The student directors of the 2020 Directors’ Showcase at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto have begun casting for their productions which will premiere online on December 4th. There are two productions happening as part of the Showcase this year. Please read the details below to find out more about the productions, and how to audition!
PLEASE NOTE: All submitted audition file names should be formatted FirstnameLastname_Showname_Audition and must be submitted by FRIDAY SEPT 25TH at 11:59PM to either constellations402@gmail.com or theshapeofagirl402@gmail.com, depending on which show you are auditioning for.
Please find specific production and submission details below.
CONSTELLATIONS
Written by Nick Payne
Directed by Abby Esteireiro
SYNOPSIS
A quantum physicist and a beekeeper fall in and out of love and loss across different multiverses-- an infinite set of parallel universes that holds every possible future outcome. In a deeply intimate and expansive way, Constellations considers the value of the intensely brief life of a honey bee against the boundlessness of the sky. When we are confronted with the end of life and love, this play reminds us of infinite possibility.
HOW THE PRODUCTION & REHEARSALS WILL WORK
The goal is for the entire process to occur online and remotely. The show will be pre-recorded and edited. Rehearsals will take place over Zoom. The filming of the show will be done by the actors themselves on their phones and take place in their own spaces.
While creating a digital production can be unpredictable and quite the learning curve, but I think this medium can give us a chance to experiment and play around. I hope we can get in touch with our inner child and make magic out of nothing but towels and lamps.
This online and remote process assumes access to a digital device with a camera, stable internet, and a space where you are able to work safely and freely. I know that not all actors will have access to all three of these and I do not want this to be a reason for you not to audition. We will work on ensuring you have access to devices, internet, and space, and we will modify our process to accommodate your needs.
HOW TO AUDITION
There are two roles: MARIANNE, a quantum physicist, and ROLAND, a beekeeper. Previous acting or theatre experience is not required.
Please fill out the GOOGLE FORM:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0jRK_IZ1BMt8HZiGj2tlXQxnviL7gei9s_OHm-i-LKqzHCw/viewform?usp=sf_link
Please send in TWO self-tapes. For the first, please film yourself performing one of the sides in two different ways (ex. reading side one she is trying to flirt and reading side one again but this time she is revealing it like a secret). For the second, please read a different side once and feel free to keep it simple or be as creative as you would like with the second tape (a short video/vlog, a POV tiktok, a voice-over, etc.). I know this may be confusing, so please refer to my very rough examples of what these self-tapes might look like.
Please email your audition videos to constellations402@gmail.com with the subject line YOURNAME_AUDITION. Gmail tends to send larger files through Google Drive, but if you’re having issues emailing your audition WeTransfer.com is a free and helpful resource for sending large files. Let me know if you are having trouble sending your audition, I’m happy to help.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS FRIDAY SEPT 25TH @ 11:59PM
Callbacks will take place over Zoom around Sept 26th - 27th. If that time frame does not work for you, we can find an alternative date.
AUDITION SIDES:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QI1wVHRc6IX7DW2LmkaJIzZQ20u7Xv5-zqeHn1-DUng/edit?usp=sharing
EXAMPLE OF A SELF-TAPE:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DhWXeg6JoNy-LSJH1TZwfpFsliaWSqz6?usp=sharing
If you have any questions about the process or concerns, please email me, Abby, at constellations402@gmail.com. If you are unable to send a self-tape, please let me know so we can talk about another option that will work for you.
THE SHAPE OF A GIRL
Written by Joan MacLeod
Directed by Sabrina Weinstein
SYNOPSIS
“A Girl in the shape of a Monster. A Monster in the shape of a Girl.”
1998, Victoria British Columbia. A year earlier Reena Virk, a 17 year old girl is murdered by her peers in a case that shook the nation. 15 year old Braidie becomes obsessed with this case, but not for sympathy for the victim – because she sees something in herself that resonates with the teenage killers. Horrified by this, we are taken on a journey through Braidie’s life – from playing ponies to teenage hijinks – and discover the increasing ostracization and violence towards one of Braidie’s own peers at the hands of her and her friends.
This one woman coming of age show is ultimately a lesson in privilege and accountability, and how we as a society can take the first step towards justice.
HOW THE PRODUCTION & REHEARSALS WILL WORK
This show will be filmed in person in two locations over the period of a month and a half. Half will be filmed indoors in the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse, on the St. George U of T campus, following all safety protocols; the other half will be filmed outdoors on a beach. The show runs approximately 55 minutes, all of which is monologued by Braidie, so strong memorization ability is a plus, but the show will not be filmed all at once. Actor must be able to commit time to both rehearsals and filming over the course of the next month and a half. BIPOC and fem-aligned actors highly encouraged to audition.
HOW TO AUDITION
To audition, please send a video recording of you performing BOTH of the Braidie Sides, as well as a video of yourself telling a story from your childhood! Below you will see the sides as well as further instructions on the storytelling! Please send these files to theshapeofagirl402@gmail.com with the subject line YOURNAME_AUDITION to be considered for the show. If you are having issues sending the file, a free and easy website to use is WeTransfer.com, which sends large files over the internet. Please send an email to the above address if you have any questions regarding the audition material or how to send in your audition!
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS FRIDAY SEPT 25TH @ 11:59PM
Callbacks will be held in-person on the University of Toronto St. George campus, on or around Sept 27th - 29th. If you are selected for a callback you will get an email detailing the process and the safety protocols.
BRAIDIE SIDE ONE: AGE 15
When I look at her picture, when I look at the picture of the dead girl in the paper, part of me gets it. And I hate it that I do; I hate to be even partly composed of that sort of information. But right now, if you put me in a room filled with girls, girls my age that I’ve never seen before in my life -- I could divide them all up. I could decide who goes where and just where I fit in without anyone even opening their mouth. They could be from this island, they could be from Taiwan. It doesn’t matter. Nobody would have to say a word. You know something Trevor? I could have divided up a room like that when I was in grade two. Grade fucking two.
BRAIDIE SIDE TWO: AGE 8
We are in love, we are all forever in love. We spend hours drawing them. We call ourselves by our new names in secret: Rainbow Rider, Lucky Lady, Thunder. We cram our pockets and lunchkits with them -- piles and piles of ponies.
Sofie is the new girl in grade two. Her horse name is Trotter and Toto and Lala and Gypsy. Because Sofie doesn’t just fall in love with horses and have a horse name like the rest of us. Sofie becomes a horse or sometimes an entire herd of horses. She gallops out to the playground for recess; she trots down the halls. She talks by doing whinnies.
And then one day, one normal un-special day Adrienne comes to school and announces that it’s penalty day. We don’t know what penalty day is. Adrienne explains that on penalty day one girl is chosen and everyone is mean to that one girl for the whole day. Why? Adrienne doesn’t know. It’s just a part of school. Adrienne offers to go first. We get to be mean to her first. I want to go first too.
REQUIREMENT THREE: A STORY
Please tell me a story, it can be anything that happened to you, but in particular a story from your childhood or something that happened at elementary/middle/high school. 1-2 minutes. Above all I am looking for an engaging storyteller, the content doesn’t matter, just what you can tell and reveal with it!