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Video Audition Submissions Spring 2020

Here is a video of Ms. Allison walking you through this document and giving you tips for a great audition!

If you are auditioning for a SPRING PRODUCTION, be sure to REGISTER for the class by CLICKING HERE.

Enrollment numbers are limited, as Wonderland continues to find ways for every child involved to shine! We are anticipating the shows to be maxed out very quickly, based on feedback from parents. You MUST register to participate. All who are registered receive a role in the production. No one is cut from auditions as long as they are registered. Springs Productions- What are my production options this spring? 3 Show Options: 1. Charlotte's Web (straight ) a. Ages 10-18 (For this age group this season, we’ve decided to do a straight play for many reasons.)

The Importance of Straight Plays

a novel

by Etienna Wright

I. Development - Straight plays provide students with the opportunity for a move involved experience with developing and portraying a character on stage without music and dance to aid in . II. Increased Emotional Intelligence - Digging deeper into character development also assists young performers in the development of emotional intelligence (the awareness, control, and expression of one's emotions, and the handing of relationships). III. Speech Development - Straight plays allow students to focus strictly on their speaking voice when performing, increasing their ability and confidence to use their speaking voice on and off stage. IV. Creativity and Problem Solving - Theater of any kind encourages the development of creativity. In a play, students take an in-depth approach to the creation of a character, which enables them to be part of creating the theatrical work first-hand from start to finish. Doing scene work with a director and fellow actors helps students to come up with solutions to problems in a role, and respond imaginatively to a range of situations. V. Something Different - Wonderland strives to provide a well-rounded theater education. We think it is important to provide students with a variety of different types of theatrical experiences, both on and off stage. Producing a play provides the chance spark an interest or even a passion for students who may be stellar actors, but don't always have the opportunity to share those gifts in a musical setting.

b. Rehearsals for Charlotte's Web will begin January 20th on Mondays & Thursday at WPA II 6:30pm-8:15pm. c. Monthly Tuition: $100 (Feb-May) d. Performances at Burke Theater May 29th-31st e. List ALL Saturday and Spring Break Conflicts on your audition form. If a conflict is not listed, it is an unexcused absence. Cast members may not miss more than 3 rehearsals. f. Click here for Cast Information 2. Aladdin KIDS (musical) a. Ages 8-15 b. Rehearsals for Aladdin KIDS will begin January 14th on Tuesday at WPA II 5:30pm- 7:00pm. c. Monthly Tuition: $90 (Jan-April) d. Performances at Cite des Arts April 17th-19th & 24th-26th (TWO WEEKENDS) e. Extra rehearsals will be on certain Sundays and ALL OF SPRING BREAK! All Sunday conflicts must be listed on your audition form. IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO TRAVEL DURING SPRING BREAK, PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER FOR ALADDIN. SPRING BREAK REHEARSALS ARE MANDATORY. f. Click here for Cast Information 3. Storytelling: An Original Wonderland Production, Written and Performed by the Cast (original play with original music- you do not have to be a singer or dancer to participate, just have a big imagination and a love for creating) a. Ages 9-14 b. Rehearsals for Storytelling will begin January 23th on Thursdays at WPA I 5:30pm- 7:00pm. c. Monthly Tuition: $80 (Feb-May) d. About this show: Kids gain confidence by shedding self-judgment and giving themselves permission to create! Christy Leichty (Acting Instructor Extraordinaire) & Drew Hoffpauir (Musician/Actor) are teaming up to bring an exciting new project to Wonderland: Playwrighting and Storytelling. Using the richness in our culture, the imagination of the kids involved, and the guidance of the instructors, the cast of this show will create, document, and perform song parodies and their very own stories. e. Performances at Burke Theater May 29th-31st (same weekend as Charlotte’s Webb but at different times) f. List ALL Saturday, Sunday, and Spring Break Conflicts on your audition form. If a conflict is not listed, it is an unexcused absence. Cast members may not miss more than 3 rehearsals. g. Click here to see what Mrs. Christy has to say about this exciting new project!

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Spring Audition Information As many of you have already heard auditions for our spring shows will be a bit different than usual. Each student will need to submit a video audition instead of attending a live private audition. Below you will find all of the information you need to create your audition video. These videos are due by Dec 1st. CALL BACKS- TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17 6:15-9:00 PM IN STUDIO B. - MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND KEEP THIS DATE OPEN! (We will not need to call everyone back. If you don't get a callback that doesn't mean anything bad. We will use call backs to see things we need to see that we did not get from the video submission). Once you have selected and registered for the production in which you want to participate, follow the instructions below for the show you've chosen and submit your auditions no later than December 1st.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• How do I audition? Video Audition Requirements (varies per show) Charlotte’s Web a. Prepare a one minute COMEDIC monologue from a play Click here for monologue suggestions b. Prepare a one minute DRAMATIC monologue from a play Click here for monologue suggestions c. No song or dance required d. Video yourself performing your monologues e. Click here to fill out the Google Form and upload your video! Aladdin Kids a. Learn Mrs. Allison’s dance video (CLICK HERE) (Click here for music) b. Prepare a one minute monologue from a play Click here for monologue suggestions c. Sing 32 bars of a MUSICAL SONG (w/ accompaniment track, please DO NOT sing a capella) d. Video yourself performing your dance, monologue, and song e. Click here to fill out the Google Form and upload your video! Storytelling: An Original Wonderland Production Written & Performed by the Cast a. Prepare a one minute monologue from a play (see play suggestions below) b. Prepare a one minute ORIGINAL monologue (Write your own monologue, memorize what you've written, and perform it for the video) c. Video yourself performing your monologues d. Click here to fill out the Google Form and upload your video! You may upload up to 5 attachments to the Google Form. This is where you may upload your resume if you choose to do so. It is up to you whether or not to submit each monologue, song, or dance separately or all together. If you would like to edit the video and submit all together, that is great. It would be nice to see kids able to transition from one audition piece to the next seamlessly, but we are not requiring that at this time. IMPORTANT: Save your video(s) like this YOUR NAME_(show title) Examples: Allison Brandon_Aladdin; Allison Brandon_Charlotte; Allison Brandon_Storytelling; Allison Brandon_Multiple The audition panel will review each video carefully. Callbacks will take place on December 17 from 6:15-9:00 PM. Please mark your calendars with this date and time, in case you are called back.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Audition Dos & Don’ts:

 MEMORIZE everything before you perform for the camera. Do not submit your audition with a paper in your hand.

 Film yourself in good lighting, where you can be seen clearly.

 Put thought and effort into wearing something nice, fixing your hair, etc. o We suggest solid colored clothing without pictures or words.

 Slate before your audition- Introduce yourself & the material you’ll be performing.

 Song Selection- Choose a song in the correct key for your voice. If you do not sing high, choose a song with a lower key, and vice versa. Choose something that showcases your personality! (Remember do not sing a capella. Use an accompaniment track.)

 Monologue Selection- Choose a monologue that shows your personality, and that is age appropriate. Here is a link to Ms. Allison's suggestions.*

*It is up to you to choose a monologue for your audition. We would like for your monologue to come from an actual play, rather than from a movie, monologue compilation book, or the internet.  Below are several videos with Ms. Allison's commentary on them. This will hopefully help you prepare. You don't have to watch all of these, but Ms. A scoured YouTube to find material to help you prepare. 1. https://youtu.be/jZHcvPOEufo –Audition Workshop: Ella Sophia (age 7) – a. She did a pretty good job! I’d stay away from using a chair unless you absolutely need it to tell your story. b. Her song is longer than we want ours (we want 32 bars/measures). c. I’d like to see her whole body, not just torso.

2. https://youtu.be/JeRTcYVt5p0 - Monologue for Musical Theatre or Broadway audition by Kai Alivia- a. She does pretty well, but for our purposes use a track behind your song, do not sing a capella. b. Make sure your song is cut to 32 bars/measures for Aladdin KIDS auditions.

3. https://youtu.be/tjNTy6en404 – Little Mermaid Audition 2019: Monologue and Solo – a. This is a “what not to do” situation. b. She should know the names of her pieces. c. The camera angle is not good. We cannot see her eyes or relate to her because of the camera angle. d. The background color being green isn’t helping her. e. Whoever is filming should avoid commentary or laughter. f. She needs to wear a color instead of white. g. She should edit out the “in between business” and she shouldn’t be coughing in her video. h. Her hair is nice, so there's that.

4. https://youtu.be/CrjiYY4wS2Y – Finding the von Trapps: The Sound of Music Kids Auditions a. This video shows some children experiencing a live audition for a theatre company called 5th Avenue. b. I think it might be good for our students to witness other kids auditioning and hearing how they feel about it, and some tips from them. c. Very sweet video.

5. Auditioning for Musicals : Musical Audition Song Selection - Advice from a teacher a. I like her message about choosing a song. b. I agree with her. c. You won't have sheet music this time, since you'll be singing with a track from home, but this is good advice for your next live audition.

6. https://youtu.be/mtOsl2Cn0g0 - Advice from a professional in the industry a. Good advice, showcase yourself as young and happy! b. Not dark and mysterious, age appropriate is key!

7. https://youtu.be/J2AZJQTsNTY – Seth Rudetsky a. I love him! Listen to him. b. He’s the best in the biz. c. He’s a DJ & host on the Broadway Channel on Sirius XM. d. I’ve met him several times and he actually played for me (yes, indeed!) when I was at SpringBoardNYC in 2008. e. He’s been a Broadway Musical Director since the 1980’s. f. He KNOWS his stuff… very trustworthy. g. Take his advice and run with it!

Also! Side note! (not related to auditions, just extra info) Seth is the guy who brings the Broadway Series to NOCCA – we’ve been talking about seeing Audra McDonald on our WonderFam page. Some of us got tickets! Join us if they still have some available. It’s going to be EPIC!!! I’ve seen a few of these shows at NOCCA and they are incredible! Seth and the featured performer sing and interview together. https://www.broadwayworld.com/new-orleans/article/Audra-McDonald-Beth-Leavel-Liz- Callaway-Join-Seth-Rudetsky-For-Broadway-NOCCA-2019-20-Concert-Season-20190910