2010 Showboat Auditions

MINNESOTA CENTENNIAL SHOWBOAT AUDITIONS 2010
Triumph of Love by Pierre Marivaux
Directed by Peter Rothstein
Auditions for the Minnesota Centennial Showboat will be held
Monday, December 7, 2009 (7p-11p) and
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 (7p-11p)
with callbacks
Sunday, January 17, 2010 (6p-10p).

Specific information and sign-up sheets for audition times will be posted on the Rarig Production Notices Bulletin boards (lower level of Rarig Center by tunnel entrance). Auditions and callbacks for the Showboat Company will be held in Studio A, (506 Rarig)

Triumph of Love is being directed by Peter Rothstein, Musical Direction by Denise Prosek.

Peter Rothstein is the Founding Artistic Director of Theater Latté Da and was named one of the Star Tribune's Minnesota Artists of the Year. Other directing credits include the Guthrie Theater, the Children's Theatre Company, the Playwrights' Center, the Illusion Theater, Ten Thousand Things and the Minnesota Opera. He has been awarded grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Theater Communications Group, the McKnight Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board. www.Peter-Rothstein.com

Denise Prosek, Resident Music Director of Theater Latté Da, has music directed over fifty main stage productions and numerous private cabarets throughout the Twin Cities theater community. An accomplished pianist as well, Denise has performed at the Guthrie, Ordway, Children's Theatre Company, Chanhassen, Mixed Blood, and Theater Mu. She most recently served as Music Director for the IVEY Awards and for Hennepin Theatre Trust's Spotlight Awards. Denise was honored as Outstanding Musical Director by the Star Tribune in 2006 for Gypsy and in 2008 for Parade.

For auditions you should prepare two short pieces, one classical and one comedic. At least one piece should deal with heightened text (Wilde, Moliere, Coward, Pinero, Shaw, Shakespeare, etc.). Although two prepared pieces are requested you may only be asked to perform one of them; that is not a reflection of your audition, it is a matter of time. In addition, you should prepare to sing a song accompanied by piano. You will be asked to sing 32 bars, but be prepared to sing the song in its entirety if the whole song is requested. Please bring sheet music with you for the accompanist. Tape accompaniment or singing a cappella is not acceptable.
THE ENTIRE AUDITION MAY NOT EXCEED 4 MINUTES.

Rehearsals are slated to begin Monday April 26th. Rehearsals will employ standard U Theatre rehearsal times until Finals Week is over, when they will shift to a 40-hour rehearsal week. Rehearsals will continue into techs, dress rehearsals and preview performances, with the Showboat season opening on Friday, June 18 and performing Tuesday-Saturday until August 28, 2010.

NOTE: Because these are paid positions, there are further eligibility requirements that must be met in order to be cast in the Showboat Company. These are posted here and will also be available at auditions.

For questions, please contact Christine Swartwout, Production Stage Manager at swart073@umn.edu or Jennie Germain, Communications Coordinator at germa052@umn.edu

Xperimental Theatre's 24 HOUR THEATRE - APPLICATIONS/SIGN UPS ARE HERE!

Its that time of year again, time to prepare for 24 Hour Theatre! Some of you may ask, well...what is 24 Hour Theatre? If so, we shall tell you:

24 Hour Theatre is a unique theatrical experience in which writers, directors, actors, and designers conceive and perform a piece in a full 24 hours. At 8pm on Friday January 22nd writers arrive. The write all through the night to prepare a 20 minute script. At 8am on Saturday January 23rd, directors arrive, are assigned a show, and meet with the writers about the concept. At 9am on January 23rd actors arrive. They are cast in the shows, and then rehearse all day, memorizing lines, gathering costumes, blocking, etc. Until finally at 8pm (a full 24 hours from the beginning) the shows are performed.

WRITERS AND DIRECTORS: If you wish to apply to be a writer or director, applications are now available on the Xperimental Theatre call board in the basement of Rarig. These applications are due in the X Box outside of the X office by noon on Friday December 4th.

ACTORS: If you wish to act, there is a sign up sheet on the call board as well.

VOLUNTEERS: If none of these things interest you, and you wish to be involved in some other aspect (props, costumes, etc) please email thex@umn.edu to volunteer.

Auditions for Execution of Justice Announced

Auditions

Execution of Justice

by Emily Mann

Directed by Dominic Taylor

*Wednesday, December 9, 2009 (7p-11p)*

*Thursday, December 10, 2009 (7p-11p)*

The auditions will be held in Studio A (506 Rarig)

Anyone auditioning should prepare two Contemporary Monologues, (one serious, one comedic). Each monologue should be no longer than two minutes.

Sign-up sheets are located on the Callboard in the lounge (across from the tunnel entrance)

Below are the rehearsal dates and performance:

Rehearsals are February 22-April 15, 2010

Mon.-Fri. 6:30-10:30p

Saturday 12:00-5:00p

No rehearsals during Spring Break (March 14-21, 2010)

· Wednesday, April 7th Crew Watch (6:30-10:30p)

· Thursday, April 8th Tech rehearsal (6:30-10:30p)

· Friday, April 9th Tech rehearsal (6:30-10:30p)

· Saturday, April 10th Tech/Dress Rehearsal*

*(10:00a-10:00p)

· Sunday, April 11th Tech/Dress Rehearsal**

**(10:00a-10:00p)

· Monday, April 12th - NO REHEARSAL

· Tuesday, April 13th Dress Rehearsal (6:00-11:00p)

· Wednesday, April 14th Dress Rehearsal (6:00-11:00p)

· Thursday, April 15th Preview*** (6:00-11:00p)

***Curtain at 7:30p

Performance dates:

Friday, April 16th 8:00p Opening

Saturday, April 17th 8:00p performance

Sunday, April 18th 2:00p Matinee/Photocall after performance

Wednesday, April 21st 7:30p performance

Thursday, April 22nd 7:30p performance

Friday, April 23rd 10:00AM Student Matinee

Friday, April 23rd 8:00p performance

Saturday, April 24th 8:00p Closing performance

If you have any questions, please contact Dominic Taylor at taylo803@umn.edu

Dance Revolutions Video Now Online

We just posted the "Thought Through Motion: Dance Revolutions 09-10 Video" on the department website: http://www.theatre.umn.edu/utheatredance/dancerevolutions.php.

It is also available on our Facebook Fan Page and Youtube Channel.

Enjoy! And don't forget to check out Dance Revolutions running December 11-13, 2009.

New Backstage Pass Weekly Newsletter Available Online

Backstage Pass, the weekly newsletter produced by the Peers, is now available online. It can be found on the Current Students Resource Page.

Managing Director Sherry Wagner-Henry Bids a Fond Farewell to the Department

After 15 years of dedicated service to the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, Sherry Wagner-Henry, Managing Director for University Theatre and Dance and the Minnesota Centennial Showboat, has announced that she will be moving in to a new position within the University as the new Director of Graduate Programs in the College of Continuing Education.

A letter from Sherry:

Dear Colleagues, Alumni and Friends:

It has been my extreme pleasure and honor to have been a part of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University for almost 15 years now. I moved to Minneapolis straight out of graduate school in July of 1995 to take over the position of Managing Director for both U Theatre and Dance and the Showboat programs. And while serving as the Managing Director has been a true labor of love, my passion has always been in the educational development and training of the next generation of Arts leaders and managers. That's why I worked with so many of you on internship placements with local and regional companies, advised directed studies and Senior Seminar projects on arts management topics, and worked hard to keep Arts Management curriculum and work opportunities in the box office a part of the department.

Because of my commitment to the further development of Arts leadership and management opportunities, I have accepted the position as the new Director of Graduate Programs in the College of Continuing Education at the University of Minnesota. The position will allow me to help steward the interdisciplinary, inquiry-based Master of Liberal Studies program (which features an arts management emphasis), as well as to help launch the new Arts and Cultural Leadership program, which I helped to develop over the course of the last four years. In addition, I will be working with other units, colleges and the community to not only buoy and grow these programs, but create and launch new collaborative graduate programs, some currently under development and others not even sparked yet. It is a truly challenging and innovative opportunity and I am thrilled to become a part of this forward thinking at the University.

This transition is both exciting and emotional. Whenever you are part of something for this length of time, as I have been, it becomes more than just a job--it becomes an integral part of your life. I have made life-long friendships with faculty, staff and with alumni, whom I continue to remain in contact. I met and married my husband, the technical director in the department for almost 8 years, and we even held our wedding celebration on the Showboat! I have had the opportunity to work on and promote countless productions, projects, workshops, classes and students, many in collaboration with all of you! I owe an enormous debt to this University and this community for allowing me to serve in this capacity and for allowing me to learn so much while I was doing it. I have been truly blessed in this job, but realize that it is time to move on and take on the next big challenge that life has to offer: helping to educate and develop the next generation of Arts Leaders and Managers, who will lift up, steward, and celebrate the next generation of art-makers and producers.

My last official day in the Dept. of Theatre Arts and Dance will be Friday, October 23 and I will start my new position officially on Monday, November 2 over on the St. Paul Campus, which is where the College of Continuing Education is housed. I will operate on a consulting contract with the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance through January 31, in order to execute a smooth transition with current projects, before my replacement is hired and comes on board. My email will remain the same, but I will forward address and phone number information once it becomes available.

While this is certainly an amazing change for me, it is an exciting time for Theatre Arts and Dance as well, as this community contemplates its own set of new opportunities and directions. The Department is always changing, always growing, and being a part of that is something we all can have an impact upon. Take advantage of dept. meetings, town hall forums and volunteer opportunities--all of us are responsible for setting the course for the next 10 years of exciting developments within this department and at this University.

Fifteen years ago, I set out to find an arts management job in MPLS/ST PAUL, because in my estimation, when it came to the arts and education, there was no finer place in the world--my university colleagues, my community partners and my students have all proved that assumption to be overwhelmingly true. I would rather not think of this transition as good-bye, but perhaps as a new conversation that will open doors to unchartered opportunities between my new department and your future endeavors. So here's to a future full of possibilities!

Many kind regards,
Sherry Wagner-Henry
swh@umn.edu

Departmental Supporter Maggie Moulton Passed Away

On October 5th Maggie Moulton passed away. She was married to long-time, but now deceased Department of Theatre Arts Professor and iconic figure Robert Moulton. A quiet, but passionate supportor of our department, she established a generous scholarship fund in her husband's name shortly after his passing. She is also the mother of choreographer Charles Moulton who has been a Cowles Guest artist with the dance program in the past.

She will be missed.

A memorial service will be held at St Matthews Episcopal Church, 2136 Carter Ave, St Paul on Saturday Oct 17.

Mrs. Moulton's Official Obituary