SCHS Theatre Winter Performance Auditions One-Acts, VHSL One-Act, and 21 Chump Street, General Questions

Seeking Stage Managers, Technical Directors, and Assistant Directors! Stage Manager Job Description—CLICK HERE Technical Director Job Description—CLICK HERE When: Monday, December 9th and Tuesday, December 10th Assistant Director Job Description—CLICK HERE Time: 3:15-5:30 pm Where: Please check-in at G139, the Black Box Theatre (located next to chorus and band in the music wing) Who: All SCHS students are eligible and encouraged to audition. You do not have to be enrolled in a theatre class. What are the one-acts? The one-acts are a series of short plays directed by upperclassmen Theatre 3/4 students. They select their own one-act and run the casting and rehearsal process. Each one-act will perform on one night between Friday, January 31-Saturday, February 1 at 7 pm. Do you have to attend both audition days? You only need to attend one audition day, but you must plan to stay the entire time. If you can’t stay the entire time, you should come to both days to make sure you audition for each director. Do you have to prepare anything for the audition? No, but you will need to bring an audition form with you to the audition. You can fill out an audition form by clicking here—you need to login to your FCPS e-mail to view. Please print and bring with you! There will be hard copies available in the Black Box upon checking in. What will the audition process be like? Students will be placed into 4 groups and each group will rotate 4 different times every 25 minutes to each one-act director. and rotate in your group to each student director. The directors may have you read lines from their play and will most likely talk to you a little bit about their one-act and what their rehearsal schedule will be like. What is the time commitment like? Generally, one-acts rehearse 2-3 times a week after school for 1.5-2 hours. Please note that this a short rehearsal process of 4 weeks so you will be expected to memorize your lines over winter break. Directors have the right to request that an actor be dismissed from their production should an actor have frequent attendance issues. You should put any conflicts you might have on your one-act audition form that you will bring with you to auditions. The one-acts are supposed to be fun and exciting because they are so student- driven, but this also comes with a great deal of trust and responsibility. Treat each other with respect and kindness. This includes being reliable and communicating with each other! When will you know if you have been cast? The cast lists will be sent via e-mail by the evening of Wednesday, December 11th. Rehearsals will begin the following week. Does it cost any money to join? There is a participation fee of $30 to perform in a one-act. This fee will go towards covering the rights and royalty costs to perform these one-acts. This will also include the cost of a t-shirt for the one-acts. This will be the first year we order t-shirts for these performances!  Who are the one-act directors? The one-acts/directors this year are: Nicole Engelbrecht and Olivia Morris- Rapunzel Uncut, Gus Cobba and Gwyn Carter- Hamlet on Spring Break, Danai Montgomery and Johana Lopez- Melendez- The Greek Mythology Olympianganza, Emma Wilkie and Braylee Campbell- The Internet is Distract-Oh, Look a Kitten! All plays can be viewed on playscripts.com if you’d like to read their synopsis. Do you need to know anything else? Your contact information will need to be shared with your student director as they may wish to communicate rehearsal information and updates via e-mail or phone. All one-act cast members will also be asked to join a one-act Google Classroom/Remind so that Mrs. Rumberger (theatre director) can oversee and communicate information as well. SCHS Theatre Winter Performance Auditions One-Acts, VHSL One-Act, and 21 Chump Street, General Questions

When: Thursday, December 12th (initial auditions)/Friday, December 13th (callbacks) Time: 3:15-5:30 pm Where: Please check-in the Chorus Room on Thursday, December 12th at least 15 minutes before your audition time slot. You will audition in the Black Box Theatre (G139). You only need to be available for your time slot and 15 minutes prior. After that, you may go home. If you are called back the next day (Friday), you should plan to stay for from 3:15-5:30 pm. I will try to end callbacks much earlier than this as there is a Theatre Sports tournament that evening. Who: All SCHS students are eligible and encouraged to audition. You do not have to be enrolled in a theatre class. Please note that you need to be in good academic standing and have passed at least 5 courses in your first quarter of the 2019-2020 school year. What is the VHSL one-act? The VHSL (Virginia High School League) one-act goes to the Patriots District competition at Lake Braddock Secondary on Saturday, February 1st. This is also the same date as the student- directed one-acts. I will be asking that our performance be moved to an early time slot on the competition date so that if our time conflicts with any performers and/or directors, they will be able to make it back to SCHS by 5 pm. The VHSL one-act will also perform on the same three dates as 21 Chump Street (January 23rd-25th) as well as in the student-directed one-acts on January 31st. Who is directing this show? Mrs. Rumberger (Theatre Arts teacher) and an assistant student director (TBD). What one-act are we performing? I (Mrs. R) still don’t know the answer to this. I have narrowed it down to a few scripts, but over Thanksgiving break, I was reflecting on how much I really want to do a comedy. After the heaviness of Radium Girls, I would love to do something a bit lighter, especially around the holidays! Comedy is my jam so I’m now throwing that into the mix. But since this one-act performs with 21 Chump Street, I think the two should compliment one another. I will have my decision REALLY soon and once I do, it will be posted on southcountydrama.org. Anyone who comes to the audition meeting can sign up to be notified via e-mail! Will you have a make-up day for auditions? Unfortunately, no. We are pressed on time, so we do need to get started right away! Do you have to prepare anything for the audition? No, but you will need to bring an audition form with you to the audition. I would also recommend reading the script and the sides once they are posted to southcountydrama.org. There will be hard copies available in the Chorus Room upon checking in—you may pick one up in advance in the Black Box. You will also need to sign-up to audition by clicking here. What will the audition process be like? You will be asked to read sides from the show. These sides (along with the script) will be posted in advance to southcountydrama.org once the title has been selected. Please check by the evening of Friday, December 6th. I will ask you to pick a side you’d like to read. If I feel like I need anyone to read for different roles, I may ask some to read again. It is never the expectation that sides be memorized. However, it is encouraged that you be familiar enough with the sides so that you can make vocal and physical choices that compliment the character. SCHS Theatre Winter Performance Auditions One-Acts, VHSL One-Act, 21 Chump Street, General Questions

How do you know if you’re called back? The callback list will be sent via e-mail on the evening of Thursday, January 11th after auditions have concluded. What is the time commitment like? Please see below. Rehearsals—you will not be considered for a role in this one-act if you have more than (2) conflicts for any of these rehearsal days/times: • Wednesday, December 18th 5:30-7:30 pm • You will be expected to memorize all your lines over winter break. If you are an actor who struggles with memorization, this may not be the best project for you! Make sure you’re willing to commit to memorizing quickly. • Wednesday, January 8 5:30-7:30 pm (curriculum fair is this evening so the AD will need to lead most of this rehearsal in the Black Box) • Thursday, January 9th 5:30-7:30 pm • Wednesday, January 15th 5:30-7:30 pm • Thursday, January 16th 5:30-7:30 pm • Monday, January 20th—this is a student holiday (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day). Depending on everyone’s availability, we may have a 3-hour rehearsal to serve as a tech rehearsal. • Tuesday, January 21st 5:30-7:30 pm • Wednesday, January 22nd 5:30-7:30 pm (AD will need to lead this rehearsal—if you are also cast in 21 Chump Street, we will figure out how to make it work so that you can also be in tech rehearsal as needed).

Performances-- you will not be considered for a role in this one-act if you are not available for all of these days/times: • Thursday, January 23rd 7 pm performance; 5 pm call time--SCHS • Friday, January 24th 7 pm; 5 pm call time--SCHS • Saturday, January 25th 7 pm; 5 pm call time—SCHS • Friday, January 31st 7 pm; 5 pm call time—SCHS • Saturday, February 1st; must be available all day (8 am-9 pm). We will not know the performance start time for the Patriots District Tournament at Lake Braddock Secondary until January 11th, but I will be requesting an early slot. • The snow date for the Sectional tournament at Lake Braddock is on Saturday, February 8th—please keep this date open in the event it is needed.

If we advance to Regionals, that will be on Tuesday, February 11th at 6 pm at Fairfax High School. There is still debate about this right now because many directors, including myself, feel this is a strange day/time to host a tournament. Therefore, it might be moved. If the cast/crew decides that this day/time does not work, then we do not have to go. I worry about us getting out of the tournament too late and I know many of my students have a large academic workload this year. I will leave this up to a discussion with the cast/crew so do leave this date open if possible.

SCHS Theatre Winter Performance Auditions One-Acts, VHSL One-Act, 21 Chump Street, General Questions

INTERESTED IN CHOREOGRAPHING? CLICK HERE! When: Monday, December 9th 5:30-7:30 pm (initial auditions)/Wednesday, December 11th 3-5:30 pm (callbacks) Time: Please see above. Where: Please check-in the Black Box (G139) on Monday, December 9th at least 15 minutes before your audition time slot. You will audition in the Chorus Room. If you are called back on December 11th, please expect to stay the entire time from 3-5:30 pm. Who: All SCHS students are eligible and encouraged to audition. You do not have to be enrolled in a theatre class. What is 21 Chump Street? 21 Chump Street is a musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (writer of Hamilton and In the Heights). It is only 14-minutes long and is about a high school student who gets into trouble with the law. Based news articles in Florida, this fast-paced musical’s powerful message will resonate with many of the young adults in our school community. A synopsis of the musical is available by clicking here. You can also read the entire script by clicking here—you will need to be logged into your FCPS e-mail to access this document—download and rotate clockwise (scanned upside down for some reason!) Who is directing this show? Mrs. Rumberger (Theatre Arts teacher) and an assistant student director (TBD) Will you have a make-up day for auditions? Unfortunately, no. We are pressed on time, so we do need to get started right away! Do you have to prepare anything for the audition? Yes, you will need to prepare one of the songs (listed below) and bring an audition form with you to auditions. Hard copies will be available in the Black Box upon check-in. If you are only interested in auditioning for the narrator, you do NOT need to prepare a song and you can indicate this on your audition form that you will bring with you to your audition. You will only read for the narrator side. Click on the song title to access the song files. • Male song: What the Heck I Gotta Do? –You will not be asked to sing the entire song but do be familiar. • Female song: One School at a Time—You will not be asked to sing the entire song but do be familiar. An accompanist will be at auditions. I would also recommend you read the script, which is available for you by clicking here—you must be logged into your FCPS e-mail to access the script. You will also be asked to read sides from the show. It is not the expectation that you memorize the song lyrics or the script sides, but you should be familiar enough so that you can make strong acting choices. You can also watch the entire musical on YouTube by clicking here. Sheet music will be available on Monday morning and you may pick up hard copies in the Black Box and/or Chorus Room. What will the audition process be like? You will be asked to read sides from the show and sing a song from the show. What is the time commitment like? Please see below-- Rehearsals—you will not be considered for a role in this show if you have more than (2) conflicts for any of these rehearsal days/times: • Tuesday, December 17th 5:30-7:30 pm—plunking through all music/reading through script • You will be expected to memorize all your lines and learn your music over winter break. If you are an actor who struggles with memorization, this may not be the best project for you! Make sure you’re willing to commit to memorizing quickly. SCHS Theatre Winter Performance Auditions One-Acts, VHSL One-Act, 21 Chump Street, General Questions

• Monday, January 6th 5:30-7:30 pm • Tuesday, January 7th 5:30-7:30 pm • Monday, January 13th 5:30-7:30 pm • Tuesday, January 14th 5:30-7:30 pm • Monday, January 20th—this is a student holiday (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day). Depending on everyone’s availability, you may have a 3-hour rehearsal to serve as a tech rehearsal—please note that if you are in the VHSL one-act, you might have a rehearsal that day too so it could be a long day! • Tuesday, January 21st 5:30-7:30 pm (Mr. Rodriguez will need to lead this rehearsal so that Mrs. Rumberger can be in rehearsal for VHSL show) • Wednesday, January 22nd 5:30-7:30 pm (tech/dress rehearsal) Performances-- you will not be considered for a role in this one-act if you are not available for all these days/times: • Thursday, January 23rd 7 pm performance; 5 pm call time • Friday, January 24th 7 pm; 5 pm call time • Saturday, January 25th 7 pm; 5 pm call time • At least one in-school performance that will take place the week of January 21st and/or January 27th. The performance would most likely take place during 6th period—you would miss Advisory and most of your 6th period class. You would go to D LUNCH.

Who are the cast of characters in the show? Please see below. 1) Narrator—can be either gender. The only character in the show who does not sing. 2) Justin—male, high school senior, needs to be an excellent singer, actor, and have strong sense of movement 3) Naomi—female, 25-year-old police officer posing as a high school senior—must be able to play both young and mature, excellent singer, actor 4) Tevin (Boy 1)/Cousin 1—male, strong singer, actor, dancer 5) Derek (Boy 2)/Cousin 2/Lawyer—male, strong singer, actor, dancer 6) Andrew (Boy 3)/Cousin 3/Police Officer—male, strong singer, actor, dancer 7) Potential ensemble (with licensing company approval pending)—additional high school students, cousins, police officers, etc. need to be excellent, singers, actors, and dancers. Anything you should know about casting? Please make sure you read the script so you understand what the casting requirements of the show are! You will need to be logged into your FCPS e-mail—download and rotate clockwise as it scanned upside down! ☹ Will you cast more than 6 people? I have reached out to the licensing company to see if I can cast a small ensemble and I am waiting on a response. There are some lyrics in the show that are listed as “company” so I’m hopeful that means I can cast more than six—I would certainly like to cast a few more! Will you have to dance for the auditions? Not in the initial auditions. For the callbacks, we may have you learn a short dance just to see if you can handle some movement. How do you know if you’re called back? The callback list will be sent via e-mail on the evening of Tuesday, December 10th.

SCHS Theatre Winter Performance Auditions One-Acts, VHSL One-Act, 21 Chump Street, General Questions

Can I audition for all of these? Yes, of course you can! It’s never a guarantee that you will get cast in anything you audition for, but you can certainly audition for all three performance opportunities if you’d like. However, be mindful that if you do get cast in all three, you would be taking on a lot of extracurricular responsibility. Consider if this is something you can handle right now! Will Mrs. Rumberger be disappointed if I don’t audition for all three of these? No way! As someone who often puts too much on their plate, I have the utmost respect for those who are working on balancing or managing their responsibilities. I totally get it!  If I’m not cast in a show, are there other opportunities for me to get involved? Yes! I do need some assistance behind the scenes with run crew, costumes, choreography, etc. so please be on the lookout for sign-ups! Those should be out right before winter break. You can also e-mail me if there’s something specific you’re interested in. Are there any other auditions coming up this year? Yes. Auditions for Into the Woods are February 18-21. Make sure to mark that whole week on your calendar! There will also be optional workshops on February 13th and 14th. Do any of the winter performances rehearse during winter break? Nope! But it is the expectation that you memorize your lines during winter break. Do any of these rehearse on the weekends? Nope! But there are some weekend performances so please make sure to review the schedules. Do any of these rehearse on a school holiday? Yes, we are considering rehearsing on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day depending on school approval and/or cast availability. It is not going to be a requirement and it will be assessed later in the process. Do I really need to fill out an audition form for all three different performance opportunities? Yep, sorry! ☹ They are all for different things so for us to keep track of everyone, we do need you to fill out the appropriate form for each audition. I recommend filling them out electronically and just copying/pasting the repetitive questions! I’m interested in choreographing for 21 Chump Street. What do I do? Students who are interested in choreographing should fill out this form by Sunday, December 8th. I’m interested in assistant directing for 21 Chump Street. What do I do? Students who are interested in assistant directing for 21 Chump Street should review this information and fill out this form by Sunday, December 8th. I’m interested in assistant directing the VHSL One-Act. What do I do? Students who are interested in assistant directing the VHSL One-Act should review this information and fill out this form by Sunday, December 8th. I’m interested in stage managing one of these performances. What do I do? Students who are interested in stage managing should review this information. The form is due by Sunday, December 8th. I’m interested in being a Technical Director for one of these performances. What do I do? Students who are interested in being a technical director should review this information. The form is due by Sunday, December 8th. What if it snows and school is canceled on one of these dates? Backup plans will be communicated accordingly.

SCHS Theatre Winter Performance Auditions One-Acts, VHSL One-Act, 21 Chump Street, General Questions

Can I be an assistant director and/or stage manager AND be a performer in the show(s)? No. You cannot perform and fulfill an assistant director and/or stage manager position for the show you are overseeing. However, you can certainly perform in one show and then AD or SM something else. Just be careful that you are not taking on too much responsibility at once! Burning out is a real thing! I play a sport and it seems like I can never audition due to practices and games conflicting with my schedule. Will I ever get to do a show? I know it’s tough when you feel like you have to choose between multiple things you’re passionate about, but that’s also part of the high school experience. You’re starting to identify what’s most important to you and that includes extracurricular activities. I believe that it’s 100% possible to balance multiple things at once as long as you effectively plan and communicate. While you may not be able to commit to performing in a show, there are always opportunities to get involved in other areas such as backstage support. You can always reach out to me, explain your situation, and I can work with you to see how we can get you involved! Also, some of the shows happening this winter rehearse later in the day. Last year, I had someone perform in the VHSL show and be able to go to swim team practice after school because of the later rehearsal schedule. If you think you can balance multiple activities, keep up with school, and not burn yourself out, then I say go for it and audition! Will you need parent volunteers and support for these winter performances? Absolutely!  Parents of cast/crew members will be contacted once the shows have been cast. Can I audition just for the experience? I can’t commit to being in the show(s) but I would like to get some audition practice. Yes, of course! Just let us know at auditions that you do not want to be cast and that you are auditioning for the experience. I’d also be happy to give you individual feedback on your audition. Just send me an e-mail and we can schedule a feedback appointment during an Advisory period.

Have any additional questions? Please e-mail Mrs. Rumberger at [email protected].