Auditions for Vortex Summer Youth Production of Commedia of Errors, May 21 - 31

VORTEX Repertory Company announces AUDITIONS May 21-31 by application and appointment for Summer Youth Theatre 2012 and Commedia of Errors, adapted from Shakespeare and directed by Melissa Vogt-Patterson. At The VORTEX, 2307 Manor Road, Austin, TX 78722 (click for map). Bus route. Free Parking.

VORTEX Repertory Company is seeking students ages 13-17 to participate in Summer Youth Theatre 2012 (SYT). Now in its 21st year, the award-winning SYT program rehearses in the evenings with a few weekend day commitments in June and July and is tuition-free. SYT encourages diversity. Students of any ethnicity or heritage, students with disabilities or economic challenges, and students of all experience levels are welcome. This year’s production will also feature singers and musicians.

SYT 2012 provides students with experiences in all aspects of theatre including acting, technical theatre, and publicity. Rehearsals and workshops are Free to all participants. The rehearsals culminate in a full production of a play presented to the public over two weekends.

Prior to the audition/interview, students must fill out a short application and prepare a memorized, one-minute piece of text from a play, poem, or song. Shakespearean text is recommended but not required. A parent or guardian is also required to attend the interview.

This summer, SYT presents Commedia of Errors, a 2010 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. This clever mash-up of Commedia dell'Arte, contemporary comedy, and Shakespeare was previously performed in New York. Commedia is a classical theatre form from 16^th-century Italy and characterized by masked types who perform with a highly physical style. Students will engage in workshops in Commedia style, mask work, and clowning to explore this vibrant physical theatre form. High comedy meets classical text, providing a fresh new approach to Shakespeare.

Commedia of Errors is directed by Matthew Patterson, an actor, director, drummer and long-time VORTEX company member. As an actor, he has received several B. Iden Payne and Austin Critics’ Award nominations for VORTEX shows such as King Lear and Norm L, and a B. Iden Payne Award for his work in The Baltimore Waltz. He appeared as an adult guest artist in SYT's productions of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, Conference of the Birds, and Machinal, and directed the SYT productions Animal Farm and The Good Woman of Szechuan. Mr. Patterson is a member of Actors’ Equity and holds an MFA from the University of North Carolina's Professional Actor Training Program. After graduation, he moved to New York, where he performed the dual roles of Antipholus of Syracuse/Antipholus of Ephesus in the world premiere of A Commedia of Errors. He is proud to be back in Austin working with the fine actors of VORTEX’s Summer Youth Theatre.

Summer Youth Theatre is funded and supported in part by VORTEX Repertory Company, by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.

To download an application, please visit www.vortexrep.org. To receive an application by mail or to set up audition/interview time, please contact Bonnie Cullum at vortex@vortexrep.org or 512-478-5282.