jake Latta: male, 39-59, all ethnicities.
Pedro: male, 20-29, Hispanic. Pancho:
male, 20-29, Hispanic.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• For consideration, email picture and
resume to telseyplayscasting@gmail.
•• Casting “Recent Alien Abductions,” as
part of the Humana Festival Of New
Plays.
•• Company: Actors Theatre of
Louisville. Staff: Jorge Ignacio
Cortiñas, writer; Les Waters, artistic
dir.; Calleri Casting, casting; Les
Waters, dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Feb. 18, 2017; runs
Mar. 17-Apr. 9, 2017 in Louisville, KY.
•• Seeking—Alvaro: male, 18-25, all ethnicities. Patria: female, 30-39, all ethnicities. Ana: female, 30-39, all
ethnicities. Nestor/Alien Older Brother:
male, 40-49, all ethnicities. Olga/Alien
Mother: female, 60-79, all ethnicities.
Beba: female, 40-69, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Nov. 14 (by appointment) and Nov. 15
(by appointment) in NYC.
•• For an audition appointment, mail picture and resume to Calleri Casting, 39
West 14th St., #504, New York, NY,
10011. Mark envelopes “ATL/Alien/NYC
Appointment/AEA Submission.”
Submissions deadline is Nov. 5. AEA
members must submit themselves
directly in order to be considered via
this posting (no agent or third-party
submissions). Note: While all characters are Puerto Rican, seeking a multicultural ensemble of actors. The play is
sent in Puerto Rico, a multicultural
society rich in diversity. Casting is open
(but not limited to) actors of African
American, Arab, Persian, Indian,
Pakistani, Pacific Islander, Mexican,
Spanish, Mediterranean descent to play
the island-based Puerto Ricans in the
play.
•• Pays $865/wk. Equity Non-Rep LORT B
Agreement.
‘Smart People,’ NYC Appts.
•• Seeking submissions from Equity
Members for “Smart People.”
•• Company: Long Wharf Theatre. Staff:
Gordon Edelstein, artistic dir.; Lydia
Diamond, writer; Desdemona Chiang,
dir.; James Calleri & Erica Jensen,
Calleri Casting.
•• Rehearsals begin Feb. 14, 2017; runs
Mar. 15-Apr. 9 in New Haven, CT.
•• Seeking—Valerie: female, 20-30,
African American. Jackson: male,
25-34, African American. Brian: male,
32-40, all ethnicities. Ginny: female,
28-38, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Nov. 3
in NYC.
•• For consideration, mail picture and
resume to Calleri Casting/Attn: Smart
People, 39 W. 14th St., Ste. 504, New
York, NY 10011. Mark submissions
“Smart People [Role]/NYC Appointment
AEA Submission.” Submissions deadline is Oct. 26. Note: Equity Members
must submit themselves directly in
PLAYS
runs Jan. 14-Feb. 14, 2017); “Multiple
Family Dwelling” (James Hindman,
writer; Alan Souza, dir. Rehearsals
begin on or about Feb. 13, 2017); runs
Mar. 9-Apr. 9); “& Juliet” (Robert
Caisley, writer; Marc Geller, dir.
Rehearsals begin on or about Apr. 10;
runs May 4-June 4); TBA 1 (drama;
rehearsals begin on or about June 5;
runs June 29-July 30); TBA 2 (drama;
rehearsals begin on or about July 31;
runs Aug. 24-Sept. 24); and TBA 3
(drama; rehearsals begin on or about
Sept. 25; runs Oct. 19-Nov. 19).
•• Company: New Jersey Repertory
Company. Staff: SuzAnne Barabas,
artistic dir.
•• Plays and dates subject to change.
Rehearses and runs in Long Branch, NJ.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors: 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Oct. 24 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (by appointment; break, 2:30-3:30 p.m.) at New
Jersey Rep Company, 179 Broadway,
Long Branch, NJ, 07740. An Equity
Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected] or call (732) 229-3166
on Oct. 20 (noon-5 p.m.). Equity members who do not have appointments,
will be seen as time permits throughout the day.
•• Prepare two short contemporary, contrasting monologues totaling no more
than three minutes. Bring two copies of
your picture and resume, each stapled
casting NEW YORK TRISTATE
order to be considered via this posting
(no agent or third-party submissions).
•• Pays: $637/wk. Equity LORT D Non-Rep
Contract.
PLAYS
‘The Importance of Being
Earnest’ & ‘Peter and the
Starcatcher’
MUSICALS
•• Casting “The Importance of Being
Earnest” (Tom Kremer, dir. Rehearsals
begin Jan. 2, 2017; runs Jan. 26-Feb. 12)
& “Peter and the Starcatcher” (Norm
Johnson, dir. Rehearsals begin Feb. 13,
2017; runs Mar. 9-26).
•• Company: Cider Mill Playhouse. Staff:
Gail Belokur, artistic dir.
•• Season runs in Endicott, NY.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors & Actor/
Singers : males & females, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Oct. 29 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (lunch, 1-2
p.m.) and Oct. 30 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
(lunch, 1-2 p.m.) at Cider Mill
Playhouse, 2 S. Nanticoke Ave.,
Endicott, NY, 13760. An Equity Monitor
will not be provided. The producer will
run all aspects of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected]
with your preferred day and time
range. All AEA members will be seen
with or without appointment.
•• For “The Importance of Being
Earnest,” prepare a monologue not to
exceed two minutes; preferably comedic and heightened language piece; For
“Peter and the Starcatcher” prepare a
one-minute humorous/satirical monologue plus 32 bars in the style of the
English Music Hall.
•• Pays $393/wk. plus housing within
walking distance of theatre and travel
reimbursement. Equity SPT 5 Contract.
‘The Merchant of Venice’
•• Seeking Equity and non-Equity actor/
musicians for Hamlet Isn’t Dead’s
“Merchant of Venice.” HID’s thirteenth
mainstage production will be a romantic, musical adventure that explores
how love transcends the constraints of
class, religion, and tradition. All races,
ethnicities, and genders are encouraged to audition.
•• Company: Hamlet Isn’t Dead. Staff:
James Rightmyer Jr., exec. dir., HID.
•• Rehearses Nov. 1-3; tech and previews
Dec. 5-9; performances Dec. 14-18 in
NYC.
•• Seeking—Shylock: 30-59, all ethnicities. Antonio: 25-49, all ethnicities.
Bassanio: 20-34, all ethnicities. Portia:
20-34, all ethnicities. Lorenzo: 20-34,
all ethnicities. Jessica: 20-34, all ethnicities. Gratiano: 20-34, all ethnicities.
Nerissa: 20-34, all ethnicities.
Launcelot Gobbo: 20-34, all ethnicities.
Tubal/Duke: 30-59, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Oct. 22
from 12-5 p.m. and Oct. 23 from 9 a.m.-2
p.m. at The Times Center, 242 W. 41st
St., NYC, 10036. An Equity Monitor will
not be provided. The producer will run
all aspects of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected]. Prepare
one Shakespearean monologue and an
a cappella excerpt from a folk/folk
song. Also be prepared to read sides
from the script. Bring pix & resumes,
22 backstage 10.20.16
AUDITION
HIGHLIGHT S
N E W YO R K T R IS TAT E
Fri. Oct. 21
Beef & Boards 2016-17 Season
Sat. Oct. 22
‘Of Dionysus’
‘Queens’
Sun. Oct. 23
‘Bear Fruit’
Mon. Oct. 24
New Jersey Repertory Company
Tues. Oct. 25
Porthouse Theatre 2017 Season
‘A Proper Place’ & ‘Dreamgirls’
‘Aladdin,’ B’way, Singers
Weds. Oct. 26
American Shakespeare Center
‘Aladdin,’ B’way, Dancers
‘Other World’
Tokyo Disney Resort
For the full auditions calendar,
visit backstage.com/auditions
stapled together. Note: If the audition
location is locked, ring bell to the right
of the door.
•• Equity Basic Showcase Code, application and approval pending.
‘The Royal Family’
•• Casting Equity actors for “The Royal
Family.”
•• Company: Guthrie Theater
Foundation. Staff: Joseph Haj, artistic
dir.; Rachel Chavkin, dir.; Tracy
Kaczorowski, casting asst.; George S.
Kaufman and Edna Ferber, writers; Pat
McCorkle, Katja Zarolinski, casting
dirs.
•• Rehearsals begin Jan. 3, 2017; runs Jan.
28-Mar. 19 in Minneapolis, MN.
•• Seeking—Fanny Cavendish: female,
70+, all ethnicities. Gwen: female,
18-25, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• For consideration, email picture and
resume to [email protected]. Mark submissions:
“The Royal Family/NYC Appointment
AEA Submission.” Submissions deadline is Oct. 28. Seeking actors who
reflect our world to tell the stories we
put onstage, and therefore strongly
encourage people of underrepresented
groups and diverse backgrounds to
audition. AEA members must submit
themselves directly in order to be
considered.
•• Pays $861/wk. Equity LORT Non-Rep
Agreement.
MUSICALS
Beef & Boards 2016-17 Season
•• Casting three female dancers for the
2016 Beef & Boards Christmas Show
(reh. Nov. 9; runs Nov. 25-Dec. 23), and
available roles in our 2017 productions of
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat” (reh. Jan. 21, 2017; runs Feb.
2-Mar. 26, 2017), “My Fair Lady” (reh.
Mar. 18, 2017; runs Mar. 30-May 14,
2017), and “Shrek, The Musical” (reh.
May 6, 2017; runs May 18-July 2, 2017).
•• Company: Beef & Boards Dinner
Theatre. Staff: Eddie Curry, prod./
casting dir.; Ron Morgan, resident
choreo./asst. casting dir.
•• Rehearses & performs in Indianapolis,
IN.
•• Seeking—All Roles: males & females,
18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held Oct. 21 at 9 a.m.
(holding opens at 8 a.m.) at Nola
Studios, 250 West 54th St., NYC, 11697.
•• Prepare your best 16-24 bars of two
contrasting pieces of music. Bring your
complete book if asked for additional
material. A monologue may or may not
be requested, and you may or may not
be asked to read an audition side. Bring
a current picture and resume. Be
prepared for a dance/movement call
back, if invited. Potential dance call
back at 4 p.m.
•• Pay provided, plus housing and round
trip transportation provided. Equity
Tier 3 Dinner Theatre Contract.
‘Chicago’
•• Casting “Chicago.”
•• Company: Riverside Theatre. Staff:
Richard Stafford, dir.-choreo.; Allen D.
Cornell, artistic dir.; Wojcik | Seay
Casting, casting; Ken Clifton, music dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Dec. 12, 2016; runs
Jan. 3-22, 2017 in Vero Beach, FL.
•• Seeking—Velma Kelly: female, 25-45,
all ethnicities. Roxie Hart: female,
25-40, all ethnicities. Amos Hart: male,
30-50, all ethnicities. Matron Mama
Morton: female, 30-50, all ethnicities.
Billy Flynn: male, 35-50, all ethnicities.
Mary Sunshine: male, 25-55, all
ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Nov. 1
and Nov. 2 in NYC, 10018.
•• For consideration, mail picture and
resume Wojcik/Seay Casting, 247 West
38th St., 10th fl., Attn: Chicago – LORT,
New York, NY 10018. Mark submissions
“Chicago [Role___]/NYC Appointment
AEA Submission.” Submissions deadline is Oct. 24.
•• Pays $861/wk. Equity Non-Rep LORT B
Contract.
‘Other World’
•• Casting “Other World,” with book by
Hunter Bell and music & lyrics by Jeff
Bowen and Ann McNamee.
•• Company: Love Megabytes, LLC. Staff:
Gabriel Barre, dir.; Christopher Gattelli,
choreo.; Mary-Mitchell Campbell,
music supervisor; Tim Hunter, art dir.;
Weta Workshop, creative development;
Alchemy Production Group, general
mgr.; Telsey + Company, casting.
•• 29-hour reading will be Jan. 2-6, 2017
and the 60-hr. staged reading will be
Feb. 27-Mar. 10, 2017 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Sri Naidu: 18+, South Asian.
Lorraine Houston: 20-39, all
ethnicities. Temula: 20-49, all
ethnicities. Antagon: 30-49, all
ethnicities. Josh: 18+, all ethnicities.
Myra: 70-79, all ethnicities. Tris:
20-39, all ethnicities. Sumita Naidu:
30-49, South Asian. Will Houston:
50-59, all ethnicities. Del: 18-29, all
ethnicities. Young Sri: 9, South Asian.
1011: 18+, all ethnicities. Ensemble:
18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Oct. 26 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch, 1:302:30 p.m.) at Pearl Studios NYC (500),
500 8th Ave., 12th fl., New York City,
NY, 10018. EPA Procedures are in effect
for this audition. An Equity Monitor
will be provided.
•• Prepare a short song in the style you
feel you sing best (contemporary musical theatre/pop/rock). Bring sheet
music; accompanist provided. Bring
picture and resume. Casting and various members of the creative team will
be in attendance at this audition.
•• Note: Actors auditioning will be considered for both ensemble roles and
chorus parts at this audition. An ASL
interpreter will be provided at this call.
Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Actively seeking actors who can
be in both the 29-hour reading and
60-hour reading. The Creative Team of
“Other World” is actively seeking disabled and non-disabled performers of
all and no genders, all ages, all physical
types, and all ethnicities. Gender
queer, Non-gender, agender performers
will be welcome and respected at either
ECC session.
•• Staged Reading Contract. There will be
a 29-hour staged reading, followed by a
60-hour staged reading. Actors will
receive $250 stipend for the 29-hour
reading and $500 stipend for the
60-hour reading.
Porthouse Theatre 2017 Season
•• Casting Equity actors-singers for the
Porthouse Theatre 2017 Season. Season
includes “9 to 5” (Rehearsals begin May
30, 2017; runs June 15-July 1, 2017),
“Ain’t Misbehavin’” (Rehearsals begin
June 20; runs July 6-22, 2017), and
“Newsies” (Rehearsals begin July 11,
2017; runs July 28-Aug. 13, 2017).
•• Company: Porthouse Theatre. Staff:
Terri Kent, prod. artistic dir.; Jennifer
Korecki, musical dir.
•• Season runs in Kent, OH.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors-Singers: males
& females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Oct. 25 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (lunch,
1-2 p.m.) at Actors’ Equity New York
Audition Center, 165 West 46th St., 16th
Fl., NYC, 10036. EPA Procedures are in
effect for this audition. An Equity
Monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare a brief song in the style of the
season’s shows. Have a contrasting
song selection ready, if asked.
Auditioning performers may sing from
the shows. Bring sheet music in your
key. An accompanist will be provided.
Bring a picture and resume, stapled
together. For more info, visit www.
porthousetheatre.com.
•• Pays $629/wk. Equity URTA Tier 2
Agreement.
BACKSTAGE.COM
NEW YORK TRISTATE casting
‘Rags’
‘School of Rock,’ B’way
•• Casting adults and child actor/singers
and actor/singer/musicians for possible
principal replacements in the currently
running “School of Rock.”
•• Company: SOR Broadway LP. Staff:
Bespoke Theatricals, The Schubert
Organization, The Nederlander
Organization, Warner Music Group, The
Really Useful Group, prods.; Laurence
Connor, dir.; Bespoke Theatricals, general mgr.; Andrew Lloyd Webber,
music; Glenn Slater, lyrics; Julian
Fellowes, book; Ethan Popp, music
supervisor; JoAnn Hunter, musical
staging; Tara Rubin Casting, casting.
•• Currently running on Broadway.
•• Seeking—Tomika: female, 9-12, African
American. Summer: female, 9-12, all
ethnicities. Zack: male, 9-12, all ethnicities. Lawrence: male, 9-13, all ethnicities. Freddy: male, 9-12, all ethnicities.
Katie: female, 9-12, all ethnicities.
Billy: male, 9-12, all ethnicities.
Marcey: female, 9-12, all ethnicities.
Shonelle: female, 9-12, all ethnicities.
Mason: male, 9-12, all ethnicities.
Sophia: female, 9-12, all ethnicities.
Madison: female, 9-13, all ethnicities.
Leonard: male, 9-13, all ethnicities.
Rosalie Mullins: female, 30-39, all ethnicities. Dewey Finn: male, 30-39, all
ethnicities. Ned Schneebly: male,
30-39, all ethnicities. Patty: female,
30-39, all ethnicities. Girl Swing 1:
female, 9-12, all ethnicities. Girl Swing
2: female, 9-12, all ethnicities. Boy
Swing 1: male, 9-12, all ethnicities. Boy
Swing 2: male, 9-12, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Nov. 2 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch, 1:302:30 p.m.) at Pearl Studios NYC (519),
519 8th Ave., 12th fl., NYC, 10018. EPA
Procedures are in effect for this audition. An Equity Monitor will be
provided.
•• Adults: Prepare a brief pop, pop/rock,
or rock and roll song. Children: Prepare
a brief pop/rock, or rock and roll song.
Boys who play guitar, bass, or piano:
Prepare an additional piece on your
instrument. Girls who play Guitar or
Bass: Prepare an additional piece on
your instrument. Drummers: If you
play the drums bring your drumsticks.
All: Bring a picture and resume, stapled
together. Accompanist will be provided
for all. Note: Children must be under
5’0” and ages 9-12.
•• Pays $1917/wk. Equity Production
(League) Contract.
‘The Babies’
•• Seeking future replacements and
understudies for “The Babies.”
•• Company: West End Artists Company/
Infantile Productions. Staff: Lloyd J.
Schwartz, writer-dir.-lyrics; Gene
Castle, musical staging; Anthony
Gruppuso, lyrics; Matt Dahan, music.
•• Currently running at the St. Luke’s
Theatre in NY.
•• Seeking—Sophie: female, 18+, all
ethnicities. Spring: female, 18+, all
ethnicities. Desmond: male, 18+,
African American. Joshua: male, 18+,
all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Nov. 4 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch, 1:302:30 p.m.) at St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 W
46th St., New York City, NY, 10036. EPA
Procedures are in effect for this audition.
An Equity Monitor will be provided.
•• Bring a contemporary musical theatre
number. An accompanist will be
NOV 12&13
2016
MILLION DOLLAR VOICES:
THE THRIVING VOICE ACTOR
provided. Bring picture and resume.
Note: All roles have been cast from the
previous production in Los Angeles.
Seeking future replacements and
understudies.
•• Pays $82/perf. Equity Off Broadway
Periodic Performance Contract.
‘The First Noel’
•• Casting “The First Noel” with book,
music & lyrics by Lelund Durond
Thompson and Jason Michael Webb.
•• Company: Classical Theatre of Harlem.
Staff: Steve H. Broadnax, dir.; Brian
Harlan Brooks, choreo.; Ty Jones, prod.
artistic dir.; David Roberts, managing
dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Nov. 8 (max. 36 hrs./
wk.); runs Dec. 10-18, 2015 at the Apollo
Theater Soundstage in NYC.
•• Seeking—Henry: male, 35-45, African
American. Pastor Bennie Raindrop:
male, 35-45, African American.
Ensemble: 20-39, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Oct. 28 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (lunch,
1-2 p.m.) at Actors’ Equity New York
Audition Center, 165 West 46th St., 16th
fl., NYC, 10036. EPA Procedures are in
effect for this audition. An Equity
Monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare a contemporary pop, R&B, or
Gospel song. Bring sheet music; accompanist provided. Bring picture and
resume. Note: Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers
with disabilities, to attend every
audition.
WARNER BROS.
STUDIOS
BURBANK CA
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SYLVIA
VILLAGRAN
Voice Actor
JOAN BAKER HOST
Tix: ThatsVoiceover.com
MUSICALS
•• Casting “Rags,” a musical which takes
place on the Lower East side in 1910 by
Stephen Schwartz, Joe Stein, and
Charles Strouse.
•• Company: TheatreWorks Silicon
Valley. Staff: Robert Kelley, artistic dir.dir.; William Liberatore, musical dir.;
Alan Filderman, casting dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Mar. 7, 2017; runs
Apr. 8-30 in Redwood City, CA.
•• Seeking—Rebecca Hershkowitz:
female, 30-39, all ethnicities. Saul:
male, 30-39, all ethnicities. Avram
Cohen: 50-59, all ethnicities. Bella
Cohen: female, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Oct. 25
in New York City, NY.
•• For consideration, email picture and
resume to [email protected] with
“Rags [role of ___]/NYC Appt AEA
Submission” in the subject line.
Callbacks will be held Oct. 26. Note:
Seeking submissions from AEA members. AEA members must submit themselves directly in order to be considered
via this posting (no agent or third-party
submissions).
•• Pays $861/wk. plus housing and transportation. Equity LORT Non-Rep B
Contract.
casting NEW YORK TRISTATE
•• Pays $800/wk. Equity LOA-NYC
Contract.
‘Witch Christmas’
MUSICALS
FILM
•• Casting young actors and actresses,
ages 8-14, who can sing, move well, and
are comfortable with harmonies for
“Witch Christmas,” a musical.
•• Company: Making Light. Staff: Sharon
Fogarty, writer-dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Tuesdays in
November; performs Dec. 15-18 (four
performances total) in NYC.
•• Seeking—Casey: male, 8-11, all
ethnicities. Candice: female, 9-12, all
ethnicities. Sally: female, 11-13, all
ethnicities. Diesel/Ghost of Christmas
Trash: males & females, 12-14, all
ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Nov. 1
at Shetler Studios, 244 W. 54th St.,
NYC, 10019.
•• For consideration, email pix & resume
to [email protected]. with “Witch
Christmas/NYC Audition Appointment
Submission” in the subject line. If
given an appointment, sides will be
provided and a brief song will be taught
at the audition. Submissions deadline
is Oct. 27.
•• Stipend TBD. Equity Basic
Showcase-NY Code.
CHORUS CALLS
‘17 Again’
•• Seeking dancers who sing for the
ensemble of a developmental lab for “17
Again.”
•• Company: Warner Bros. Theatre
Ventures & Adam Shankman. Staff:
Adam Shankman, dir.-choreo.; Marco
Pennette, book; Alan Zachary &
Michael Weiner, music & lyrics; Vadim
Feichtner, music dir.; 101 Productions,
GM; Telsey + Company, casting.
•• Lab runs Nov. 4–17 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Female Dancers Who Sing:
female, 18-28, all ethnicities. Male
Dancers Who Sing: male, 18-28, all
ethnicities. Stan: male, 18-28, all
ethnicities, to play 17.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held Oct.
25 at 10:30 a.m. (male dancers who
sing) and at 2 p.m. (female dancers who
sing) at Pearl Studios NYC (519), 519 8th
Ave., 12th fl., NYC, 10018. Chorus Rules
are in effect. A monitor will be
provided.
•• Come warmed up and prepared to
dance. Jazz sneakers/flats are
appropriate. Have 16 bars of a
contemporary musical theater or pop/
rock song to sing in case you are asked.
Bring an updated picture/resume.
•• Pays: $1,000/wk. Equity
Developmental Lab.
‘Aladdin,’ B’way, Dancers
•• Seeking excellent dancers with
fantastic singing voices and excellent
singers who dance well to comprise the
ensemble and also play featured roles
for possible future replacements in the
currently-running Broadway
production of “Aladdin.”
•• Company: Disney Theatrical
Productions. Staff: Casey Nicholaw,
24 backstage 10.20.16
dir.-choreo.; Alan Menken, music;
Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, lyrics;
Alan Menken and Chad Beguelin,
additional lyrics; Chad Beguelin, book;
Michael Kosarin, musical dir.; Tara
Rubin Casting/Eric Woodall, casting.
•• Currently running on Broadway.
•• Seeking—Dancers: 18+, all ethnicities.
Singers Who Dance: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held Oct.
25 at 10 a.m. (female singers) and at 2
p.m. (male singers) and Oct. 26 at 10
a.m. (female dancers) and at 2 p.m.
(male dancers) at Pearl Studios NYC
(500), 500 8th Ave., 4th Fl., NYC, 10018.
ECC Procedures are in effect for this
audition. An Equity Monitor will be
provided.
•• Singers: Prepare a traditional musical
theater song that shows vocal range.
An accompanist will be provided. Bring
pix & resumes, stapled together.
•• Dancers: Females, bring character
heels, heeled tap shoes, and flats.
Males, bring jazz shoes, tap shoes, and
knee pads. You may be asked to stay
and sing. Bring sheet music for a
traditional musical theater song that
shows vocal range. An accompanist
will be provided. Bring pix & resumes,
stapled together.
•• Pays: $1917/wk. Equity Production
(Disney) Contract.
‘Other World,’ Singers
•• Casting “Other World,” with book by
Hunter Bell and music & lyrics by Jeff
Bowen and Ann McNamee.
•• Company: Love Megabytes, LLC. Staff:
Gabriel Barre, dir.; Christopher Gattelli,
choreo.; Mary-Mitchell Campbell,
music supervisor; Tim Hunter, art dir.;
Weta Workshop, creative development;
Alchemy Production Group, general
mgr.; Telsey + Company, casting.
•• 29-hour reading will be Jan. 2-6, 2017
and the 60-hr. staged reading will be
Feb. 27-Mar. 10, 2017 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Sri Naidu: 18+, South Asian.
Lorraine Houston: 20-39, all
ethnicities. Temula: 20-49, all
ethnicities. Antagon: 30-49, all
ethnicities. Josh: 18+, all ethnicities.
Myra: 70-79, all ethnicities. Tris: 20-39,
all ethnicities. Sumita Naidu: 30-49,
South Asian. Will Houston: 50-59, all
ethnicities. Del: 18-29, all ethnicities.
Young Sri: 9, South Asian. 1011: 18+, all
ethnicities. Ensemble: 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held Oct.
28 at 10 a.m. (female singers) and at 2
p.m. (male singers) at Pearl Studios
NYC (500), 500 8th Ave., 12th fl., New
York City, NY, 10018. ECC Procedures
are in effect for this audition. An
Equity Monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare a 16-bar cut of music, in a style
you feel you sing best (contemporary
musical theater/pop/rock). Bring sheet
music; accompanist provided. Bring
picture and resume. Casting and
various members of the creative team
will be in attendance at this audition.
•• Note: See notes on EPA listing.
•• Staged Reading Contract. There will
be a 29-hour staged reading, followed
by a 60-hour staged reading. Actors
will receive $250 stipend for the
29-hour reading and $500 stipend for
the 60-hour reading.
‘School of Rock,’ B’way, Child
Singers
•• Casting children for possible replacements in the ensemble and to cover
principal roles in the currently running
“School of Rock.”
•• Company: SOR Broadway LP. Staff:
Bespoke Theatricals, The Schubert
Organization, The Nederlander
Organization, Warner Music Group, The
Really Useful Group, prods.; Laurence
Connor, dir.; Bespoke Theatricals, general mgr.; Andrew Lloyd Webber,
music; Glenn Slater, lyrics; Julian
Fellowes, book; Ethan Popp, music
supervisor; JoAnn Hunter, musical
staging; Tara Rubin Casting, casting.
•• Currently running on Broadway.
•• Seeking—Tomika: female, 9-13, African
American. Summer: female, 9-13, all
ethnicities. Zack: male, 9-13, all ethnicities. Lawrence: male, 9-13, all ethnicities. Freddy: male, 9-13, all ethnicities.
Katie: female, 9-13, all ethnicities.
Billy: male, 9-13, all ethnicities. Marcy:
female, 9-13, all ethnicities. Shonelle:
female, 9-13, all ethnicities. Mason:
male, 9-13, all ethnicities. Sophia:
female, 9-13, all ethnicities. Madison:
female, 9-13, all ethnicities. James:
male, 9-13, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Chorus Calls will be held Nov. 1
at 2 p.m. at Pearl Studios NYC (519), 519
8th Ave., 12th fl., NYC, 10018. ECC
Procedures are in effect for this audition.
An Equity Monitor will be provided.
•• Prepare a brief pop, pop/rock, or rock
and roll song. Accompanist provided.
Bring a picture and resume, stapled
together. Note: All principal roles listed
are for covers. All children must be 9-13
and under 5’0.”
•• Pays $1917/wk. Equity Production
(League) Contract.
SHORT FILMS
‘Bruce’
•• Casting “Bruce,” a short film comedy.
•• Company: Official Visual. Staff: Jesse
Weeden, exec. prod.; Irhad Mutic,
writer-dir.; Alex Burnett, sound design;
Ryann Lugo, assoc. prod.
•• Shoots Nov. 12 & 13 and possibly Nov.
19 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Bruce: male, 13-19, all ethnicities, an aspiring karate master who
sets out to defeat his neighborhood
nemesis. Ninja: female, 13-19, all ethnicities, the nemesis set out to make a
connection with Bruce; it does not go
well; gymnastics and/or martial arts
background is a big plus. Townie: males
& females, 10-15, all ethnicities,
recruited to test Bruce’s abilities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Oct. 22
from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Oct. 23 from 11
a.m.-4 p.m. at Shetler Studios, 244 W.
54th St., NYC, 10019.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• Make sure you are available to audition
on the dates listed. Bring your headshot
to the audition. State your availability
to shoot on Nov. 12 & 13 and possibly
Nov. 19. Visit http://brucemovie.com to
view script and other details.
•• Pays: $200/day. Nonunion only.
STUDENT FILMS
‘Journey to the Last Christmas
Dance’
•• Casting “Journey to the Last Christmas
Dance,” a short comedy film for a SUNY
Purchase junior thesis project.
Synopsis: Set in 1986, the film follows
Ron, a high school senior on his way to
his final Christmas dance. After he
shows up to his date’s house too early,
Ron must make small talk and bond
with his date’s father while his date
gets ready upstairs. But when Ron
realizes he’s mistakenly gone to the
wrong house, he must devise a plan to
get out of the house without
embarrassing himself and ruining
Christmas.
•• Company: SUNY Purchase Film
Conservatory; Wavelength Films. Staff:
Nic Inglese, writer-dir,; David Foley,
prod.
•• Rehearses in Dec. 2016; shoots in Jan.
2017 on Long Island, NY.
•• Seeking—Ron: male, 17-20, Caucasian,
baby-faced high school senior who is
admittedly bad at confrontation; has
only agreed to go to the Christmas
dance because he was pressured into
taking Margaret Reiner; Ron can’t wait
to be done with high school. The Dad:
male, 40-55, Caucasian, the father of
Ron’s supposed date; the most
genuinely good-natured person you’re
likely to meet; the Dad has the perfect
blend of nostalgia and optimism for the
future. Hernandez: male, 17-20,
Caucasian, Hispanic, Ethnically
Ambiguous / Mixed Race, Ron’s best
friend; convinced that he’s cooler than
he actually is, Hernandez boycotts the
Christmas dance, opting instead to stay
home alone. Margaret Reiner: female,
17-20, Caucasian, Ron’s real date to the
Christmas dance; even though she
sports an orthodontic appliance and
frizzy, unkempt hair, she’s sweet and
charming to a fault, always putting
other people before herself. She’s a
family friend of Ron’s. Jessica Howard:
female, 17-20, Caucasian, Ron’s
supposed date to the Christmas dance;
she very well may be the smartest and
prettiest girl in her whole year, but
she’d never let you know she knows it.
Michael McAllister: male, 17-25,
Caucasian, Jessica’s real date to the
dance; Michael’s a jock-type who looks
like he might’ve been held back in
school a couple of years, but he has a
smile that immediately lets you know
his heart is in the right place.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Oct. 26
and Nov. 1 in NYC.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected]
and specify which date you would like
to audition. Actors will be asked to read
sides given out on the day of the
audition.
•• No pay. Meals, travel, and lodging (if
necessary) provided. Producer plans to
apply for SAG-AFTRA Student Film
Agreement.
VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING
for full character breakdowns, script
sides, and more casting notices
BACKSTAGE.COM
NEW YORK TRISTATE casting
‘red’
PRINT MODELING
Corporate Types Photo
Shoot
•• Seeking corporate types for still
work. President states:
“Photography to be done on location mostly in the streets of
Manhattan. For use on the photographer’s website & self promotion.”
•• Company: Robert Essel
Photography, Inc. Staff: Robert
Essel, President.
•• Shoots Oct. 24-Nov. 3.
•• Seeking—Corporate Types: males
& females, 28-60, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• For consideration, email pix to
[email protected] for an inperson interview during week of
Oct. 17. Bring photos and or video.
•• Ideally $50/hr., seasoned professional more. Photos taken will be
available for your own promotion
as well.
MFA PROGRAM IN
THEATRE
ACTING
DIRECTING
DRAMATURGY
PLAYWRITING
THEME PARKS
Tokyo Disney Resort,
Vocalists
10.20.16 backstage
STAGE MANAGEMENT
VARIETY
•• Seeking female vocalists for a special Valentine’s event at Tokyo
Disney Resort.
•• Company: Walt Disney Parks and
Resorts Talent Casting in association with Oriental Land Company
(OLC).
•• 3-month contracts begin
December 2016.
•• Seeking—Rapunzel: female, 18+,
all ethnicities, 5’5” and under, very
trim, strong actor, strong singer,
mix belt to F. Beautiful and bold,
spirited, smart and adventurous;
should have a genuine innocence
and inner strength. Jasmine:
female, 18+, all ethnicities, 5’2’’5’6’’, beautiful, sense of humor,
independent and feisty; desperately longs to experience life
beyond the castle walls. Must be
physically fit with strong core;
soprano with a strong mix, contemporary musical theatre/Disney
princess sound.
•• Auditions will be held Oct. 26 at 2
p.m. (female vocalists; sign-in, 1
p.m.) at Pearl Studios, 519 8th Ave.,
12th fl., New York City, NY, 10018.
•• Late arrivals will not be accepted.
Prepare two contrasting vocal
selections (best 16 bars of each)
which reflect the style of the show
for which you are auditioning. You
must bring sheet music in the correct key; an accompanist will be
provided. Be prepared to learn a
movement combination. Must be
18+ and willing to relocate to Tokyo
for the terms of their individual
MODELING
BACKSTAGE.COM
•• Food, transportation, and lodging
(if needed) will be provided.
Producer plans to apply for a SAGAFTRA Student Film Agreement.
FILM
•• Casting ‘red’, a short comedy
about a young boy nearing the end
of childhood innocence. After
discovering an Adult Magazine at
his father’s house, Cooper struggles
to maintain normalcy as his
obsession with the magazine’s
cover model completely throws his
life upside-down.
•• Company: SUNY Purchase Film
Conservatory. Staff: Noah
Marthaller, coord.
•• Shooting late December and early
January (approx. Dec. 28-31 and
Jan. 6-8) in the Westchester County
area.
•• Seeking—Cooper: male, 7-10, all
ethnicities, a young boy frequently
stumbling into the messy world of
adults; has a quick wit and big heart
but neither have prepared him for
the quest of finding his first love,
the XXX Magazine cover model,
Dana Diamond. To accomplish his
goal, he’ll push his own boundaries
past the limit while dealing with
the underlying issues of a broken
home and what it means to grow
up. Karen: female, 30-40, all
ethnicities, Cooper’s mother; a
single mom whose only goal is
creating a safe and loving
environment for her little boy.
Though filling the emotional and
physical absence of Cooper’s father
hasn’t always been easy, Karen has
settled into the role admirably. But
things start to get precarious when
Cooper’s actions come to head, and
she has to decide if parenting can
keep going on as one woman show.
Daniel: male, 30-40, all ethnicities,
Cooper’s father; a man stuck
between a distant past of
indulgence and the overdue future
of parenthood. He is unsure if he
has what it takes to be a father,
relying on Karen to pull most of the
weight. An unexpected
opportunity arises where, for the
first time, Daniel might have
something to offer as a parent.
Dana Diamond: female, 18-30, all
ethnicities, On paper, she’s just
another cover model for a popular
Adult Magazine, but to Cooper,
she’s everything. An embodiment
of his imagination, this scarlet
temptress seduces Cooper down a
path of reckless grandeur. The only
weapon greater than her beauty, is
her unnerving persistence.
(Though this role does not require
direct nudity, the actress will be
wearing a bikini and other
revealing clothing). Mrs. Smith:
female, 50-70, all ethnicities,
Cooper’s teacher; has had the
pleasure of teaching art for many
years. She enjoys her students and
always takes what they say to
heart. But when Cooper’s abnormal
behavior catches her eye, the two
characters begin a series of
awkward interactions that extend
outside the classroom.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Oct.
25 and Nov. 1 (open call) in NYC.
•• Send submissions to redfilm585@
gmail.com.
THEATRE MANAGEMENT
& PRODUCING
Offering joint JD/MFA with Columbia Law
School.
Actors’ Equity membership eligibility for all
third-year Acting students and two Stage Management students per year.
Financial aid is available.
The online application for fall
2017 admission is now live.
Visit arts.columbia.edu/backstage for
more information.
25
casting NEW YORK TRISTATE
contracts. Provide a current photo and
résumé. For full details, visit www.
disneyauditions.com.
•• Pays $930/wk., per diem, round trip
travel, private apartments, and the
chance to experience Tokyo is
provided. EOE.
CRUISE LINES
Viking Ocean Cruises
VARIETY
•• Casting singers and dancers for main
stage shows, cabarets and other entertainment offerings by Mertz
Productions with casting services provided by RWS & Associates.
•• Company: Mertz Productions. Staff:
Franklyn Warfield, senior casting dir.
•• Rehearsals in Orlando, FL. Itineraries
include Mediterranean, Baltic and
other European routes.
•• Seeking—Female Singers Who Act:
female, 18-45, all ethnicities, Female 1:
Versatile soprano with strong classical
and pop voice up to high C6; Female 2:
Mezzo with strong belt/mix as well as a
classic musical theater sound; Female
3: Alto/mezzo with strong belt/mix up
to E5 in pop and musical theater styles.
Male Singers Who Act: male, 18-45, all
ethnicities, Male 1: versatile tenor with
strong legit/classical voice as well as
musical theater/pop up to A4; Male 2:
Bari/Tenor with strong pop/rock voice
up to A♭4; Male 3: Baritone with strong
musical theater, pop voice up to G4.
Dancers: males & females, 18-40, all
ethnicities, strong dancers in a variety
of styles including ballroom and partnering; vocal skills a plus.
•• Auditions will be held Nov. 7 at 10 a.m.
(female singers who act) and at 2 p.m.
(male singers who act) and Nov. 8 at 10
a.m. (dancers) at Pearl Studios 500, 500
8th Ave., 12th Fl., NYC, 10036.
•• Singers Who Act: Prepare two contrasting 16 bars showing range and personality. If you have a legit sound, be
prepared to show it. Bring sheet music
in correct key; accompanist will be provided. Bring headshot and resume stapled together. You may be called back
to move later the same day; bring dance
clothes/shoes.
•• Dancers: A brief dance combination
will be taught. Bring form-fitting dance
attire (women bring heels and flats),
headshot and resume stapled together.
Singing and acting experience is a plus.
•• Casting will be ongoing throughout
2016/2017. For more info., visit http://
vikingcruisesauditions.com.
•• Pays $3,000-3,500/month. Travel and
lodging provided.
WORKSHOPS
Casting Director Brette
Goldstein Workshop
EVENTS
•• Seeking actors for an educational
workshop with casting director Brette
Goldstein (“Sharknado 2” and
“Donny!”). Owner states: “The night
will begin with a special introduction
from Brette. Then we’ll dive into scene
26 backstage 10.20.16
work. Each actor will have the rare
opportunity to perform a prepared oneminute monologue for Brette and the
class. She will provide valuable feedback and work with each participant.
While not performing, the rest of the
class will get to observe and listen.​The
night will conclude with an extremely
valuable ‘question and answer’ session.
At this time, the class will have the
opportunity to ask Brette any questions
about the business, her career, acting
etc.”
•• Company: Robert Peterpaul
Productions LLC. Staff: Robert
Peterpaul, owner.
•• Workshop runs Oct. 27 (7-9:30 p.m.) in
NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors/Actresses: males &
females, 14+, all ethnicities, performers
looking to potentially expand their
knowledge of the industry and make a
valuable connection.
•• Seeking submissions from NY, NJ and
CT.
•• For consideration, email your
headshot and resume to
robertpeterpaulproductions@gmail.
com, with subject “Brette Goldstein.”
For more info, visit www.
robertpeterpaulproductions.com/
brette-goldstein-casting-director.
•• No pay. $109 participation fee required
(includes workshop notes emailed to
you).
Craft Gym at The Folster Studio
•• Seeking participants for Craft Gym,
the introductory workshop at The
Folster Studio. Facilitator states: “It is a
space for actors to learn and refine their
craft in a committed, safe, and supportive environment. We utilize exercises,
techniques, and principles from such
varied sources as Eric Morris, Sanford
Meisner, Larry Moss, Stella Adler,
Harold Guskin, Lee Strasberg, Michael
Chekhov, Patsy Rodenburg, and others.
Each session focuses on three primary
aspects: Instrument, Technique, and
Application to Good Writing. In this
way, The Workshop functions as a creative home for each actor to grow and
deepen their understanding of themselves, their technique and how to
approach various types of theatrical literature. We explore: Relaxation, Sense
Memory and Imagination Workouts,
Impulsivity Training, Relationship and
Partner Drills, Instrumental Exercises
to Break Through Expressive Blocks,
Voice and Body Work, Characterization,
Actioning Exercises, Emotional
Triggers and Release, Improvisation,
Script Inquiry, and more.”
•• Company: The Folster Studio. Staff:
Sean P. Folster, facilitator.
•• Workshop runs Mondays (Nov. 7, 14,
21, and 28 from 12-5 p.m.) or Tuesdays
(Nov. 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 6-11 p.m.) at
The Producers Club, 358 W. 44th St.,
NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors: males & females, 20+,
all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• For more info, visit www.thefolsterstudio.com.
•• $250 workshop fee reuqired for four
five-hour classes.
Free Improvisational Theater
Workshops with Scotty Watson
•• Seeking participants for a free improvisational theater workshop taught by
Scotty Watson, a former member of The
Second City Canadian National Touring
Company who is currently the Head of
Artistic New Directions’ New York
Faculty.
•• Company: Artistic New Directions.
Staff: Scotty Watson, coord.
•• Workshop is Oct. 22 (1-4 p.m.) at
Shetler Studios in NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors: 18-70, all ethnicities.
Improvisers: 18+, all ethnicities.
Dancers: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• Participants will learn about improvisational theater: Improv is writing on
your feet, improvisational theater is
simply acting without a script; improv
is fast and funny, improvisational theater is being in the moment and living
in honest reaction; the three principles
of improvisational theater are: make
active, positive choices; honor the
physical and verbal reality of the scene;
and it’s an actor’s job to justify.
•• The workshop is free, but you must
register. To register, email [email protected] with a digital picture
and resume and a few words on why
you would like to attend, or a brief
description of your acting or improv
experience and a few word on why you
would like to attend. For more info,
visit www.artisticnewdirections.org/
Intensive.html.
Workshop With Talent
Manager Jenevieve Brewer
•• Seeking actors for a workshop with
personal talent manager Jenevieve
Brewer of Jenevieve Brewer Talent
Management. Jenevieve Brewer will
provide an introduction and then the
class will focus on scene work. Owner
states: “Each actor will have the rare
opportunity to perform a prepared oneminute monologue for Jenevieve and
the class. She will provide valuable
feedback and work with each participant. While not performing, the rest of
the class will get to observe and listen.​
The night will conclude with an
extremely valuable ‘question and
answer’ session. At this time, the class
will have the opportunity to ask
Jenevieve any questions about the
business, her career, acting, etc.
Jenevieve’s clients have booked guest
star roles for numerous episodics such
as ‘Law and Order SVU,’ ‘Power,’
‘Orange is the New Black,’ ‘Gotham,’
and ‘Blue Bloods.’ She has clients recurring in ‘Billions,’ ‘Nightcap,’ and ‘The
Deuce.’ Her clients have booked supporting and lead roles in the feature
films such as ‘Southpaw,’ ‘The Life and
Death of John Gotti,’ and ‘First Kill.’
Her clients currently appear in national
and regional on-camera/ voiceover
spots for Verizon, Coke, Swiffer, PNC
Bank, Merrill Lynch, and Nike.”
•• Company: Robert Peterpaul
Productions LLC. Staff: Robert
Peterpaul, owner.
•• Workshop is Oct. 27 (7-9:30 p.m.) in
NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors/Actresses: males &
females, 14+, all ethnicities, looking to
potentially expand their knowledge of
the industry and make a valuable
connection.
•• Seeking submissions from NY, NJ and
CT.
•• For consideration, submit your headshot and resume to [email protected]. For more info,
visit www.robertpeterpaulproductions.
com/jenevievebrewer.
•• $109 participation fee required
(includes workshop notes emailed to
you).
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Korean Beauty Launch Event
•• Seeking 25-30 participants to be guests
for a two-hour Korean beauty launch
event. Manager states: “The product is
a BB Cream/Foundation/Concealer that
covers any skin blemish, tattoos, scars.
If you have a tattoo or scar that we can
use for the shoot that will be great. Not
all people may have to participate in
the demo (5 people) but we would like
to interview and take pics of everyone.
The event will be aired on a Korean
Home Shopping Channel this year.”
Must be 21+ and have ID. Alcohol will be
served at the event. Actors will have to
sign waivers.
•• Company: Lotte Home Shopping
Event.
•• Event runs Oct. 22 at Black Door, 127 W.
26th St. in NYC. Arrive 20 minutes early
to go over the event.
•• Seeking—Event Guest/Participant:
males & females, 21-50, Caucasian,
African American, Native American,
Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian /
Pacific Islander, Ethnically Ambiguous
/ Mixed Race, will be interviewed about
the product, take pictures, and show
short clips of you using the product all
on camera.
•• Seeking submissions from NY.
•• Send submissions to cpark1217@
gmail.com.
•• For more info, visit www.doctorslab.
co.kr.
•• Pays $50/hr. (about two hrs.)
GROUPS &
MEMBERSHIP
COMPANIES
‘Archetypes!’
•• Casting “Archetypes!” for The Actor’s
Project NYC’s 37th 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. All shows are attended
by industry in film, TV, and theater.
Past productions have been attended
by producers (Broadway), agents (commercial/legit), managers, and casting
directors.”
•• Company: The Actor’s Project NYC.
BACKSTAGE.COM
CALIFORNIA casting
•• Casting “Beyond Fiction!,” “Our
Stories!,” “Archetypes!,” “Scenario!,”
and “Imaginary Tales!” for The Actor’s
Project NYC’s 37th season of full-length
theatrical showcases of music, scenes,
monologues, and sketch comedy, all
original works by company writers.
•• Company: The Actor’s Project NYC.
Staff: Joe Naples, Duvall O’Steen,
Bobby Holder, and Ann Bonner, codirs.; Sam Carner & Derek Gregor,
music.
•• Rehearses in fall 2016 and performs in
winter 2017 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors & Singers Seeking
Representation Through Showcases:
18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Oct. 25
from 4:30-5:30 p.m. (group audition) at
TAPNYC @ Studios 353, 353 W. 48th St.,
NYC, 10036.
•• 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. If you do not receive same-day
confirmation, direct-email headshot
and resume to [email protected]. Prepare a one-minute contemporary comedic monologue.
•• Membership dues are $495/season and
include agent/manager coaching,
resume workshops, branding-yourself
BACKSTAGE.COM
song. If asked, be prepared to dance.
Bring tap shoes.
•• There is a rehearsal stipend and a per
performance rate.
SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA
‘Baby’
PLAYS
‘Periphery’
•• Casting “Periphery,” a docudrama
play by Ed Simpson.
•• Company: All The Way West
Productions, Inc. Staff: Harry Jones Jr.,
prod.
•• Rehearses in Dec. 2016 & Jan. 2017; runs
Jan. 20-Feb. 26 (Fri. & Sat. at 8 p.m.; Sun.
at 3 p.m.) at Hudson Guild, 6539 Santa
Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA.
•• Seeking—Young Man: male, 20+,
African American, well-dressed
student. Phil: male, 40-49, Caucasian,
thoughtful and strong male. May:
female, 20, Caucasian, young mother.
Hazel: female, 20, Caucasian, female
waitress. Margaret: female, 30-40,
African American, kitchen worker.
Billy: male, 30-40, African American,
kitchen worker. Eugene: male, 18,
African American, freshman student.
Jerry: male, 20-23, Caucasian,
antagonist; dislikes African Americans.
Nate: male, 40-43, African American,
proud and delightful. Deidre: female,
18, African American, strong and
pretty. Red: male, 30-32, Caucasian,
reddish hair color. Mike: male, 18,
Caucasian, studious.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Send submissions to HarryJones0214@
gmail.com.
•• Compensation to be announced.
MUSICALS
‘42nd St.’
•• Casting “42nd St.” with music by Harry
Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin, and book by
Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble.
•• Company: Candlelight Pavilion. Staff:
Ben D. Bollinger, prod.; DJ Gray, dir.choreo.; Douglas Austin, music dir.
•• Rehearsals begin on or around Jan. 9,
2017; runs Feb. 10-Mar. 25 at the
Candlelight Pavilion located at 455 W.
Foothill Blvd. Claremont, CA 91711.
•• Seeking—All Roles: 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Nov. 7
from 2-6 p.m. and from 7-10 p.m. (open
call) at 455 W. Foothill Blvd.,
Claremont, CA, 91711.
•• For an audition appointment between
2-6 p.m. email Jackie Guerrero at
[email protected]. Call
backs will be held on Nov. 9.
•• Bring a headshot and resume along
with 16 bars of a Broadway standard
10.20.16 backstage
27
•• Casting “Baby.”
•• Company: Coachella Valley Repertory.
Staff: Ron Celona, dir.; Scott Storr,
musical dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Jan. 3, 2017; runs Jan.
18-Feb. 12 in Rancho Mirage, CA.
•• Seeking—Danny Hooper: 18-29,
Caucasian, African American, Hispanic,
Asian, South Asian, Native American,
Middle Eastern, Ethnically Ambiguous
/ Mixed Race, African Descent. Nick
Sakarian: 30-39, all ethnicities. Alan
McNalley: 40-49, all ethnicities. Lizze
Fields: 18-29, all ethnicities. Pam
Sakarian: 30-39, all ethnicities. Arlene
McNalley: 40-49, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Oct. 31 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (sign-in, 9
a.m.; lunch, 1-2 p.m.) at Actors Equity
Association LA Audition Center, 5636
Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood, CA,
91601. EPA Procedures are in effect for
this audition. An Equity Monitor will be
provided.
•• Prepare one up-tempo and one ballad;
accompaniment will be provided. Note:
All must be strong singers/actors.
•• Pays $443/wk. plus travel/housing.
Equity SPT 6 Contract.
‘My Fair Lady’
•• Casting nonunion actors for all roles in
“My Fair Lady” at the Welk Theatre.
•• Company: Welk Resort Theatre. Staff:
Joshua Carr, prod.; Kathy Brombacher,
dir.; Lanne Alexander, choreo.; Justin
Gray, musical dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Dec. 9; runs Jan.
6-Apr. 2, 2017 (Thurs./Sat. at 8 p.m.;
Sun. at 1 p.m.) in Escondido, CA. No
conflicts will be accepted with rehearsals or performances.
•• Seeking—Eliza Doolittle: 25-29, all
ethnicities, plays late 20s; clever
actress, Cockney flower girl with feisty
energy, becomes a proper lady; expert
vocals (soprano, middle C-high G).
Henry Higgins: 40-59, all ethnicities,
plays early 40s-50s; a British upperclass bachelor; world-famous phonetics
expert; a skilled character actor;
baritone. Colonel Pickering: 55-69, all
ethnicities, plays late 50s-60s. From
India, retired British officer; a
genuinely considerate gentleman;
baritone. Alfred P. Doolittle: 50-69, all
ethnicities, plays 50s-60s; Eliza’s
father; a vigorous, Cockney dustman
with a free-loading “morality”; expert
comic timing; baritone. Mrs. Pearce/
Ascot/Opening: 45-59, all ethnicities,
plays late 40s-50s; Professor Higgins’
Irish housekeeper; strong actress,
singer (alto, mezzo). Freddy EynsfordHill/Cockney: 25-39, all ethnicities,
plays late 20s-30s; tenor; a wealthy
British aristocrat; doubles as Cockney;
strong movement. Mrs. Higgins/Mrs.
Hopkins: 18+, all ethnicities, plays 50s60s; Mrs. Higgins is an educated,
refined society woman; Mrs. Hopkins
is Cockney; character actress/singer.
MUSICALS
The Actor’s Project NYC,
Industry Showcases
workshops, and entry into The ActingCareer Seminar, where company members meet with a commercial agent, a
legit agent, and a talent manager.
PLAYS
Staff: Joe Naples, Duvall O’Steen,
Bobby Holder, and Ann Bonner, codirs.; Sam Carner & Derek Gregor,
music.
•• Rehearses in fall 2016; performs in
winter 2017 in NYC.
•• Seeking—Actors & Singers Seeking
Representation Through Showcases:
18+, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Oct. 25
from 4:30-5:30 p.m. (group audition) at
TAPNYC @ Studios 353, 353 W. 48th St.,
NYC, 10036.
•• 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. If you do not receive same-day
confirmation, direct-email headshot
and resume to [email protected]. 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
at monologuestogo.com.”
•• Membership dues are $495/season and
include agent/manager coaching,
resume workshops, branding-yourself
workshops, and entry into The ActingCareer Seminar, where company members meet with a commercial agent, a
legit agent, and a talent manager.
casting NATIONAL/REGIONAL
PLAYS
MUSICALS
FILM
Harry/Lord Boxington/Ascot: 30-49,
all ethnicities, plays 30s-40s; Harry is a
friend to Alfred P. Doolittle, bass
vocals, strong movement. Butler/
Cockney/Charles: 40-49, all
ethnicities, plays 40s; the Butler serves
Higgins. Jamie/Cockney/Ascot: 30-49,
all ethnicities, plays 30s-40s; tenor
with dance skills. Bartender/Cockney/
Ascot: 30-49, all ethnicities, plays 30s40s; strong dancer/singer. Lady
Boxington/Cockney/Maid: 18+, all
ethnicities, soloist; strong vocals and
dance. Mrs. Eynsford-Hill/Cockney/
Maid: 18+, all ethnicities, Mrs.
Eynsford-Hill is upper-class mother to
Freddy; double as Cockney; moves and
sings well. Maid/Busker/Ascot: 30-39,
all ethnicities, plays 30s; strong dancer
and vocalist. Maid/Busker/Ascot:
30-39, all ethnicities, plays 30s; strong
dancer and vocalist.
•• Auditions will be held Oct. 24 at 10 a.m.
(sign in, 9:30 a.m.; dance call for all
roles except Higgins, Colonel Pickering,
Mrs. Higgins, and Mrs. Pearce) and at 11
a.m. (vocal call) at Lawrence Welk
Resorts Theatre, 8860 Lawrence Welk
Dr., Escondido, CA, 92026.
•• This is the only audition date; no submissions. Bring headshot, resume, and
32 bars of sheet music in correct key;
accompanist provided. Seeking strong
musical theater dance skills; male and
female dancers who sing must attend
this dance call. Lunch is at 1 p.m.
Callbacks at invitation only will be held
at 2 p.m. All auditioning must attend
the 10 a.m. dance call and all those
auditioning for Eliza, Mrs. Higgins,
Higgins, and Mrs. Pearce come to 11
a.m. vocal call.
•• Pays $11/hr. (rehearsals) and $20/hr.
(performances) for approx. $350/wk.
There are two possible Equity Guest
Artist Agreements, Tier 1, pending
Equity approval. Possible housing for
L.A. area and beyond actors. Housing is
limited; you must indicate on your
audition form if housing is needed as it
will affect casting decisions.
‘The Secret Garden’
EVENTS
•• Casting “The Secret Garden,” adapted
by Pamela Sterling from the book by
Frances Hodgson Burnett.
•• Company: City of Rancho Cucamonga/
Main Street Theatre Company. Staff:
Jessica Kubzansky, dir.; Mireya (Murry)
Hepner, prod.
•• Rehearsals begin Jan. 3, 2017; runs Jan.
28-Feb. 12 (matinees - weekday mornings for school groups, weekends for
families) at the Lewis Family Playhouse
in Pasadena, CA.
•• Seeking—Mary Lennox: female, 18+, all
ethnicities. Martha Sowerby: female,
18+, all ethnicities. Dickon Sowerby:
male, 18+, all ethnicities. Archibald
Craven/Doctor Craven: male, 40-59, all
ethnicities. Colin Craven: male, 18+, all
ethnicities. Ben Weatherstaff: male,
60-79, all ethnicities. The Robin: 18+,
all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Nov. 2 from 12:30-4:30 p.m. (sign-in,
11:30 a.m.) at Boston Court, 70 N Mentor
Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91106. EPA
Procedures are in effect for this audition. An Equity Monitor will be
provided.
28 backstage 10.20.16
AUDITION
HIGHLIGHT S
Fri. Sept. 14
CA L I F O R N I A
‘Spin The Bottle’
‘Grandpa’
Sat. Oct. 22
‘Lyman’
‘Mr. Brady’
‘Sock’
‘Cycle’ (also 10/23)
‘Albino Black Sheep’ (also 10/23)
‘The Sound That Remains’
Sun. Oct. 23
‘The New Sport’
Mon. Oct. 24
‘Free Association’
‘Assembly’ (also 10/25)
‘My Fair Lady’
Weds. Oct. 26
‘The Dead Sullivan Show’
For the full auditions calendar,
visit backstage.com/auditions
•• Prepare a one-minute monologue, and
be ready with a contrasting piece in
case we’d like to see more. If you have a
British accent, and even better, a
Yorkshire accent, we’d love to hear it.
•• Note: Local hires preferred. Equity
encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well
as performers with disabilities, to
attend every audition.
•• Pays $489/wk. Modest travel stipend is
available for cast members who live
between 50-65 miles from the theatre.
Equity TYA Contract.
SHORT FILMS
‘The Girl In The Locker Room’
•• Casting “The Girl In The Locker
Room,” a short film about an intersex
female track athlete who faces violence
in the hands of ignorance.
•• Company: Astar Productions. Staff:
Astor Stark, casting dir.
•• Rehearses late November-early
December; shoots in early December
and January 2017 in the greater Los
Angeles area.
•• Seeking—Emmaline (Emma) Taylor:
female, 18-35, all ethnicities, a track
athlete in her early 20s; an Olympic
hopeful; has a love interest, Luke;
strong but mysterious, a kind soul; she
is self-conscious about her body; strong
presence and athleticism is essential;
partial nudity required, a body double
may be used. Naomi Smith: female,
18-35, all ethnicities, a track athlete and
an Olympic hopeful in her early 20s;
strong and intimidating; her power lies
in putting others down to elevate herself; her love interest, Jason, is controlling and pressures her to blood dope in
order to succeed; she holds a strong
animosity towards her teammate,
Emma; strong language and athleticism
is essential. Luke Arneson: male, 18-35,
all ethnicities, a track athlete in his
early 20s; a caring love interest to
Emma; he possesses a kindness and
understanding of others; strong,
approachable, and handsome; strong
presence and athleticism is essential.
Jason Gunn: male, 18-35, all ethnicities,
a track athlete in his early 20s; controlling of his love interest Naomi; will do
anything to help her succeed so that
they can move out of town; desires
fame, fortune, and power; strong language and athleticism is essential.
Coach Burns: males & females, 25-55,
all ethnicities, he/she has a desire for
authority, but laid back at the same
time; someone who is at ease but
pushes his/her runners to be the best
they can be.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Send submissions to
[email protected].
•• Pays $125/day. Travel and meals provided. The producers plan to apply for
SAG-AFTRA New Media Agreement.
friends mini-showcase at 8:30 p.m.) at
Evolution Dance Studios, 10816
Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, CA.
Lunch breaks included.
•• Seeking—Dancers: males & females,
10-19, all ethnicities. Actors: males &
females, 10-19, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from CA.
•• Send submissions to
TheCommercialDanceProject@gmail.
com.
•• Register at www.iiamDGB.com/TCDP.
Limited spots available. Hip-hop dance
experience recommended, but not
required. Will consider students
younger than 10 years old with video
submission. Promotional opportunities: First two students to follow @
iiamdgb on Instagram and post workshop flyer using
#TheCommercialDanceProject win free
registration. Refer two friends and
receive $25 off registration when they
sign up!
•• No pay. Registration fee: $175 (until
Oct. 31) or $200 (after Oct. 31).
WORKSHOPS
PLAYS
The Commercial Dance Project,
Kids & Teens
Blue Man Group, Chicago
•• Seeking participants for The
Commercial Dance Project a two-day
commercial dance workshop and allaround dance experience focused on
introducing the next generation to the
tools and training they need to break
into the commercial industry, stand
out, and get booked. Founder states:
“Workshop features: ten-plus hours
dance and performance training; exclusive on-camera dance/acting workshop
and Q&A with surprise celebrity guest;
mock audition with guest panelist
Shakira Barrera (MTV’s ‘Faking It,’
ABC’s ‘Freak Out’ and Hulu’s ‘East Los
High’); professional video footage and
BTS photos; industry seminars: marketing, audition 101, finding an agent;
and agency referrals and scholarship
opportunities. David G. Brown is the
founder/executive director of DGB
Projects (media and production company fusing music, dance, and fashion)
and industry dancer and choreographer, with credits that include Gap
Kids, Vanity Fair, DanceOn, MTV,
Oxygen, Flo-Rida, ‘Fight Song’ singer
Rachel Platten, Natalie La Rose and is
currently a private coach for
Nickelodeon stars Cree Cicchino (‘Game
Shakers’), Riele Downs (‘Henry
Danger’), and Reiya Downs
(‘Degrassi’).”
•• Company: DGB Projects. Staff: David
G. Brown, founder-exec. creative dir.
•• Workshop runs Nov. 12 (5:30-9:30 p.m.)
and Nov. 13 (12-6:30 p.m.; family and
NATIONAL/
REGIONAL
•• 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
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, asst. dir.,
casting and training.
•• Ongoing performances in Chicago,
Boston, Orlando, Las Vegas, and New
York.
•• Seeking—Blue Man: 18+, all ethnicities,
5’10”-6’2”, 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 Oct. 24 from 10
a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Briar Street Theater,
3133 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60657.
•• Bring a recent and clear photo or headshot and a performance résumé with
your height, weight, and any instrumental experience. Wear whatever you
are comfortable in (jeans and T-shirt
okay). There is nothing you need to prepare for the audition. Callbacks for
these auditions will be held on Oct. 25 &
BACKSTAGE.COM
NATIONAL/REGIONAL casting
Bristol Riverside Theatre
BACKSTAGE.COM
Texas Shakespeare Festival
•• Casting the Texas Shakespeare
Festival, a non-Equity summer repertory theatre. The 32nd season includes:
“Much Ado About Nothing,” “Cyrano
De Bergerac,” “Richard III,” “The
Marvelous Wonderettes,” “A Children’s
Show,” and one other small cast show
to be announced.
•• Company: Texas Shakespeare Festival.
Staff: John Dodd, managing dir.
•• Contract runs May 19-Aug. 3, 2017;
Rehearses(for all shows) May 20-June
28; runs June 29-July 30 in Kilgore, TX.
•• Seeking—12 Male Actors: male, 21-70,
all ethnicities, classical trained actors
to be cast in three shows: “Much Ado
About Nothing,” “Cyrano de Bergerac,”
“Richard III,” and the UpStairs Theatre
production (a small cast show to be
announced). Four Female Actors:
female, 21-60, all ethnicities, classical
trained actors, who can sing and harmonize, to be cast in “The Marvelous
Wonderettes,” “Much Ado About
Nothing,” “Cyrano de Bergerac,”
“Richard III.” Acting Interns: males &
females, 19-35, all ethnicities, classical
trained actors to be cast in a children’s
show (tba) and three other shows:
“Much Ado About Nothing,” “Cyrano
de Bergerac,” “Richard III,” and the
10.20.16 backstage
29
•• Casting “The Dingdong.”
•• Company: TheatreSquared. Staff:
Morgan Hicks, dir.; Robert Ford, artistic
dir.; Mark Shanahan, writer-adaptation;
George Feydeau, writer “Le Dindon”
•• Rehearsals begin Apr. 17, 2017; runs
May 10-June 4. 2017 in Fayetteville, AR.
‘The Pink Unicorn’
•• Seeking Equity actors for one available
role in “The Pink Unicorn.”
•• Company: Off the Wall Productions.
Staff: Hans Gruenert, prod.; Virginia
Wall Gruenert, artistic dir.; Elise Forier
Edie, writer; Ingrid Sonnichsen, dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Jan. 16, 2017; runs in
repertory Feb. 9-12 and May 18-21 in
Carnegie, PA.
•• Seeking—Trisha: female, 34-54, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Oct. 24 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (by appointment; break, 2:30-3:30 p.m.) at Carnegie
Stage, 25 W. Main St., Carnegie, PA,
15106. An Equity Monitor will not be
provided. The producer will run all
aspects of this audition.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected], or call
(724) 873-3576, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
Equity members without appointments
TV & VIDEO
•• Casting “Forgiven,” an original stage
play. Synopsis: “Forgiven” is about the
lives of Richard and Jasmine Miller and
their struggles to balance career, marriage, and their Christianity. When
faced with the distraction of playboy
Matthew Parker, will Jasmine Miller
give in to her desires? Or be convicted
by her faith?
•• Company: m.a.G.i. Enterprises. Staff:
Janeil Stephens, prod.-dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Nov. 5, 2016; runs
Feb. 18 (7 p.m.) and Feb. 19 (3 p.m.) in
Houston, TX.
•• Seeking—Richard Miller: male, 25-40,
all ethnicities, Jasmine’s husband; new
to the hospitality industry, he is finding
his bearings and trying to balance his
ascending career with family life and
his faith. Jasmine Miller: female, 25-40,
all ethnicities, Richard’s wife and
mother of two; works in the hospitality
industry as well, feels neglected at
home and is tired of being put in second
place behind her husband’s job and
treated as if her job is not important.
Matthew Parker: male, 27-45, all ethnicities, a playboy, upwardly ambitious,
and when he sees something or someone he wants, he goes after it; has an
arrogance about him, and has lived a
spoiled life. Chris Johnson: male, 25-45,
‘The Dingdong’
•• Seeking—Actor One: female, 18+, all
ethnicities. Actor Four: male, 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Oct. 21 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (lunch,
12-1:15 p.m.) at Actors’ Equity
Association - Chicago Member Center,
557 W. Randolph S., Chicago, IL, 60661.
An Equity Monitor will be provided.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected]. Sides are
available at the Equity office. Bring
headshot and resume.
•• Pays $540/wk. Equity SPT 5
Agreement.
FILM
‘Forgiven’
UpStairs Theatre production (a small
cast show to be announced). Six Actors:
males & females, 21-40, all ethnicities,
classical trained actors to tour regional
in the East Texas area with reduced
productions (50-55 mins.) of “Romeo
and Juliet” and “Shakespeare’s Greatest
Hits.” Four male/three female actors.
Contract Jan. 8-Mar. 6; $300/wk.; $400
travel reimbursement; dorm housing;
and some meals.
•• Seeking submissions nationwide.
•• For consideration, visit www.
TexasShakespeare.com and read audition submission requirements, fill out
the 2017 Audition Submission Form,
attach a headshot (prefer JPEG) and
resume (prefer PDF) and two audition
pieces. Actors who wish to be considered for both the roadshow and summer season, must also submit a song
selection.
•• Actors receive a $3,500 stipend (first
payment on arrival and then every two
weeks); dorm housing; $350 travel
reimbursement; 14 meals/wk. Acting
Interns receive a $1,250 stipend (first
payment on arrival and then every two
weeks); double occupancy dorm housing; and 14 meals/wk.
MUSICALS
•• Casting Equity actors-singers for the
Bristol Riverside Theatre 2016-2017
Season. Season includes “Jesus Christ
Superstar” (Tim Rice, lyrics; Andrew
Lloyd Webber, music; Keith Baker, dir.;
Douglass Lutz, musical dir.; Stephen
Casey, choreo. Rehearsals begin Feb.
28, 2017; runs Mar. 21, 2017-April 16,
2017) and “Witness For The
Prosecution” (Agatha Christie, author;
Susan D. Atkinson, dir.; Amy Kaissar,
assoc. dir. Rehearsals begin Apr. 18,
2017; runs May 9-28, 2017).
•• Company: Bristol Riverside Theatre.
Staff: Anne Kohn and Susan Atkinson,
prods.; Keith Baker, artistic dir.-stage
dir.
•• Season runs Sept. 27, 2016-May 28,
2017 in Bristol, PA.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors-Singers: males
& females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Nov. 7 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (lunch, 1-2
p.m.) at Bristol Riverside Theatre
Rehearsal Studio, 201 Cedar St., Bristol,
PA, 19007. An Equity Monitor will not
be provided. The producer will run all
aspects of this audition.
•• Prepare either two contrasting 1-minute monologues or a brief song (appropriate for “Jesus Christ Superstar” or a
brief song and a one-minute monologue. If singing, bring sheet music in
the correct key; an accompanist will be
provided, but may not transpose. Bring
a photo and resume, stapled
back-to-back.
•• Pays $476/wk. Equity LOA Agreement.
all ethnicities, Operations Manager at
the Carrolton Inn and friend and mentor to Richard Miller; lighthearted but
dedicated to his job. Ronald Chang:
male, 18+, all ethnicities, General
Manager at the Carrolton Inn. Barbara:
female, 18+, all ethnicities, Richard and
Jasmine’s co-worker. Alana: female,
18+, all ethnicities, Richard and
Jasmine’s co-worker. Melissa: female,
18+, all ethnicities, Jasmine’s friend
and confidante. John Harmony: male,
18+, all ethnicities, CEO of Harmony
Industries. Mia Parker: female, 18-35,
all ethnicities, Matthew’s wife, mother
of three, hates that her husband travels
all the time; lonely stay-at-home wife,
struggles with low self-esteem. Pastor
Neville: male, 18+, all ethnicities, pastor of Wimbelton Church; has been a
part of Jasmine and Richard’s life since
they were in high school. Judge: males
& females, 18+, all ethnicities, one
scene. Front Desk Agent #1: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities, two
scenes, group lines. Front Desk Agent
#2: males & females, 18+, all ethnicities,
group lines, two to three scenes.
Housekeeper #1: males & females, 18+,
all ethnicities, two scenes, group &
individual lines. Housekeeper #2:
males & females, 18+, all ethnicities,
two scenes, group and individual lines.
Secretary: female, 18-25, all ethnicities,
one scene.
•• Auditions will be held Oct. 22 from 9
a.m.-7 p.m. at Spring Hill Suites
Northwest, 20303 Chasewood Park Dr.,
Houston, TX, 77070.
•• Send submissions to janeil.stephens@
ymail.com.
•• Prepare a monologue. Bring a picture
of yourself (does not need to be larger
than 5x7). Auditions are at a first-come,
first-serve basis. Callbacks will be held
Oct. 29 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.). Final posting:
Nov. 1 (9 p.m.).
•• No compensation.
PLAYS
26. Casting personnel will let you know
by 7 p.m. on Oct. 24 if interested in
bringing you to callbacks. Email [email protected] if you have any
questions.
•• Payment is in line with industry
standards.
casting NATIONAL/REGIONAL
PLAYS
will be seen throughout the audition
day, as time permits. No video submissions will be accepted. Arrive with a
headshot and resume, stapled together.
Audition will consist of cold readings
from the script. Visually-impaired performers can request an advance copy of
sides when making an audition
appointment.
•• Pays: $393/wk. Equity SPT 5 Contract.
MUSICALS
Washington Stage Guild Season
FILM
TV & VIDEO
VARIETY
•• Casting the Washington Stage Guild’s
2016-17 season. Season includes “It’s a
Wonderful Life, A Live Radio Play” (Joe
Landry, adaptation. Rehearsals begin
Nov. 8; runs Nov. 25-Dec. 18); “Last
Train to Nibroc” (Arlene Hutton, writer.
Rehearsals begin Jan. 2, 2017; runs Jan.
26-Feb. 19 with a possible extension to
Mar. 5); and “Back To Methuselah: As
Far As Thought Can Reach” (George
Bernard Shaw, writer. Rehearsals begin
Feb. 27; runs Mar. 23-Apr. 16 with a possible extension to Apr. 30).
•• Company: Washington Stage Guild.
Staff: Bill Largess, artistic dir.; Ann
Norton, exec. dir.; Laura Giannarelli,
dir.
•• Season rehearses and performs in
Washington, DC.
•• Seeking—Equity Actors: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities.
•• Equity Principal Auditions will be held
Nov. 3 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (lunch, 2:303:30 p.m.) and Nov. 4 from 11 a.m.-7
p.m. (lunch, 2:30-3:30 p.m.) at The
Undercroft Theatre, 900 Massachusetts
Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 20001. An
Equity Monitor will not be provided.
The producer will run all aspects of this
audition.
•• For an audition appointment, email
[email protected] (strongly preferred) or call (240) 582-0050, Mon.Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Do not call The
Mount Vernon Place United Methodist
Church or use the church office
entrances.
•• Bring a picture and resume stapled
together. Do not email resumes.
Prepare a monologue that shows verbal
facility. Shakespeare is not
recommended.
•• Equity SPT Contract pending, last season min.: $371/wk.
MUSICALS
‘Hockey - The Musical!’
•• Casting an original production created
and written by Mitch Albom
(“Tuesdays With Morrie,” “Duck
Hunter Shoots Angel,” “Ernie”), which
was previously performed for a successful eight-week inaugural run at the
City Theatre in Detroit.
•• Company: ASOP Productions. Staff:
Kerri Alexander, prod.
•• Rehearsals will begin mid-June 2017
(up to six days a week, days and/or evenings); shows begin mid-July 2017 in
Detroit for four weeks, followed by
three tour weeks in three Michigan cities through the end of August 2017.
•• Seeking—Stanley/Terry: male, 40-65,
Caucasian, must have comedic abilities
and timing; strong, versatile singing;
30 backstage 10.20.16
paunchy appearance; Canadian accent
required. Guy/Jagger: male, 20-40,
Caucasian, must have comedic abilities
and timing; versatile singing;
knowledge of harmony and background;
somewhat athletic; strong British and
Russian accents. Song Policeman/
Coach/Swede/Gameshow Host: male,
30-50, Caucasian, must have comedic
abilities and timing; versatile singing;
knowledge of harmony and background;
strong British accent; also needs a
Swedish accent. Dawn: female, 20-35,
Caucasian, attractive, athletic
appearance; must have comedic abilities
and timing; versatile singing;
knowledge of harmony and background;
strong dancing skills. Dawn
Understudy/Chorus: female, 20-35,
Caucasian, versatile singing; knowledge
of harmony and background; strong
dancer; attractive, athletic appearance.
•• Seeking submissions nationwide.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• All submissions from outside
Michigan must include salary/housing
requirement. Applications that don’t
include proper singing/acting/dancing
demos will not be viewed. This is a
musical comedy. Need to hear stage
singing and see dancing and comedic
acting. If these aren’t available, please
don’t apply. Also need to hear accents if
applying for roles that require them.
Cover letters are requested. Note your
ability to temporarily relocate to
Detroit and also be present at auditions
either Nov. 15 or 17, 2016 in Detroit.
•• Compensation to be determined.
FEATURE FILMS
‘Pure Country 3’
•• Casting the Warner Bros. feature film
“Pure Country 3.”
•• Company: Caballero Casting, Warner
Bros. Pictures.
•• Shoots Nov. 2, in New Orleans, LA.
•• Seeking—Valentina: male, 30+, all ethnicities, diner cook, character look, not
l a model type, must have culinary
experience. Lil Clyde: male, 30+, all
ethnicities, dishwasher/prep. cook,
character look, not a model type, must
have culinary experience, should have
knife skills.
•• Seeking submissions from LA.
•• Send submissions to purecountry3.
[email protected].
•• Include two photos (one head shot and
one full body), your name, age, contact
info, height, weight, and city/state of
residency.
•• Some pay.
SCRIPTED TV & VIDEO
‘Andi Mack’
•• Casting background for “Andi Mack,” a
brand new family series by Terri
Minsky on the Disney Channel.
•• Company: Disney Channel, Utah
Background Casting. Staff: Betty
Thomas, dir.
•• Shoots Oct. 28, in Salt Lake City, UT.
•• Seeking—Track Team Members: males
& females, all ethnicities, 18 to look
younger, can jump hurdles.
•• Seeking submissions from UT.
•• Send submissions to yuncasting@
gmail.com.
•• To apply, submit name, number, picture, experience, & DOB.
•• Pays $150/day for those who are picked
to race and jump hurdles & $101.50/day
for teammates on the sideline.
‘Bloodline’
•• Casting background for season 3 of the
Netflix series, “Bloodline,” starring
Kyle Chandler and Sissy Spacek.
•• Company: Netflix, Frontrunner
Casting. Staff: Todd A. Kessler, Daniel
Zelman & Glenn Kessler, exec. prods.;
Melanie Moreno, casting dir.
•• Shoots November, in Islamorada, FL.
•• Seeking—Extras: males & females,
18-70, all ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from FL.
•• Send submissions to bloodlinetalent@
frontrunnercasting.com.
•• Include your name, contact number,
the make/model/year/color of your car,
and a photo of yourself and your car.
Update your profile on portal.frontrunnercasting.com.
•• Some pay.
‘Last Flag Flying’
•• Casting the Amazon Studios feature
film “Last Flag Flying,” starring Bryan
Cranston, Steve Carell & Laurence
Fishburne.
•• Company: Amazon Studios, Movie
Casting PGH. Staff: Richard Linklater,
dir.; Chelsea Peterson, casting dir.
•• Shoots Nov. 1-Dec. 14, in Pittsburgh,
PA.
•• Seeking—Extras: males & females, 0+,
all ethnicities, all ages, seeking specifically: Travelers, African American
Choir & Congregants, Government
Officers, Air Force Personnel,
MilitaryFamilies, Hotel Guests,
Baggage Handlers, Bar Maid, Patrons,
Waitress, Bartender, Drivers & Train
passengers.
•• Seeking submissions from PA.
•• Send submissions to lastflagextras@
gmail.com.
•• Include your name, height, weight,
any wardrobe sizes that you know, contact info, recent photos, and any bartending, waitress, bar maid, hotel staff,
or military experience.
•• Some pay.
‘The Untitled Frankie Shaw
Project’
•• Casting the Showtime TV pilot “The
Untitled Frankie Shaw Project.”
•• Company: Showtime. Staff: Frankie
Shaw, writer/dir./prod.; Lee
Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky & Michael
London, exec. prods.; Angela Peri,
casting dir.
•• Shoots mid-November, in Boston, MA.
•• Seeking—Teenage Latina Girls: female,
13-19, Hispanic, must have acting experience, fluent Spanish a plus.
•• Seeking submissions from MA.
•• Send submissions to [email protected].
•• Include all contact information.
•• Some pay.
THEME PARKS
Disney World, Singers
•• Seeking Equity vocalists for an incredible array of live entertainment at The
Walt Disney World Resort.
•• Company: Disney Creative
Entertainment. Staff: Mark Catlett, dir.
•• Performs live at the Walt Disney World
Resort near Orlando, FL.
•• Seeking—Male & Female Singers: 18+,
all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held Nov. 16 from
3:30-5:30 p.m. (sign-in, 3 p.m.; studio 3)
and Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. (sign-in, 9:30
a.m.) at DC Dance Factory, 1850 E.
General George Patton Dr., Franklin,
TN, 37067. An Equity Monitor will not
be provided. The producer will run all
aspects of this audition.
•• For more info, visit www.disneyauditions.com. Applicants must be 18+ and
authorized to work in the United States.
Callbacks will be held on the same day.
Performers invited to callbacks must
attend in order to qualify for potential
employment.
•• Pays $16.82/hr., incl. AEA pension &
Equity 401K. Equity Walt Disney World
Agreement.
Tokyo Disney Resort, Dancers
•• Seeking male and female dancers and
female aerialists for an incredible array
of live entertainment at Tokyo
Disneyland Park and Tokyo DisneySea
Park. Performers bring entertainment
to guests through shows that range
from a ’40s Big Band Revue, to a rousing, fun-filled musical featuring
Cinderella, Snow White, Prince
Charming, Peter Pan and many others
including our brand new show “King
Triton’s Concert.”
•• Company: Walt Disney Parks and
Resorts Talent Casting in association
with Oriental Land Company (OLC).
•• 12-month contracts begin January/
February/March 2017 depending on
role.
•• Seeking—Ariel: female, 18+, all ethnicities, 5’0”-5’6”, dancers, aerialists and
dancers with aerial/tumbling experience who can act very well, strong
abdominal/back muscles with beautiful
port de bras and no fear of heights.
Experience with 2 point harness a plus,
but not required. Performers must be
able to lip sync to Japanese track
(Japanese language not required).
Ballet/Jazz Dancers: males & females,
18+, all ethnicities, males 5’8”+ and
females 5’2”-5’6”, to portray classic
Disney Princes & Princesses such as
Cinderella, Snow White and Prince
Charming in “One Man’s Dream II: The
Magic Lives On,” a rousing musical
revue, must be trained in both ballet
and jazz with exceptional stage presence and dynamic performance ability.
Male Ballet Dancers: male, 18+, all ethnicities, 5’5”-5’8”, slender build, strong
ballet technique, portrays Peter Pan in
“One Man’s Dream II: The Magic Lives
On,” a rousing musical highlighted by a
magical flight across the sky by none
other than Peter Pan himself, must not
have a fear of heights.
•• Auditions will be held Oct. 24 at 10 a.m.
(sign-in, 9 a.m.) at Jeannette Neill
BACKSTAGE.COM
NATIONAL/REGIONAL casting
Dance Studio, 261 Friend St., 5th fl.,
Boston, MA, 02114. And Oct. 26 at 10
a.m. (dancers and female aerialists;
sign-in, 9 a.m. ) at Pearl Studios, 519 8th
Ave., 12th fl., New York City, NY, 10018.
•• Late applicants will not be accepted.
Dancers/Aerialists: Wear appropriate
dance attire/shoes and be warmed-up
and ready to begin at the listed time.
Must be 18+ and willing to relocate to
Tokyo for the terms of their individual
contracts. Provide a current photo and
résumé. All height requirements are
strictly adhered to. For full details, visit
www.disneyauditions.com.
•• Pays $800/wk., per diem, round trip
travel, private apartments, and the
chance to experience Tokyo is provided. EOE.
CRUISE LINES
Holland America Line
C H I CAG O
‘The Dingdong’
‘The Fort’
Sat. Oct. 22
‘An Evening on Broadway’
‘New York, New York...’
‘This One’s For You’ (also 10/22)
Sun. Oct. 23
‘The Country House’ (also 10/24)
Mon. Oct. 24
Blue Man Group, Chicago Open Call
For the full auditions calendar,
visit backstage.com/auditions
STAGE STAFF & TECH
‘The Marvelous Wonderettes’
•• Seeking a stage manager for “The
Marvelous Wonderettes.”
•• Company: TexARTS Assoc for Visual &
Performing Arts. Staff: Jarret Mallon,
exec. prod.; Kimberly Schafer, dir.; Lyn
Koenning, music dir.
•• Rehearsals begin Jan. 30, 2017; runs
Feb. 17-19 and Feb. 23-26 (Fri. & Sat.,
7:30; Sun., 2 p.m.; one Thurs., 7:30 p.m.
and one Sat. 2 p.m.) in Austin, TX.
•• Seeking—Stage Manager: 18+, all
ethnicities.
•• Seeking submissions from TX.
•• For consideration, email cover letter
and resume to employment@tex-arts.
org or mail to Production Manager,
2300 Lohmans Spur, Ste. 160, Austin,
CA 78734. Submissions deadline is Nov.
1.
•• Pays $236/wk. Equity SPT 1 Contract.
WORKSHOPS
Broadway Artists Alliance,
Young Performers
•• Seeking promising young musical theatre talent for the Broadway Artists
Alliance (BAA) winter workshop, summer intensives, master classes, and
industry showcases. BAA notes that
they “provide professional training for
young musical theatre performers,
right in the heart of NYC. Participants
study voice, acting, and dance with
Tony award-winners and current
Broadway performers, as well as NYC’s
top casting directors, agents, college
faculty, coaches, and choreographers.
BAA specializes in intensives, workshops, college audition preparation,
one-day master classes, weekly class
Find Your Honesty: Acting
Through Song, Classes
•• Seeking participants for private
classes with Find Your Honesty:
Acting Through Song an acting
coaching studio for musical theater.
Actors will receive coaching on songs
with the emphasis on learning tools
that can be applied to their audition
pieces to help them connect in a real
and honest way.Owner states: “From
there, I help with audition cuts and
prep, repertoire, and even some
guidance on the industry, etc. My
overall goal is to help musical theater
actors gain control over their material
and get some direction and
confidence in the way of their goals.”
•• Company: Find Your Honesty: Acting
Through Song. Staff: Alex Covington,
owner-coach.
•• Ongoing sessions held at Ripley-Grier
Studios, 520 8th Ave., 10th fl., NYC or
via Skype or FaceTime.
•• Seeking—Actors & Singers: males &
females, 10+, all ethnicities, interested
in taking their craft to the next level.
•• Seeking submissions nationwide.
•• For an intro session, email [email protected] or submit via
Backstage. For more info and for actor
testimonials, visit www.actingthroughsong.org.
•• No pay. Fee for private sessions is $85/
hr., which includes studio time.
Introductory session offered at $50.
Packages with reduced rates are also
offered.
VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING
for full character breakdowns, script
sides, and more casting notices
10.20.16 backstage
31
EVENTS
•• Viking Ocean Cruises is seeking singers and dancers for main stage shows,
cabarets, and other entertainment
offerings by Mertz Productions with
casting services provided by RWS &
Associates. For more info, visit http://
vikingcruisesauditions.com.
•• Company: Mertz Productions. Staff:
RWS & Associates, casting company;
Franklyn Warfield, senior casting dir.
•• Rehearsals in Orlando, FL. Itineraries
include Mediterranean, Baltic, and
other European routes. Casting will be
ongoing throughout 2016/2017.
•• Seeking—Female Singers who Act:
female, 18+, all ethnicities, Female 1:
versatile soprano with strong classical
and pop voice up to high C6. Female 2:
mezzo with strong belt/mix as well as a
classic musical theater sound. Female
3: alto/mezzo with strong belt/mix up
to E5 in pop and musical theater styles.
Male Singers who Act: male, 18+, all
ethnicities, Male 1: versatile tenor with
strong legit/classical voice as well as
musical theater/pop up to A4. Male 2:
Bari/Tenor with strong pop/rock voice
up to A♭4. Male 3: Baritone with strong
musical theater, pop voice up to G4.
Male and Female Dancers: males &
females, 18+, all ethnicities, strong
dancers in a variety of styles including
ballroom and partnering; vocal skills a
plus.
•• Auditions will be held Nov. 14 at 10:30
a.m. (dancers, sign-in 10 a.m.) and at
2:30 p.m. (singers, sign-in 2 p.m.) at
Millennium Dance Complex, 918 E 900
S., Salt Lake City, UT, 84105.
•• Dancers: A brief dance combination
will be taught. Bring form-fitting
dance attire (women bring heels and
flats), headshot and resume stapled
together. Singing and acting
experience is a plus.
•• Singers Who Act: Prepare two songs
from the Viking repertoire. Log onto
http://vikingcruisesauditions.com, and
scroll down to the “Performer Tracks”
heading. Click on “Song Examples”
beside each track listed. Choose a song
and download the musical track (with
and without vocals) as well as the sheet
music. Will have the tracks available for
use at the audition.
•• You may be called back to move/dance
later the same day. Bring dance clothes/
shoes. Bring headshot and resume
stapled together.
•• Callbacks will be held Nov. 15.
Availability for the callback will be
required to be considered.
•• Pays: $3,000-$3,500/month. Travel
and lodging provided.
Fri. Oct. 21
GIGS
BACKSTAGE.COM
Viking Ocean Cruises, Salt Lake
City Auditions
AUDITION
HIGHLIGHT S
series and private coaching. BAA’s
expert staff challenges each student to
develop his or her triple-threat performance skills, while learning about the
business of acting and making connections with industry professionals.”
•• Company: Broadway Artists Alliance
of NYC.
•• All classes are held at Ripley Grier
Studios in NYC. In addition, BAA offers
year-round private coaching via Skype
and/or in person in NYC.
•• Seeking—Young Performers: males &
females, 7-21, all ethnicities.
•• Auditions will be held by appt. Nov. 5,
Jan. 22 and Mar. 11 in NYC. And Nov. 13
in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. And Dec. 4 in
Dallas, TX. And Jan. 14 and Jan. 15 in St.
Louis, MO. And Feb. 12 in Orlando, FL.
And Feb. 13 in Tampa, FL. And March
11 in Aliso Viejo, CA. And March 12 in
Phoenix, AZ. And March 19 in Sarasota,
FL.
•• Audition opportunities will also be
available at thespian festivals (in Texas,
Missouri, New Jersey, and Florida) and
conventions (COCA, Classical Singer).
Also accepting video submissions.
Note: Private coaching is also available
and does not require an audition.
•• For more info about BAA’s winter
workshop, summer intensives, college
audition prep workshop, and yearround training opportunities, visit
www.broadwayartistsalliance.org.
•• Tuition fees range from $175-$1,500,
depending on the program.
VARIETY
•• Seeking singers, dancers, and singer/
dancers for productions aboard Holland
America Line’s luxury ships.
•• Company: RWS & Associates. Staff:
Franklyn Warfield, senior casting dir.
•• Rehearses in NYC. Worldwide itineraries. Casting will be ongoing throughout
2016-2017. No cruise staff duties.
•• Seeking—Male Singers & Singer/
Dancers: male, 21-45, all ethnicities,
should read late 20s to early 40s; 5’8”+;
attractive, masculine performers who
can command a stage and tell a story-think leading man; sensational tenors
and bari-tenors with strong falsetto;
contemporary-sounding voices with
the ability to perform pop/rock; strong
harmonizing skills a must; must be
comfortable with guest interaction;
must move well. Female Singers &
Singer/Dancers: female, 21-45, all ethnicities, should read late 20s to early
40s; 5’3”+; attractive, mature performers who can command a stage and tell a
story; sensational belters with strong
mix/head; contemporary-sounding
voices with the ability to perform pop/
rock; strong harmonizing skills a must;
must be comfortable with guest interaction; must move well. Male and
Female Dancers: males & females,
21-40, all ethnicities, strong, versatile
dancers with excellent physiques and
great technique who are comfortable
performing a wide range of dance styles
from ballet to commercial jazz to theatre; ballroom/partnering, tumbling,
and aerial skills a plus.
•• Auditions will be held Oct. 27 at 10 a.m.
(dancers sign-in, 9:30 a.m.) and at 1
p.m. (singers, sign-in; 12:30 p.m. ) at
The Rock Center for Dance, 8210 South
Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV,
89123.
•• Singers and singer/dancers: Prepare
two songs from the RWS repertoire. Log
onto www.rwsandassociates.com, go to
the Auditions page, then the “How to
Prepare” page, and you will see the
song options. Choose a song and download the musical track as well as the
sheet music. The songs under the track
marked with an “M” (for example, M1)
are male songs and the tracks marked
with “F” (for example, FC) are female
songs. Casting personnel will have the
tracks available for use at the audition.
Accompanist will not be provided.
Bring headshot and resume stapled
together. You may be called back to
move later the same day; bring dance
clothes/shoes.
•• Dancers: A brief dance combination
will be taught. Bring form-fitting dance
attire (women bring heels and flats),
headshot and resume stapled together.
Must be 21+.
•• Pays: $600-$1,200/wk. Travel and
lodging provided.
League of Resident Theatres
Arden Theatre Company
season are local.
BY RYAN MCPHEE
Over the years, Arden has been able to shape
t the Arden Theatre Company, actors are
productions around the availability of local
prone to take on challenging, fulfilling
mainstays. This season’s closing production
roles—like Hedda Gabler, Mama Rose,
of “Gypsy” was chosen with regional favorite
and the Stinky Cheese Man.
Mary Martello in mind for Rose. Posner, an
The Philadelphia theater company typically
Arden co-founder, wrote the part of Emma
presents seven shows a
in “Stupid Fucking Bird” with
season, and two are procolleague Grace Gonglewski in
duced and directed with a
mind; she takes on the role in
ARDEN THEATRE COMPANY
young audience in mind.
Arden’s season opener, marking
ardentheatre.org
Children’s productions
the first time Posner directs his
use the same resources
popular take on Anton Chekhov’s
and budgets as the main“The Seagull.” Both Martello and
stage shows, and the actors appearing in the
Gonglewski are no strangers to Arden’s youth
likes of Aaron Posner’s “Stupid Fucking Bird”
productions, either.
or Annie Baker’s “John” this season are the
When casting for Arden Children’s Theatre,
same who will play roles in “A Year With Frog
Nolen ensures the actors understand how
and Toad” and “The Light Princess.”
significant the experience can be for a child.
“With arts education becoming scarcer in our
“The ability to see ‘Frog and Toad’—and then to
schools, we step up and play a role there,” says
shake Frog’s hand—is incredibly meaningful,”
producing artistic director Terrence J. Nolen.
he explains. “Actors who are doing work for
“For so many of these kids, they’re seeing their
kids have to be open to and excited by that.”
first play ever.”
Each year, approximately 6,000 students
To assemble an acting ensemble that can
attend the children’s productions at no cost
play to a wide range of ages, Arden begins by
to the child. The theater hires teaching artists
casting locally, which has led to the creation
to visit classrooms in the days preceding and
of an informal repertory company. By Nolen’s
following the performance. Nolen first looks
estimate, 75 percent of the actors in any given
to the cast for someone with a passion for
A
32 backstage 10.20.16
education, because “for kids to see someone
onstage who’s been in a classroom teaching
them, that rocks their world.” Similarly, when
the actors work with the students after the
performance, “they’re rock stars. The kids see
their teacher in a whole new light.”
While Arden Children’s Theatre has a profound effect on the kids it reaches, that sense of
connection also resonates with outside artists. In
2015, the company presented the world premiere
of “Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates” by Laura
Eason. That same season, the “House of Cards”
writer’s play “Sex With Strangers” was one of
the 10 most produced works in America. It’s that
level of versatility that Nolen aims to celebrate.
After working with Arden, many visiting
performers recognize an opportunity for both
theater work and familial stability. “During
the run, they start talking about moving
here,” Nolen says. “They start to say to their
fellow actors, ‘You own a house? How are the
schools?’ ” Some actors commute regularly
between New York and Philadelphia, including
“Something Rotten!” star Rob McClure, who has
done main-stage and children’s theater at Arden.
“If you look at the folks who have done 10 or
more productions with us, almost all of them
have works for kids included in that,” says Nolen.
“It makes both aspects of our work stronger.” •
BACKSTAGE.COM
MARK GARVIN
ASHTON CARTER, SCOTT SHEPPARD, AND RACHEL CAMP IN ARDEN CHILDREN’S
THEATRE’S “THE STINKY CHEESE MAN”
CAST
YOUR
PROJECT
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