Announcements 3-OCT-12

Many theatrical things are afoot this month and next, from upcoming summer shows to events like the University of Canterbury's Platform Arts FEstival.  Here is a quick summary:


Auditions: Elmwood Players' Summer Children's Production 

On the 4th November, Elmwood Players will be holding auditions for their Children's Theatre production The Near-Sighted Knight and the Far-Sighted Dragon. There are great roles available for up to seven adult actors - if you've got a lot of energy and can sing as well, that'd be a bonus.

Roles Available:

THE KNIGHT	Young, unemployed knight, near sighted, acts without thinking.
PRINCESS	Young and stroppy. Meticulous planner. Uses mathematical formulas to solve all problems.
THE DRAGON	Old, semi-retired, far-sighted, friendly and mellow.
THE DUCHESS	Scheming to take over the kingdom.
WILFRED	Duchess’ son. Lazy and generally bored.
THE KING	Kindly but likes the idea of being treated as the King.
CAPTAIN OF THE GUARDS	The Duchess’ right hand man. A bit of a bumbler.

More information about the play, cast and company is available on the Elmwood Players website.  To book an audition time or find out more, email Susan at sj-cameron@clear.net.nz.


University of Canterbury's Platform Arts Festival

UC's Platform Festival is on right now, presenting a wide variety of artistic exhibitions, including lectures, film screenings and theatrical performances. Next week, this year's graduating Theatre and Film Studies class presents Bluebeard's Castle, directed by Peter Falkenberg.  From the University's website:

Welcome to Bluebeard’s Castle, a neo-gothic panopticon, where you can visit Bluebeard’s wives waiting for their master while telling their stories, from the kitchen, the dressing room, the laboratory, the bedroom, the torture chamber and the winter garden.

But where is Bluebeard and what awaits in the last room of the castle?

Performances are October 9-13th.  Shows start at 7.30pm in Drama Workshop 2 in the Jack Mann Building on the College of Education campus off Solway Ave. Tickets are $20/$15 and $10 for school students, available from dash tickets. To find out more about this and other Platform events, see the University website.

Proposals for Musoc's 2013 Summer Musical
After a sell-out season of Chicago, cleaning up at the 2013 UCSA Madcaps Awards and winning twice at the 2013 Supreme Club Awards, Musoc is upping the ante for 2013.  The newly inducted committee has put a call out for proposals for their next show.  If you have a musical in mind that you'd love to see performed in Christchurch, then this is a chance for you to see it happen.  Musoc isn't too strict about the format of proposals but there are a few details they'd like to see that will give your proposal a better chance of being selected, these are all available here on the club's wesbsite.  Musoc is also open to proposals for other ideas that could enhance the musical theatre experience on campus and Christchurch-wide so if you have ideas for smaller productions, cabarets, workshops and other events, now is the time to let them know.  You can email Sam at president@musoc.org.nz or have a look at their page on Facebook to get a better idea of what the club is all about.

Musoc presents CHICAGO

Musoc is proud to present their 2012 spring season of CHICAGO

Set in Prohibition-era Chicago with a sumptuous jazz score and exhilarating dance numbers, Chicago... is the titillating story of sultry jailbirds Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart who let nothing short of murder get between them and their lust for the lime light.

These foxy ladies are joined by the smooth talking lawyer Billy Flynn, the sensitive 'Mr Cellophane' Amos Hart, and Matron Mama Morton with her chorus of merry murderesses to provide you with a devious and delightful show. Chicago tells the story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery - all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts.

Performances are Wed-Sat, September 5-14th.  Shows start at 7.30pm Wed,Thur,Sat at the Jack Mann Auditorium. Friday nights are R18, with shows starting at 9.30 and a bar onsite. Tickets are $12/$15 with a discount for group and school bookings. To find out more, see the Musoc Chicago website.  Tickets are available through Dash Tickets and on campus from 11am to 2pm (cash only).

Theatre Fundraiser & Musoc Showcase

Next week, a fundraiser show for the Isaac Theatre Royal is being held in Christchurch!

The Bitches’ Box is a fast paced comedy show: Amelia Guild and Emma Newborn throw the spotlight on man’s best friend and take the audience on a whistle-stop tour of the four legged characters you may encounter down in the yards. “We asked the question, what would two dogs talk about if they were holed up in the bitches’ box for 20 days?” The answer has resulted in a unique, side-splitting look inside the inner workings of a dogs mind.

The Bitches' Box will be a one-off performance on the 25th August in the Christ's College Old Boys Theatre, with proceeds going to the restoration of the Isaac Theatre Royal.
Performance starts at 8pm, all tickets $33 - for more information and to book tickets see the Event Finder site.


And this month, Musoc presents a premier performance from its new performance group in an 80s Showcase...

"...Don your leg warmers and tease up that perm, and let 18 of UC's best singers perform all your 80s favourites - including hits from Dave Dobbyn, Blondie, Belinda Carlisle, Madonna, Toto and more!"

Performances are Fri 24th and Sat 25th August.  Shows start at 7.30pm in the Undercroft at the University of Canterbury.  Tickets are $5 on the door, audiences are advised to arrive early to ensure they secure a seat.  Musical direction by Sam Creed and Cameron Stewart.

CASTING CALL (NZBS)

The New Zealand Broadcasting School is looking for three actors for a short 7-minute live multi-camera drama.

Set in a retirement home, this piece views an elderly man struggling to come to terms with his new living conditions. While plotting to escape, the piece progresses as a younger woman begins to attempt to connect with the man but ultimately fails as he lashes out at her. As she moves into the next room to speak with the Doctor, the elderly man overhears them discussing his condition- Alzheimer’s- and that he is getting worse.

The roles available are as follows the crew would like to emphasise that at this point they are focussing on looking for an actor to voice the doctor:

Elderly Man, Maurice Deans (60+): Male, strong lead actor, capable of realistic monologues.

Woman/Nurse, Lynn Deans (20-40): Female.

Doctor McKenzie (20-40): Male, Dominant with a strong voice, has minimal screen-time.



Contact Lauren Went to express interest via email Lauren.went@gmail.com

AUDITION NOTICE: Chicago

Break out the gin and roll down those stockings, auditions for Musoc's production of Broadway hit CHICAGO are coming this Queen's Birthday Weekend.

Audition times are 9am-4.30pm on the 3rd and 4th June with possible callbacks on the 5th.
Individual singing audition require auditionees to perform a song of their choice.  A dance audition is also required of all auditionees and these will be held twice a day (12pm and 4.30pm) on both days of auditions.

In roaring twenties Chicago, in an underground setting of jazz, gin and guns, Roxie Hart murders her lover. Her gullible husband Amos is convinced he was a burglar and agrees to take the rap before finding out the truth, ultimately leading to Roxie's arrest. Roxie's incarceration means joining famous stage performer Velma Kelly on Muderess Row. The show follows the two characters in a battle for fame and freedom as they capitalize on their crimes and pre-trial publicity to make headlines and boost their stage careers.

Roles Required

ROXIE HART  lead female mezzo
Naive, sexy, and selfish, Roxie has eyes only for the Vaudeville stage. A sympathetic character despite her selfishness.

VELMA KELLY lead female alto
Sarcastic, tough, sexy. An ex-Vaudeville performer. This character often acts as the hostess/narrator.

BILLY FLYNN lead male tenor
Persuasive, manipulative, sexy. Billy is a suave lawyer who will take any case that'll line his pockets.

AMOS HART lead male baritone
Timid, charming vulnerable. An unassuming, average guy. The only character in the show with totally pure motives.

MAMA MORTON lead female alto
Sexy, powerful, tough. The matron of the Cooky County Jail, believes every favour given should be returned.

MARY SUNSHINE supporting female/traditionally male soprano/counter tenor
Comedic character with a good-natured appearance who is a powerful gossip columnist.

CHORUS
A range of vocal, acting and dance ability required for chorus and cameo roles.


For further information, check out the event on Facebook.  To book an audition time email James Huntly - producer@musoc.org.nz

REVIEW: Musoc presents the Get It ON! season of RENT

A stripper, a guitarist, a filmmaker, two lesbians, an anarchist and a drag queen.  Although this sounds like a cross between the start of a terrible Walked Into a Bar joke and the cast of a very kinky blue movie, it’s actually the recipe for Rent – a deeply touching story about human survival.  Rent is a well-loved musical that is often billed as a “year in the life of friends” but this just skims the surface of what the show is about.  Set in New York City, Rent centres on Mark and Roger (who share a freezing loft apartment they can’t pay rent for), their friends and lovers, and the ripple effects of events that take place on one Christmas Eve.  The story revolves around the struggle of the main characters as they live with, die from and survive the HIV virus.  Rent is not your cliché struggling-artists story, but instead is a story of survival and the difference between living life and waiting for death.

Rent has some pretty big themes and a cult following, as well as huge musical numbers (it’s almost completely sung-through with very little spoken dialogue) so for a university club to take on the challenge of producing it is impressive.  Musoc’s Get It On! season of Rent does not disappoint. 

Musoc presents RENT

Thanks to Get It On! NZ, Musoc will be performing Jonathan Larsen's Tony Award winning musical RENT.

Based loosely on Puccini's "La Boheme", RENT tells the story of one year in the life of friends living the Bohemian life in modern East Village, New York City, 1989-1990.  Among the group are our narrator, nerdy love-struck filmmaker Mark Cohen; the object of Mark's affection, his former girlfriend, Maureen Johnson; Maureen's Harvard-educated public interest lawyer and lesbian lover Joanne Jefferson; Mark's roommate, HIV-positive musician and former junkie, Roger David; Roger's new girlfriend, the HIV-positive drug addicted S&M dancer, Mimi Marquez; their former roommate, HIV-positive computer genius Tom Collins; Collins' HIV-Positive drag queen street musician/lover Angel; and Benjamin Coffin III, a former member of the group who married for money and has since become their landlord and the opposite of the group's Bohemian values.  This show demonstrates how much changes or doesn't change in the 525, 600 minutes that make up a year.

RENT runs from Wednesday 7th March to Saturday March 31st, with shows on the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of each week. 

Tickets can be purchased online, or in the UC Central Library foyer between 10am-2pm (cash only) - door sales may also be available.

Performances start at 7.30pm. 

Tickets are $15 or $12 for students.

Directed by Sam Creed and Merryn Patrick
Musical Direction by Cameron Stewart and Benjamin McKellar
Choreography by Jessie Budd

For more info, see the event page on Facebook or the Musoc website.

Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play

A one-night only feature of UCSA Orientation 2012, Erin Harrington and Lilly Thomson present the NZ professional premiere of VINTAGE HITCHCOCK: A LIVE RADIO PLAY.

Come join us for an evening of adaptations of three early films directed by Alfred Hitchcock: "The Lodger," "Sabotage" and "The 39 Steps." Watch these stories come to life in the style of a 1940s radio broadcast with five actors playing almost 70 parts - expect explosions, high speed chases, parades, numerous acts of espionage and terrorism and a healthy dose of light murder.

The actors are live, the sound effects are live, the music is live - but some of the characters, unfortunately, may not be alive for long.

Featuring Matt Powell, John Ussher, Kim Georgine, Damien McGrath and Lizzie Tollemache with Matt Everingham.

Directed and produced by Lilly Thomson and Erin Harrington

7:30pm, Wednesday 22 February
C1 Lecture Theatre, University of Canterbury
Tickets $10 on the door, with pre sales available at UC cafes.

Suitable for all ages.

(source: http://www.facebook.com/events/245199358887640/)

Call For Actors For Short Film

A fourth year Fine Arts student from the University of Canterbury is on the look out for actors to perform in a short film.  The shoot will take place between April and July, dates are yet to be confirmed.  Further information is available from the StarNow listing or contact Clara at cmanonw@gmail.com to express your interest (please include a contact number and headshot).