***CASTING UPDATE***
Thank you to everybody who auditioned for The Haunting of Hill House, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and Sense and Sensibility last week. Including submitted auditions, we had about 50 actors audition for what ended up being 30 roles. I am sorry that we are not able to involve each and every one of you this season. More sorry, in fact, than I usually am, because I know that other opportunities are far and few between right now. I’m glad that we are going to be able to bring theatre back for some of you. I regret that we cannot do it for all of you at this time.
One change — nearly every single one of you said that you were willing to accept an “understudy” part in one of the three shows. THANK YOU! After considering the logistics of such a plan, however, I decided not to go that route. Asking a single actor to cover multiple roles in a show, regardless of whether they are the best “fit” for every one of those roles, isn’t artistically responsible. If we are in need of an emergency replacement due to COVID-19 or any other unforeseen reason, we will simply dip back into the pool of available actors and offer the role to somebody else.
To view the cast lists, click HERE.
The first rehearsal for The Haunting of Hill House will be held on Monday, August 31 from 7:00-9:30pm.
The first rehearsal for The Hound of the Baskervilles will be held on Tuesday, September 1 from 7:00-9:30pm.
The first rehearsal for Sense and Sensibility will be held on Sunday, September 6 from 6:00-9:00pm.
At the first rehearsal for each show, we will be doing a read-through. I almost never keep you later than the scheduled rehearsal time, but it is important that we complete the read-through at all three opening rehearsals. So do be prepared to stay later, if necessary. Also, when we read, we will likely be sitting in a circle on the hard stage floor. Dress comfortably, and feel free to bring pillows or blankets or whatever will make you the most comfortable.
The scripts you will be given will be yours to keep. Feel free to write in them, highlight your lines, or otherwise mark up as needed. They do not need to be returned at the end of the production.
If you have any questions, email Charlie at charlie.leonard@bluewatertheatre.com.
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Greetings! We are pleased to be announcing three exciting acting opportunities for BWTC high school actors to audition for and take part in this fall. While a far cry from our traditional big fall musical, we couldn’t be more excited about the chance to do something a little different.
This fall, we will be producing three small plays. The first two — an adaptation of the famous Sherlock Holmes mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles and an adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s famous novel The Haunting of Hill House, will both begin rehearsals on Monday, August 31 and will perform October 23 through November 1, running in rep with one another on the same set.
The third play, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, will begin very occasional rehearsals on Sunday, September 6, will kick into a “regular” rehearsal schedule on Monday, October 26, and will perform December 3 through December 6.
All three shows will be directed by BWTC artistic director Charlie Leonard.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO AUDITION?
In order to be eligible to audition for any of these three plays, you must be an actor in grades 9 through 12 (high school) during the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.
WHEN ARE AUDITIONS?
Auditions for all three shows will take place, by appointment, on Tuesday, August 25 and Wednesday, August 26 from 7:00-9:30pm. Actors should sign up for a five-minute time slot by clicking HERE.
If you are unable to audition at the appointed times, you may also send in a video audition. Video auditions should be submitted to Charlie Leonard via email at charlie.leonard@bluewatertheatre.com, and must be received by 9:30pm on Thursday, August 27.
WHAT DO I NEED TO PREPARE FOR MY AUDITION?
Please prepare one or two monologues of the style of your choosing that, combined, take up no more than three minutes. It is not required, for these monologues to be memorized.
In addition, we have an actor information form and rehearsal conflict form that you must fill out and bring with you at the time of your audition. You may download those forms by clicking HERE.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE CAST IN EACH SHOW:
The Haunting of Hill House is the smallest, with a cast of seven actors. The Hound of the Baskervilles has ten actors. Sense and Sensibility has a flexible cast (there is some doubling involved), but will likely have fourteen actors. So there will likely be a total of 31 actors cast between the three shows.
In addition, at least for The Haunting of Hill House and The Hound of the Baskervilles, two “understudies” (one female and one male) will be cast so that we have extra people involved in the productions. This is to protect us against absences due to illness, if a cast member ends up under quarantine due to a COVID-19 exposure of their own or in their immediate family, or any number of other things that could happen in the current day and age that we need to be prepared for. You will have the opportunity to indicate whether or not you are willing to accept one of those understudy spots on your actor information form.
CAN I BE CAST IN MULTIPLE SHOWS?
The plan is for all actors who are selected to be cast in only one of the three shows, so that we can spread the opportunities around to as many people as possible. While we hope to be able to consider everybody who auditions for all three shows, there is a place on the actor information form for you to indicate whether or not you are unwilling to accept placement in any of them.
WHEN DO REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES TAKE PLACE?
Rehearsals for The Haunting of Hill House and The Hound of the Baskervilles will both begin the week of August 31. Rehearsals for The Haunting of Hill House will generally take place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00-9:30, and on Saturdays from 9:00-noon. Rehearsals for The Hound of the Baskervilles will generally take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00-9:30, and on Saturdays from 1:00-4:00. Longer dress/tech rehearsals will take place for both shows on Tuesday, October 13 through Thursday, October 22, with performances scheduled October 23 through November 1.
Regular rehearsals for Sense and Sensibility will begin on Monday, October 26 and will generally take place from 7:00-9:30 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and from 9:00-4:00 on Saturdays. Longer dress/tech rehearsals will take place Sunday, November 29 through Wednesday, December 2, with performances scheduled for December 3 through December 6.
Please note that there are a few anomalies in the schedules for both shows, including the occasional Sunday rehearsal due to building usage schedules. While the above “general” schedules are the standard days you can expect, please refer to the more detailed production schedule in the forms you have to fill out and turn in at your auditions.
WHAT IS THE PRODUCTION FEE?
Actors who are cast in any of the three shows will each pay a $195.00 production fee. Scholarships are available to families with a need. Please contact Alison Haseman, BWTC office manager, at alison.haseman@bluewatertheatre.com prior to your audition to inquire about scholarship availability.
Actors who are cast in the “understudy” spots will pay a 25% production fee ($48.75).
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PRODUCTIONS GET CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19?
If the productions get cancelled, families will be offered back a pro-rated portion of their tuition fee based on where we are at in the production cycle, counting from the first day of “regular” rehearsals through the final day of performances. In the event of a cancellation, families will have up to ten days to request a refund, after which point we we assume that we may automatically convert it to a donation. Families, of course, may choose to simply decline any potential refund, which we will then convert into a tax-deductible donation.
WHAT ARE THE COVID-19 REQUIREMENTS AND RULES?
We are working to follow COVID-19 guidelines from the state of Minnesota and the CDC. Actors are expected to have masks on while in the building, however please note that (as of 8/23/20) current masking guidelines do make an exception for performers during performances or at other times when it is impractical to do so.
Social distancing will be practiced in the blocking of the shows to the greatest amount reasonably possible. That being said, if you are uncomfortable being within six feet of another actor — even if it’s just occasionally — it might not be right for you to take part in this fall’s productions.
QUESTIONS:
Please reach out to Charlie Leonard (charlie.leonard@bluewatertheatre.com) if you have any questions about these three productions.
