To Kill A Mockingbird—Battle Ground High School Drama Club—Battle Ground, WA

“Eye of the Beholder”

This classic drama by Harper Lee and adapted to the stage by Christopher Sergel is directed by Stephan “Cash” Henry.  It plays at their site through November 23^rd.  For more information and tickets:

https://www.facebook.com/BattleGroundDramaClub,
henry.stephan@battlegroundps.org, https://payments.battlegroundps.org/
 
This is considered one of the great classics of literature, ranked alongside Huckleberry Finn and Gone With The Wind, as depictions of the South by Southern writers.  The Award-winning movie is also considered one of the great films of all time.  Lee won all sorts of accolades for her book and was a chief researcher on Truman Capote’s expose’, In Cold Blood.  But she, herself, never wrote another book and shunned publicity (as did Mitchell with GWTW).  I directed a production of the play myself and reviewed OSF’s fine production a couple seasons ago (check it out elsewhere in this blog).

For high school students today, to attempt to present such a searing story of a bygone era is admirable.  And, for the most part, they do well, because of the artistic leadership of their director, Henry, I’m sure.  He has definitely put the youth through their paces in presenting this production and it shows.  Future ambitious outings will be with Shakespeare and the musical, Grease.  He has his work cut out for him but, am guessing, all will be well.  For the

The story is based on true memories of Lee as a child in the Deep South, Macon, Alabama, of the mid-thirties.  The story is narrated through her eyes as an adult, Jean Louise Fitch (Bronwyn Richard).  In the play, she is the child, Scout (Bailey Baxter) and with her older brother, Jem (Markus King), and their neighbor (in actual fact, Truman Capote) Dill (Brendan Groat), they search out the secrets of life.  And their main adult anchor in this journey is her father, the lawyer, Atticus Fitch (Clifford Armstrong).

By the end of this rocky journey, some truths are discovered.  All living things must eventually die, some unfairly; people should not be judged by rumors; dark recluses might become knights in shining armor; most people are shades of gray; not all people are equal, some just have better opportunities; and the color of people’s skins should not be a deterrent in being who they want to be.  You need to walk around in someone else’s shoes in order to see the world as they do.  Results are in the “eye of the beholder.”

Atticus is asked to defend a black man, Tom Robinson (Devin Johnson-Burch) for an alleged abuse on a white girl, Mayella Ewell (Sarah Russell).  Her father, Bob Ewell (Anthony Barnes), claims he saw Tom beating her.  The outcome is predetermined, as this is the Deep South of the 1930’s.  But the trial takes up a major portion of the play and we see the true make-up of the townsfolk through the eyes of wondering youth. 

Although justice may not have been accomplished for Tom, it does have a strange way of working, in ironic ways, toward punishing evil, awakening awareness in a town and giving hope for a potential brave, new world of the future.  In this little corner of earth, in a dreary niche of time, eyes are opened, fair maidens are saved, dragons are dispelled, and a people may live, if not happily, then hopefully, ever after.

The focus of the story is the three young people, and they are super.  Baxter’s Scout is articulate, lively, and very believable.  King’s Jem is an explosion onstage, very animated and vocal is his portrayal.  And Groat’s Dill fits into the trio nicely as the most refined of the group.  Armstrong as Atticus has the look and sound of the reserved lawyer and does well in his summation to the jury.  But I had wished he’d loosen up a bit, so we see more of the loving father and emotional side of the character.  And Kira Wirt as the nanny, Calpurnia, presents us with thoughtful and assertive character and does it convincingly.

Johnson-Burch as Tom comes across very well in the trial scene, giving the audience a simple but very articulate and good man.  Richard, as the adult Scout, does an admirable job, having just gotten the role a week before.  She has the right look for the character and the reading of the lines actually enhances the role.  But she needs to articulate more at times and slow down, as her part of the story is very important.

A couple of gems in small roles are Emily Pulley as Mrs. DuBois.  Both her acting and the make-up are quite effective as a very senior citizen.  Karlly Palica as Maudie, a neighbor, delivers well a powerful speech toward the end about the hope for the future.  And Barnes gives a nicely, sinister performance as the despicable, Bob Ewell. 

But the diamond in the rough and the most powerful single performance/scene is Ms. Russell as Mayella.  She is spot on in her examination scene in the trial.  The stage catches fire with her explosive, manic portrayal of this complex character, showing vulnerability, naivety, pain, and spit and fire in her few moments onstage.  And she is equally animated when she is sitting in the courtroom, watching the proceedings.  A talent to be watch in future endeavors!

Some suggestions I would offer are that the director may consider giving the narrator a mike, as some of the set changes are noisy enough to drown her out.  Also, the set changes, although swiftly done, probably could be reduced with some more inventive staging.  And a general note, the cast, as a whole, needs to slow down a bit more and watch enunciations/articulation.  They can actually be heard quite well, it’s just the understandability, at times, with some characters, that is messy.

I recommend this production but, be warned, it is about adult subject matter and uses the “n” word often.  If you do go, please tell them Dennis sent you.

For another perspective on this production, check out SW WA Stage & Theater Arts Review at http://swwastar.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-bgdcs-to-kill-mockingbird-killer.html

           

Curse of the Starving Class—Clark College—Vancouver, WA

"Growing Up is Hard To Do”

This Obie Award-winning drama by Sam Shepard is directed by Mark Owsley.  It plays at Clark College’s Decker Theatre at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way in Vancouver, WA.  It runs through November 23^rd.  For more information, go to http://www.clark.edu/academics/programs/humanities/theatre/season.php or call 360-992-2815.

Before Shepard became a well-known, film character actor, he was quite a force during the 70’s as a playwright.  Some of his past successes included Buried Child, True West and others.  Profile Theatre in Portland is doing their whole season in 2014 around his plays.

Essentially it is a story about growing up.  No Peter Pan’s are they.  Emma (Katie Lindstrom), the daughter of the Tate clan, is going through her first period, or “the curse.”  The son, Wesley (Nicholas Detering), is searching for identity, as he plows through his youth to adulthood.  The mother, Ella (Emily Wells), has discovered the “seven-year itch” in later life and feels the need to move on.  And Weston (Derek Neiman), the father, is a shiftless drunk looking for his lost youth in all the wrong places.  They are all on the move…but to where?

This coming-of-age story is also about the loss of innocence from the sterile, idealized world of the 50’s, via Leave It To Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet and Father Knows Best to the turbulent sexual and political revolution of the 60’s and 70’s, via Easy Rider, Hair and Joe.  Change was happening on a global scale but the common man had little coping powers and his sanitized, well-ordered world was crumbling about him with no directions as to where to go or what to do to survive.

The family is “starving,” both figuratively and realistically.  They open the fridge door countless times, knowing that only emptiness lies beyond, but hoping, nevertheless, for a miracle.  But miracles are not in fashion this decade.  And so the family must trust con men, like their lawyer, Taylor (Andrés Houseman), or a corrupt policeman, Malcom (Jacob Meyer), or the new owner, an unscrupulous bar-keep (Samuel Ruble), or a couple of slick loan sharks (Nathan Willbanks and Steven Kocalis).

This house of cards is destined to collapse, as it’s only built on sand.  And the dysfunctional inhabitants may be bound for lesser glories in the sink-holes and pot-holes of this society.  The mother attempts escape by having a fling with her lawyer.  The daughter feels that riding her horse into the sunset, with guns blazing, is the solution to her problems.  The son seeks solace in emulating his father, as his vacant dreams come to naught.  And the father, truly having an epiphany and cleaning up his act, finds that the band has long since passed him by, and that there is no happy reunion for the eagle or the lamb.

The merging of the real world with the avant-garde, works well in this setting.  The set reflects this (Mark Owsley) with only essential pieces present needed to tell the story.  The fridge and the stove figuring prominently as the focal point for a “starving” people and age.  I especially liked the ram-shackled roof, giving the hint of shelter from the bombardments of the emerging “brave, new world.”  And Owsley’s direction of the play, with its wandering, erratic pace, compliments nicely the tone of the script, as does the music, reflecting the times.

The young actors do well in exploring and exposing a time period they were not a part of.  And Shepard’s style, as with Pinter and Albee and Stoppard is not easy to perform.  But my hats go off to the cast, searching the poetic, netherworld of difficult material and presenting it in an understandable way.  A brave learning experience for both actors and audience.  And, being mindful of that, this play contains nudity, harsh language and adult situations so may not be for everybody.

I recommend this show.  If you do go, please tell them Dennis sent you.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare…Abridged—OCT’s Young Professionals Company—NE Portland

"The Play’s the Thing…”

This three-man show is written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield and directed by Andrés Alcalá.  It plays at Oregon Children’s Theatre’s school at 1939 NE Sandy Blvd. through November 10^th.  For more information go to their site at www.octc.org or call 503-228-9571.

This is an oft-done piece (this is the third time I’ve seen it in the past several months) and, for the life of me, I don’t know why it’s done.  Not because it’s not a good script, it is, but because so difficult to do.  It’s a relatively simple show on the production-side but, consider that most of his plays are presented here in rapid-fire format, for the most part, and most of it done in Shakespearean speech and highly abridged, at that.

And, to add to this, it is done by three 15-year-old young men!  This material is difficult for even the most seasoned adult performer.  But, to be honest, they do remarkably well.  But, as my friend who was with me, asked, “How do they keep it all straight in their heads and remember all those lines?”  Believe me, I’ve been involved in about 200+ plays over the years and I still don’t know the answer to that.  They just do, that’s all.

Michael Cline, Tristan Comella and Evan Shely are the performers and they easily match their adult counterparts who have enacted these roles.  They all play multiple roles and some the Bard’s plays/sonnets are only mentioned as titles.  But others, like Romeo and Juliet, Mac…er, the Scottish Play and Hamlet (which encompasses the entire 2^nd half of the show) are done in more complete detail.  And there is audience participation, in which I took part, playing (I believe), Ophelia’s ego…you had to be there.

And to make the language more playable for a modern audience, they do Titus… as a cooking show, the Histories as a football match, Othello in Rap fashion, and the Comedies, as if on The Love Boat.  Puppets, videos, music and a dummy are used well for comic effect, too.  They even do a 90 second version of Hamlet…and then do it backward!  Again, a remarkable feat for anyone, and absolutely amazing that it is accomplished by teens. 

Personally, I’ve always enjoyed teaching/directing young people, as they have a sense of daring and braveness in approaching Arts that adults seem to lose, as they age.  Whatever insights and advice that Alcalá has imparted to them, is right on the mark in presenting this show. 

And all three actors are more that up to the task of playing the multiple roles.  Cline, the nerdy one of the team, tackles the narrative parts well and plays Hamlet as a confused teenager (as it should be).  Shely, the scholarly one of the group, does well in trying to keep the troupe on course.  And Comella, as the reluctant member, is a scream in the various female roles and does a nice turn in a serious rendition of “What a Piece of Work is Man…”  from Hamlet.  A nice touch.  An observation, though, the actors should have held for a moment after this speech, to let the actor get some well-deserved applause, which had begun.

This all should be pointing to something obvious.  Young people need the Arts to become whole as adults.  It builds confidence and teamwork and gives the person a safe haven to explore their inner selves.  The public education system seems to ignore this fact.  But OCT, and other schools like them, are fully vested in accomplishing this important goal.  You could do no better in getting your young ones into one of their classes! 

Dani Baldwin, OCT’s Education Director, and her team are exceptional, and you owe it to your children’s future to allow them to be the best that they can be.  Contact her at dani@octc.org or call 503-228-9571 x106, or go to their website for more information on classes and their future season.

I recommend this show.  If you do go, or contact Dani about classes, tell them Dennis sent you.

Foxfinder—Artists Rep—SW Portland

Nothing to Fear but Fear itself

The U.S. premiere of this play by Dawn King is directed by Artists Rep’s Artistic Director, Dámaso Rodriguez and plays through December 1^st.  It is playing at their space at SW Alder St. & 16^th Ave.  For more information go to their site at www.artistsrep.org or call 503-241-1278.

Themes/Stories that could be compared to this tale, reside in such a play as Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible and the incident of the Salem Witch Trials, as well as the McCarthy era, where hysteria ruled.  And it relates favorably to Orwell’s, 1984, where an unseen government is in control and, to a more recent film, Shyamalan’s, The Village, where a mysterious Beast is holding the villagers at bay.  Or books by Kafka, as they all are kin to this scary tale of control, dominance and a loss of will.

The story tells of some English farmers, Samuel (Shawn Lee) and Judith (Sara Hennessy) Covey that may have a failing year with their crops.  Their closest neighbor and friend, Sarah Box (Amanda Soden) is also on the borderline of a bad year.  It could be due to flooding in their fields, or just bad luck or, possibly, an infestation of…foxes.

This spurns the government to send an investigator, William Bloor (Joshua Weinstein), to discover the causes of such failure, as the population depends on prosperous crops to feed the masses.  If they are pronounced as failures, their farm will be taken and they could be separated and sent to work in factories in the city. 

But Bloor is no ordinary man.  He has been raised/indoctrinated by the state from childhood for this position.  His ultimate goal is to rid the country of foxes, although he has never seen one himself.  They are purported to be the cause of all the unrest in the land.  With foxes eliminated, there would be no more failure of crops but, also, no one to blame for it, either.  And this beast is not about “…to go gentle into this good night.”

Bloor’s job is to go into minute details of these farmers lives, even their sex practices, personal sorrows, and they are encouraged to share knowledge about their neighbors, possibly in exchange for a good report to the state from him.  There is also an equally mysterious, underground organization that espouses the blasphemous thought that there are no foxes, that it is simply a ploy from the government to keep people in fear and under their control. 

Anyone allied with such groups will encounter dire consequences and it is encouraged for neighbors to report such erratic behavior, in exchange for favorable treatment from their ruling body.  Bloor writes all this information down in a secret, black book he keeps.  But, as he gets to know the people, and never seeing any physical evidence of foxes, he, himself begins to doubt.  Until, that is, Samuel begins to believe Bloor and confesses he has seen signs and heard noises that could be evidence of foxes.

They go together on a final hunt to ultimately prove or disprove the lore of the fox.  To give any more away would spoil the ending but, needless to say, it keeps you in suspense almost from the beginning.  King has written a play that grips one’s primal fear of the unknown and, like a bulldog, won’t let go.  A childhood terror exposed of just what’s really  lurking in the closet or hiding under the bed in the deep, dark night.

Rodriguez has, with minimal setting, given us a ghost story where the real villain just may be brought to light by holding a mirror up to ourselves.  He, and King, have expertly led this cast (and us) on a slippery journey into the basic core of ourselves.  Although a tale for adults, it stretches across the boundaries of age, gender and culture.

The cast does well in creating this creepy atmosphere.  Soden and Hennessy give us two, rather ordinary people and do well in sharing to what length a person will go to stay alive and, perhaps, just blend into the crowd.  Lee as the, at first, skeptical husband, does nicely in layering his performance, so that we really don’t know whether he has finally gone mad, or is now a serious believer. 

And Weinstein is excellent in the conflicted role of the investigator.  He tries to hold onto his robotic beliefs in, perhaps, a myth and wanting/needing to have the feelings of the warmth and companionship of ordinary humans.  We sense his torment and it is to the actor’s credit that we see this so clearly.

I recommend this play.  If you do go, please tell them Dennis sent you.

Check Please & Coffee With God—Serendipity Players at El Presidente—downtown, Vancouver, WA

Searching For Answers

These two one-acts are presented as a dinner theatre offering.  Check Please is by Jonathan Rand and directed by Brian Reed.  Coffee With God is by Kal Wagenheim and directed by Joni Moore.  They are playing at El Presidente Mexican Restaurant & Cantina on 312 E. Evergreen Blvd. in downtown Vancouver, WA.  The production is produced by Serendipity Players.  For more information go to their website at www.serendipityplayers.org  or call 360-834-3588.  It plays through November 17^th.

A couple things these plays have in common are that they both take place in a restaurant/deli-type setting and the characters in both of them are looking for answers and a purpose to their lives.  The first one is a farcical comedy about “speed dating” and the second, a comedy-drama about a man seeking solace in his life.

Dinner theatre is not an easy venue to present a show (I speak from personal experience).  Sometimes the food is cold when it arrives, the noise from the restaurant/bar overpowers the productions, the servers are constantly interrupting the proceedings by clearing tables or serving while the show is going on, etc.  For the most part these incidents did not occur during this show.

The price for the show and meal is reasonable, being that the cost is comparable to just the play alone in some Portland theatres.  The meal was hot when it arrived and the lone, but very efficient and friendly server, Jose, saw to it that everyone was satisfied before the show began.  There was occasionally overwhelming noise from blenders or crowds from the bar during the show but, in an odd way, it fitted in with the atmosphere from the play, as they both took place in public eating establishments.  So that addition was a somewhat satisfy experience.

The first show, as mentioned, is about “speed dating,” in which you have just a set time period to get acquainted with a partner and then you must change to the next victim when the bell rings.  The Man (Jordan Mui) and the Woman (Jessica Wisniewski) have both resorted to this style of meeting people, looking or Mr. or Ms. Right.

The man fairs less well, meeting up with a sports nut who can only talk that lingo, a woman with mental problems, as several personalities seem to emerge as she’s speaking, and a lady from the geriatric crowd, all played by Lyn Mullin.  Also he meets a man-hater who thinks that all men should be exterminated or used as slaves, and a mime who uses silent gestures to communicate, both played by Lizzy Swanson.  Then there is the mature lady that already has their lives planned out, including the future of their children and the kleptomaniac who manages to swipe just about everything off the table, both played by Cindy Swager.

The Woman only does slightly better, finding a perfect gentleman in Jamie Montgomery, only to discover he’s a gay actor researching the macho world for a “straight” part he is to play.  But she is also beset by a super-egotist who is unaware of anyone else in the world, a man who has an allergy or phobia to anything and everyone, and a fellow who wears a burlap sack (albeit, designer burlap).  All played by Don Smith.  And then there is the man/child played by Brian Reed (the Director, also), who seems to be going through his second childhood.

It should be no surprise that the Man and the Woman eventually meet each other and live...hopefully, ever after.  These characters are stereo-types, of course, and I’m sure we all recognize these attributes in ourselves or someone we know.  Some of the moments come off better than others.  My favorites were Smith’s phobic man, Mullin’s sports nut, Swanson’s mime, Swager’s nester-lady, and Reed’s child-like guy. 

Montgomery was good as one the sanest of the lot and Mui was adequately frustrated as the Man.  And Jessica, as the Woman, has some real talent, as she is both sensual and tough.  An actress worth watching in future parts.  A couple of the parts, as written, deal with mental illness and aging, and border on being politically incorrect.  And the play definitely needs to be picked up in the comic timing, as some of the bits fall flat through lack of it.

The second show is a better script, I feel, and Moore (a veteran of Serendipity) has a better handle on timing.  Who would not want to sit down with God for coffee and discuss world affairs and personal matters.  In this case God (Jan Rosenthal) is a short, somewhat pudgy, Jewish lady with a dry wit and a whole lot of common sense.  And Kal (Aaron Filyaw) is our Everyman, representing just a normal young guy going about living.  But he does have a few questions (which all of us would) for God.

The answers are not earth-shattering conclusions and a bit non-committal.  All religions have their place, disasters and successes are more dumb luck than planned, and, most important of all, Man was born with Free Will and Reasoning Power but how we use those gifts are up to us.  God is listening but we may not always get the answers we want.  But know that when He/She closes a door, somewhere a window is opened.

But Kal had his mother (Jessica Wisniewski) taken away at two, so he never knew her.  So, on request, he is given a personal trip down memory lane, to steal a glimpse of some moments with her, and his father (Don Smith).  A truly poignant tale.  Next order of business, as the play ends, She says she needs to fix those Congress people.  Amen to that!

Aaron has a natural, likable manner onstage, which makes it easy to identify with him.  And Jan is a God we would all like to meet.  A difficult role to pull off but she does it well.  She plays God as a good neighbor with just the right amount of charm, vulnerability and very much, non-judgmental (similar to the way George Burns played Him in the film, Oh, God).  She is, as She professes, having the look and sound, as the beholder pleases.  Don does well as the father and, again, Jessica shines as the mother.

I recommend these shows.  If you do go, please tell them Dennis sent you.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—theatrevertigo at the Shoe box Theatre—SE Portland

Multiple Me’s

This classic horror tale by Robert Louis Stevenson is adapted for the stage by Jeffrey Hatcher.  It is directed by Bobby Bermea and will be playing through November 23^rd.  For further information go to their site at www.theatrevertigo.org or call 503-306-0870.

This is one of the all-time, great, spooky stories and has been filmed many times.  The earlier versions are with John Barrymore, Fredrick March, and Spencer Tracy.  Jack Palance played him in a very successful TV presentation and there is, of course, the stage musical version with David Hasslehoff.  There is even two versions with Mr. Hyde as a handsome man, a B film with Paul Mantee, and Jerry Lewis’s The Nutty Professor (he won the well-deserved, French Academy Award for this).

The story concerns a well-respected medical man, Dr. Henry Jekyll (Mario Calcagno), during the late 1800’s, who believes that he can rid the evil side of a person from the good, by taking a potion he has devised.  He has his detractors, of course, represented by Dr. Carew (Tyler Ryan) who sees man as just a piece of meat in the end, on a gurney.

But Jekyll does have his supporters, via his friend, Utterson (Kerry Ryan), a lawyer, Enfield (R. David Wyllie) and a colleague, Dr. Lanyon (Brooke Calcagno).  But, although his experiment is somewhat successful, his secret self, Mr. Hyde (Heath Koerschgen), instead of being subdued, has began to dominate Jekyll’s personality.  Including, unfortunately, some rather messy murders, that the free-wielding Hyde has committed, including his rival, Dr. Carew, bringing the experiment to the attention on Scotland Yard and an Inspector (Tom Mounsey).

The only thing that seems to tame the beast, is love, in the form of Elizabeth (Karen Wennstrom).  Now Hyde has an ever greater desire to survive.  But, this only enrages the Jekyll-self and, in a twist, he becomes the aggressor, killing one of his dearest friends, so that the truth doesn’t become known, that he, himself, is actually Hyde.  Of course, only a tragic end can ensue and a monster is destroyed…in him, at least, but what of us?!

This is not an easy story to bring to the stage, for the obvious reason that both Jekyll and Hyde inhabit the same body and so some physical transformation should take place.  But, in this adaptation, Hyde is not only a separate role but is played by more than one actor, a clever idea.  Postulating, I believe, that man is not just two beings within but that there are multiple facets to a persona.  And, as theatrevertigo believes in cross-gender casting, female representatives as well.

Also, since Jekyll sees a human in terms of black and white, so the costuming (McKenna Twedt) of the play reflects that.  And the choice of presenting this tale in a small, intimate space is ideal, an in-your-face depiction of a tormented soul.  As Ms. Liptak, the House Manager, pointed out, “…it’s like you’re in a haunted house with scary things all around you.”  Very true.  A great Halloween treat…or trick.

Of course, we have our own version of this experiment, too, it’s call lobotomy.  The most famous example was JFK’s mentally-challenged sister, Rose, who, after it was performed, was little more that a walking vegetable.  Or, the actress, Francis Farmer, an eccentric performer, who was only a pale imitation of her former self after the operation.  Without passion we may be docile, tamed, but our essence seems to be missing as well.  We are who we are because of our complicated selves, not in spite of it.

Mario, as Jekyll, does an admirable job.  This is a complex role and he handles the transitions smoothly.  The unique characteristic he brings to the role is the fact that we, in the end, see the monster in Jekyll himself and not just Hyde.  Heath as the main embodiment of Hyde also give us a multi-layer character, not just a killer but an intense passion that can turn to love with the right person, something that Jekyll seems incapable of comprehending.  A role well-realized by this actor.

Most of the other actors play multiple roles giving good accounts of themselves.  Brooke, as always, is effective as the Scottish friend of Jekyll’s, Lanyon, trying to understand this complicated man.  Kerry, as his other friend, Utterson, gives us an intense performance.  And R. David does nicely as Enfield and the contrasting role of the private eye, Sanderson.  And Karen, as Hyde’s love, gives depth to this conflicted person.

Bermea, the Director, has done a remarkable job of playing such a complicated production with multiple locations (Scenic Designer, Megan Wilkerson) in such a small space and a cast of eight performing about twice as many roles.  But it works very well, as we never get confused as to where they are or who is who.  As to purpose, the director notes, “And now…let’s have some murder, some mayhem and no goddamn apologies!”

I recommend this show but, because of the intensity, it probably would not be for young children.  If you do go, please tell them Dennis sent you.

Little One Theatrical - White Tiger Ent. - PRESS RELEASE - Auditions

PRESS RELEASE:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

White Tiger Enterprises, LLC [Little One Theatrical] in association with Balding Eagle Productions announces auditions for their NEW rock musical THIS CHILD by Marc Keele and Vic Sorisio with Gregory E. Zschomler (directing).

The original workshop, big budget, operatic production will make its world-wide debut in spring of 2014 in the Portland/Vancouver market. All parts are profit-sharing works for hire. NON-EQUITY ONLY.

PARTS:

Jonathan: Father, Husband, Pastor, 25 to 35,  strong baritone or low tenor, good actor. Must demonstrate singing ability and show acting experience through resume.

Mary: Wife, Mother, 25 to 35, alto or low soprano, good actress. Must demonstrate singing ability and show acting experience through resume.

Maria: Child (6-8 years), good singer, good ballerina. Cute, able to act well. Must demonstrate singing and dance ability and show acting experience through resume.

Maria: Teen (14-16 years), excellent singer (soprano). Able to act well (show a variety of emotions). Must demonstrate singing ability and show acting experience through resume.

Jesus: 30-35, strong baritone, able to act and dance and grow a beard. Must demonstrate singing ability and show acting experience through resume.

Male Chorus: three + strong singers, able to dance and act. Must demonstrate singing ability and have some acting experience.

Female Chorus: three + excellent singers, excellent dancers, able to act. Must demonstrate singing and dance ability and have some acting experience. ONE of these positions will also serve as the show’s CHOREOGRAPHER.

Satan: precast.

AUDITIONS (by appointment) will take place after Thanksgiving 2013. REHEARSALS will take place January-February, 2014. The SHOW RUN (two weeks) is expected to begin March 1, 2014.

Interested parties should contact Greg at 360.887.3297 (leave a message, you’ll be contacted for an appt.)