Open Forum

 View Only

  • 1.  Too Much Light...Auditions

    Posted 10-25-2017 07:09
    We are producing Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind for our winter production.  I know many of you have produced this, so, how did you run your auditions?  The show isn't exactly improv, but thinking on your feet and good chemistry seem essential to its success.  How did you capture this in an audition?

    ------------------------------
    Kristen Statt
    Thunderhawk Theater Director
    Lakota East High School
    Liberty Twp, OH
    Kristen.statt@lakotaonline.com
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Too Much Light...Auditions

    Posted 10-26-2017 09:16
    I have done my own Neofuturist style shows with adults not students. For my auditions I had them create a one minute play that involved at least one task and showed me something about who they are. You end up looking for charisma, energies, etc and casting a variety of energies to create an interesting diverse cast. 

    Too Much Light is great (even if I have a lot of very strong opinions about Greg Allen, to guy basically got himself booted from his own company) the one issue I have with doing the licensed shows is that you have to do the plays that they wrote, which seems contrary to the Neofuturist philosophy of lack of suspension of disbelief, you are who you are, the time is now, there is an audience. The plays need to be personal to the performers. Unless you have some process where you go through some of the hundreds of possible shows and have the students find ones that are relevant and speak to them. My two cents.

    ------------------------------
    Joseph Gels
    Theatre Teacher
    Boston Latin School
    Boston MA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Too Much Light...Auditions

    Posted 10-26-2017 14:16
    I am planning on directing this show in the spring. It will be a bit of a different situation (probably) for me because I am going to do it with my Advanced Drama class (only 11 students) instead of having it as part of my regular after school program main stage shows. So the students who are going to be involved will be set, and I won't really be having a formal audition really. I plan on selecting, say, 45 of the possible plays for them to peruse (there are many in that collection that are definitely not school appropriate) and have them choose the 30 that they connect with the most. From there, I will try to cast the various shows organically out of table reads and use the students' input with me making the final decisions.

    If I were to do it more traditionally as part of my after school program, I would probably approach my auditions by looking to cast my company, much in the same way I cast my improv group, and then go through the same process as above. At the auditions, I would probably put them through a series of improv-style activities and look for energy, creativity, and interesting characters.

    ------------------------------
    Christopher Hamilton
    Drama Teacher
    Kennewick WA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


Related Content