*Everyone Who Auditions for Freshman Cabaret Will Be Cast!*

Freshman Cabaret

Lasker Auditorium, January 8th and 9th

*Everyone who auditions for Freshman Cabaret will be cast!*

Audition Packet

Name: ______Grade: ____Birthday: ___/___/___

Homeroom: ______Home Phone: ______Cell Phone: ______

Email: ______

Address: ______Zip Code: ______

Parent/Guardian:

Name: ______

Cell Phone: ______

Email: ______

Please list your previous experience acting, singing, dancing or otherwise performing. (You may attach a résumé if you prefer.)

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

What are you interested in doing for this show? (Check all that apply.)

Acting___Singing___ Dancing___

Do you have a specific interest? (e.g. tap dancing, singing a duet)

______

Please list all one-time conflicts between November 18thand January 9th.

______

______

______

______

______

______

Please list all weekly conflicts and the times they occupy.

Freshman Cabaret does not conflict with any other shows or extracurricular activities. Please note, however, that you are not allowed conflicts starting the week of Monday, January 5th.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions for the content of the show? Is there a particular song you would like to sing? A sketch you would like to perform? We encourage you to submit original songs and sketches for consideration. Please list your ideas below and attach any original work to this packet.

______

______

______

______

______

______

For your audition, you will be asked to act, sing and/or dance depending on what you are interested in doing for the show.

Actors: Prepare a brief monologue for your audition. You may use one from this packet or find one of your own. It can be of any genre, but choose something of a reasonable length that showcases your ability as an actor.

Singers: Prepare a song for your audition. If you would like piano accompaniment and are not using one of the included songs, please give the music to one of the directors several days before the audition. You may also accompany yourself on the piano, guitar, or another instrument.

Dancers: Prepare a dance for your audition. If you would like music, please bring the appropriate CD.

***

Please sign up for an audition slot on the callboard. During this time, you will sing, act and/or dance—you do not need to sign up for multiple slots if you are doing more than one thing. Be at the callboard with your completed auditionpacket, including the signed casting policy and production agreement,five minutes before your slot begins.

Note: The casting policy is the general description of Theatre Ink shows. In this case, there will not be callbacks, and everyone who auditions will be cast.

If you have any questions or if you would like help with your audition, please talk with one of the directors or Mr. Brown.

Gaby, Flannery, Edan and Derek:

Mr. Brown:

Thanks!

The Vegetarian

© 1998 Jill Abusch, Barbara Orwick at The Play Group Theatre for children and Young Adults

GAYLE:The other day, my mom was cleaning a chicken....you know, the dead kind - the kind you eat. Notice, I say "you". That's because I don't eat dead chickens anymore. I don't eat live ones either, of course. I just don't eat chickens. Not after seeing a perfectly shaped chicken just sitting on the kitchen counter getting its last tiny feathers plucked out, just before getting cooked, cut up into pieces and eaten for dinner. It's easy when it's chicken salad - or even chicken cutlets - if you just never think about where it came from. But, I mean there it was - it looked just like a chicken - just like the kind you see on a farm or in a petting zoo. Except this one was bald. Bald and dead. I just decided right then and there that I couldn't do it. I told my mom "starting right now, I'm a vegetarian!" Without so much as a blink she said "So, should I make you some spinach for dinner tonight?" "What do you mean?" I asked her. It had never occurred to me that vegetarians actually eat vegetables.

Phantom Rep
By Ben Alexander

CHRISTIE: It was in the third grade, when they took us for a field trip to see Richard III in Boston. I'd never seen a live play before. I didn't understand what was going on up there, but I could tell that there was a whole bunch of people hating each other, going to way against each other, and just plain killing each other - kind of like all the wars and murders I heard about on the news. The last hour, I was really spacing out, desperately bored and upset with it all, wanting to go back to class and just take a spelling test or draw a picture. Then finally it ended and they closed the curtain. But then - right then - they did something that I wasn't ready for. They opened the curtain again, and there was everybody who'd been running around hating each other and killing each other for the last three and a half hours - they were all up there, holding hands, smiling at each other, patting each other on the back, smiling at us, taking a nice bow, and that was when it really hit me. Hit me hard. They looked so beautiful, so peaceful and loving. Richard the Third was standing right next to the woman he'd murdered, and she was holding his hand and smiling at him as if they were about to go get something to eat together as soon as they washed off their make-up and changed their clothes. And I had that picture in my head all the way back in the bus, and I lay awake in my bed practically all that night, thinking, that's what the world needs. We need to get the U.N. to pass a resolution that on a certain Sunday, everybody in the world - the President of the United States, the head of Russia, the murderers, the bank robbers, the millionaires, the coal miners - will just line up and hold hands and take a bow.

No Exit
By Jean-Paul Sartre

GARCIN: You, anyhow, know what it means to be a coward. And you know what wickedness is, and shame, and fear. There were days when you peered into yourself, into the secret places of your heart, and what you saw there made you faint with horror. And then, next day, you didn't know what to make of it, you couldn't interpret the horror you had glimpsed the day before. Yes, you know what evil costs. And when you say I'm a coward, you know from experience what that means. Is that so? ...So it's you I have to convince; you are of my kind. Did you suppose I meant to go? No, I couldn't leave you here, gloating over my defeat, with all those thoughts about me running through your head. That's the one and only thing I wish for now. I can't hear them any longer, you know. Probably means they're through with me, forever. The curtain's down, nothing of me is left on earth - not even the name of coward. So, Inez, we're alone. Only you two remain to give a thought to me. She - she doesn't count. It's you who matter; you who hate me. If you'll have faith in me I'm saved.

War Story
by Gus Edwards

WILSON: I never go to the movies. And I'll tell you why. Movies are a waste of time. They never show you about life. Always some goddam lie. That's all they're good for. Telling lies...Last picture I seen was a war picture. That was some years ago. Never was any war like that. Bunch of boys running around with rifles and shouting out and shooting. War wasn't like that. I was in the war, Second World War, I know. Let me tell you a story about the Second World War, see if you ever see anything like that in the movies. I was in the infantry. All the colored boys anybody knew was in the infantry. One day when the Army made their roundup, they was taking everybody in sight. Didn't care who. Long as you was young and strong, they took you in... Now, at that time on the block, there was a sissy boy named Vance. Everybody know'd all about him. Vance didn't try to keep nothing secret. He used to walk all over Harlem with his ass high and rolling, talking in this voice like he was some kind of woman. Now, if there was a person you'd guess the Army would refuse, this fellow Vance woulda been the one. But you would be guessing wrong. They took him in just like everybody else. Put him through basic training and sent him overseas.

THEATRE INK CASTING POLICY

Both student and staff Directors always strive to cast fairly, with the guiding objective of assembling the overall cast that will best serve the directorial vision for the show. This requires many hours of careful analysis by the Directors and Mr. Brown, who take their responsibility in this area very seriously. Mr. Brown watches every audition and participates as a mediator and guide through every casting process.

Theatre Ink casting decisions are not based on seniority (grade level in school), or years of participation in the program. This is a firm programmatic value arrived at after years of assembling casts, and seeing the exciting results that come from having students collaborate across the grade spectrum from freshman to senior, each cast solely on his or her fit for a given role as revealed through a rigorous and thoughtful audition process. Auditioning for a show can be competitive and sometimes daunting. In keeping with the program’s emphasis on theatre as a vehicle for learning and individual development, Mr. Brown is available to coach and support students as they seek to improve their speaking, presentation, and performance skills through the audition process.

DIVERSITY

Theatre Ink values and celebrates diversity of all kinds. Encouraging diversity of participation is an overall goal of the program. Theatre Ink actively encourages all students to participate in productions as members of cast or crew. All students who audition are considered equally in an inclusive environment and in accordance with Theatre Ink casting principles. Theatre Ink hopes to be a reflection not only of the varied backgrounds and experiences of Newton North’s staff and students but also of diverse world cultures, life experiences, and theatrical traditions. By carefully selecting a range of different shows each year we strive to tell theatrical stories that represent the richness of our world while offering a wide range of opportunities for all students.

ON CASTING

Casting is a very complex process. In the end, the Directors must choose the students who best fit the roles in many dimensions, both by the individual skills they present in audition, but also in the dynamics that develop between actors who will be creating the driving energy of the show in scenes together. Such dynamics are a large part of what is explored in the “Callback” round of auditions. For students, auditioning is an exciting, yet difficult, process that can bring about greater success, whether cast in the production or not. The more a student auditions, the better they will become, especially if they seek and receive feedback and guidance. The feeling of “rejection” over not getting cast seems disappointing at first, but we strongly urge you to encourage your child to get right back to work as soon as possible so they can sharpen their skills for a future audition. In theatre, as in life, all of us experience both disappointment and success. Our goal is to teach our students how to deal with both, so when they leave Newton North High School they will be well prepared to navigate their way toward success in a complex world.

TO PARENTS:

Due to the large audition pool Theatre Ink shows typically experience, your child’s audition does not guarantee him or her a role in the show. If your child is not cast (and also if he or she is cast), we strongly suggest that (s)he meet with the Directors and/or Mr. Brown to obtain valuable feedback while it is freshly in mind, in order to further develop skills for future auditions. While disappointment for some is an inevitable part of the experience in any competitive tryout situation, be it an academic, athletic or artistic pursuit, one of the hallmarks of Theatre Ink is that there are many other ways to get involved working on the production if you are not cast in an on-stage role. These include technical crew (set design and construction, lights, sound) working with Mr. Barrington-Haber, Theatre Ink’s Technical Director; or on the many other teams, such as props, costumes, publicity and makeup. There are also opportunities to be a student producer or stage manager, which you can discuss with Mr. Brown or the Directors. If slots of interest are not available in the current show, please consider looking into such opportunities in an upcoming show. The wide range of types of shows, and the large number (11-12 per year) is designed to make as many theatre arts opportunities available to as many students as is feasible within the resources provided by the Newton Public Schools. We also strongly encourage each student to take a Theatre Arts and Speech class -- offered as an elective to all grade levels -- and go to Improv Club during X-blocks. These theatre education experiences will further enhance your child’s skills in these areas and give them more confidence for the audition process. The wonderful spirit of camaraderie and collaboration that develops during shows is equally shared by on- and offstage participants. Talking to students who have worked in various roles and jobs will confirm this for your student. Keep an open mind, and seek out a new experience!

GET INVOLVED!

If you and/or your child are/is not satisfied with the casting decision and wish to inquire as to the reasons for it, the first step is for the student to meet with the show’s Directors. If further discussion is desired, the student should then meet with Mr. Brown. If, after those meetings, you and/or your child do not feel you received valuable feedback or information you are satisfied with, you are then encouraged to make a joint parent/student appointment with Mr. Brown. Please be assured that a student’s future participation in Theatre Ink will not be jeopardized in any way by seeking to have concerns addressed according to this established process.

Student signature______

Date______

Parent signature______

Date______

Theatre Ink Production Agreement

(Please read and fill out the following Theatre Ink Agreement)

I agree to the following terms in this agreement and promise to abide by the conditions and expectations set forth by my director, choreographers, music director, technical director, producer, and fellow cast and crewmembers. I will dedicate myself as a true team member to this production process in order to present a show that we as a cast, crew, and production team will be proud of.

1.All actors, technical stage crewmembers and musicians should have fun working on this production as collaborative artists. We expect a positive attitude, open communication, and ownership from beginning to end.

2. All actors, technical stage crewmembers and musicians must be in good academic standing to participate in and remain in this production. All actors, technical stage crewmembers, and musicians are expected to be in school during the day in order to participate in rehearsals and performances after-school. It is also required that a progress report be completely filled out every two weeks and returned to Mr. Brown via your stage manager. You will not be allowed to attend rehearsal if this is not turned in on time.

3. All participants must be passing a minimum of 20 credits each marking period or they will be removed from the process when the report card is issued. N’s in a class do not count as passing.

4.All actors, technical stage crewmembers, and musicians must be on time to all scheduled rehearsals and technical crew duties. If late for three rehearsals, you may be cut from the production.

5.All actors, technical stage crewmembers and musicians must be present at all scheduled rehearsals. Rehearsals will generally be Monday through Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Some weekend rehearsals may be requested in advance. If you have three unexcused absences from rehearsal, you may be cut from the production.

In order to be excused you must have a legitimate note explaining why. Valid excuses are an illness, a death in the family, etc. It is also important to turn in all notes to the director and notify them directly in advance if you cannot attend a rehearsal. In case of emergency, you must call 617-559-6306 and leave a message.