Digital Auditions for Company by Steven Sondheim, Austin Theatre Project, beginning December 8, 2013

Posted by Austin Theatre Project:

We're already working on our kickoff for our 2014 season! Auditions for COMPANY begin December 8! With over 20 people to cast, we're looking at our biggest show yet! Our first round of auditions are online! You don't have to hire a videographer for this! Have a friend record you on a smartphone. If you have an appropriate song already posted on YouTube, you will be able to send us a link to that as well!

Video Promo: National Pastime by Tony Sportiello and Al Tapper, Austin Theatre Project at Center Stage, September 19 - October 6, 2013

Promo video just posted for the

production of

National Pastime

book by Tony Sportiello, music and lyrics by Al Tapper

directed by Barbara Schuler with music direction by David Blackburn

choreography by Meg Steiner

September 19 - October 6, 2013

Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m.

Center Stage Texas, 2826 Real Street, south of Manor Rd. - click for map 

NATIONAL PASTIME takes place in Baker City, Iowa in 1933. As the country is coming out of the Great Depression, about the only business in Baker City that seems to be holding on (barely) is the radio station WZBQ. The last time they had made any kind of profit was before the Depression... when the team was home to the minor league baseball team, the Baker City Cougars. In order to save the station, the owners decide to broadcast Cougar baseball again... only there's no team to broadcast!
What do you do when decide to broadcast baseball without a team? Broadcast fake games of course! Incredibly, the entire scheme works and the station is rolling in the profits once again. All is well until a reporter from Life Magazine arrives to do a story on the incredible Iowa baseball team.

NATIONAL PASTIME features Jim Lindsay, Haley Smith, Brandon Myers, Derek Smootz, Rachel Hoovler, Suzanne Orzech, Erik Freisinger, Matt Gauk, Kate Clark, Wendy Jo Cox and Heather Anne Howes. 

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Avenue Q, Austin Theatre Project, May 30 - June 16, 2013

By Brian Paul Scipione

Can You Show me How to Get to Avenue Q?

Long past are the days when musicals were solely the domain of prancing pirates and line dancing debutantes. The villains sang in baritone and the hero, a lilting tenor, as he won, lost and re-won the girl in different fantastical settings. There is the theme song, the hero’s lament, the song that exposes the girl’s conflicting feelings, the growling villain’s rant-song, and a choral effort by all the scrappy townsfolk who may help or hinder the hero. Oh yes, and a lot of love songs.

And though Avenue Q doesn’t stray too far from this formula it is part of the movement of modern musicals away from Disney-like, parentally approved, mores. Controversy and transgression has indubitably long been the territory of the dramatic arts, but singing about it joyfully has only come into the mainstream of Broadway during the last twenty years or so.

And Broadway loves it! Avenue Q won Tony Awards for best musical, best book, and best score in 2004. 2011’s Tony Award winning musical The Book of Mormon suggests that this isn’t going to change anytime too soon. Musicals have been tackling larger issues and using melody to express complex emotions since their inception. West Side Story is about gang warfare, murder, and racism. Yet it approaches these issues with kid gloves. The 1993 Tony Award winning musical Kiss of the Spider Woman was one of the first to include the grittiness and crudity that were attached to its themes on stage. In other words, it wasn’t afraid to try to make the audience cringe.

In the case of Avenue Q, this translates to onstage puppet sex. For this reason it is often billed as Sesame Street for adults. It isn’t out to change the world or hide its harsh realities from the audience. In the end it straddles the line between fun and message by introducing subjects like getting fired, being crushed by bills, and wanting companionship, and then dismissing them as things no one can do anything about.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Austin Theatre Project to Produce 'National Pastime' musical in September, 2013

Austin Theatre Project Awarded Workshop Production of Broadway-Bound 'National Pastime'

Algonquin Productions and Austin Theatre Project are thrilled to announce that the producers of the Broadway-bound musical National Pastime have awarded the Austin-based theatre company one of three workshop productions. Artistic Director David Blackburn says, “We have always felt the Austin theatre community has an incredible level of talent and we are both humbled and thrilled to have been selected for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Tony Sportiello, the musical’s author, recently visited Austin and spent the day with ATP founders Blackburn and Barbara Schuler and took in their production of Edges at the Dougherty Arts Center. After his visit to Austin, Sportiello remarked, “I thought everyone involved was terrific and the production values first class. I really look forward to working with such an amazing group of people on National Pastime."

National Pastime takes place in 1933. The country is trying to fight its way out of the Great Depression and no one has been hit harder than the sleepy burg of Baker City, Iowa. Its main industry, radio station WBZQ, is on the verge of going under and taking the town with it. The last time they had any ratings was when they broadcast the exploits of their home town baseball team but that team is long gone. So they create a new one, a fictional team that can't lose. They broadcast the fake games over the air and soon the ratings are soaring. All is well until Life Magazine shows up to do a story on the team.

The screwball musical, with book by Sportiello and music and lyrics by Al Tapper, was originally commissioned by the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY as a one-act play. The score was added a year later and once again saw great success at the Hall of Fame. After a production in Washington, DC and brief Off-Broadway run, the production found the necessary backing for a Broadway production.

Austin Theatre Project’s production of National Pastime is scheduled to open September 19 and will run through October 6 at the Center Stage theatre. Open auditions for the production will be held online and will begin in late July. For more information, contact Austin Theatre Project at info@austintheatreproject.org.

EDGES, a musical, Austin Theatre Project at the Dougherty Arts Center, February 28 - March 10, 2013

presents

Edges
a musical by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
directed by Barbara Schuler
musical direction by David Blackburn

 

February 28 to March 10, a limited run with only eight performances, so be sure to make your plans now to see this musical treasure!
Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Rd. - click for map
Tickets range from $15 to $30 and can be purchased online at www.austintheatreproject.org/tickets or by calling 1-800-838- 3006.

"But still I smile because I need to look strong;
And all the while I soldier along.
I know there's something much greater in me,
But I'm afraid to be who I am, who I want to become."

We've all been there, or we'll all be there. The lyrics above are taken from the opening number of Edges, where we find ourselves at that all too familiar point in life where we are ready to move into the next phase.

It's an exciting, scary, and maybe a little bit of an awkward time. Edges is a new musical gem that takes a group of 20-somethings as they face the first major "shift" in their lives.

Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Edges is the first musical by the team that wowed audiences with theirdelightful score to the Broadway hit A Christmas Story. Presented as a song-cycle, Edges is filled with songs that tackle love, family, dreams, dating, and even Facebook. However, this is much more than a cabaret or a revue. Pasek and Paul have an uncanny ability to create complete characters and stories within a single song.

Their work has received rave reviews critics around the world and is now being featured on the NBC Television series Smash. Austin Theatre Project is thrilled to be presenting the Austin premiere of this marvelous show.

ATP's production of Edges features a wonderful cast of twenty-somethings who are also well-known for their ability to create memorable characters and performances. Joey Banks (Baby, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and Brian Losoya (Corpus Christi, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) make up the male half of the cast. Sara Burke (Spring Awakening, Xanadu, Hairspray) and Taylor
Moessinger (Footloose, Evita) complete the cast.

Edges also features the same production team that brought you last season's Baby. Director Barbara Schuler is once again joined by David Blackburn (music director) and Meg Steiner (choreographer) for this Austin premiere! Sound design is by Joel Mercado-See and Lighting is designed by newcomer Taylor Whitmire.

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Upcoming: Baby, the musical, Austin Theatre Project, October 12 - 28

 

 Click for additional information

(Click to return to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Musical Theatre Auditions Go On-Line: Baby, Austin Theatre Project

Posted at the Austin Theatre Project website, along with an electronic form and detailed requirements for auditioning on-line for Baby, the Musical, scheduled for October 12 - 28 at the Dougherty Arts Center:

Auditions start here!

Most of you know we do things a little differently here at Austin Theatre Project. Our auditions for BABY are no exception! THE FIRST ROUND OF AUDITIONS IS ONLINE and I just wanted to clear up a couple of thngs about these auditions.
1. MOST important, the first round of auditions MUST be done via the form found on our website: www.austintheatreproject.org/auditions.
2. In order to submit the form, you will need to attach three files. One is your resume, one is your head shot, and the other is your audio or video audition. (You can submit 2 audition files.) Our servers will NOT process the form unless you have all three attachments.

3. You can record the entire song, choose 16 bars, 32 bars, whatever. Just remember... most directors can make a "callback decision" in less than 10 seconds. *HINT: do the part of the song that shows your voice off to the greatest advantage.

4. Once you send the form, it (and your files) will be sent to the director (Barbara Schuler) and the music director (David Blackburn). Once a decision is made, you will be contacted with a time for your callback, or notified that we won't be needing you for the show. WE WON'T KEEP YOU HANGING! We should be getting back to you within a week or two (early in the process) or within days (later in the process).Thanks!

New Company, Upcoming Auditions: Austin Theatre Project and Corpus Christi by Terrence McNally, April 21 - 22

The newly-established Austin Theatre Project of producing director Barbara Schuler and musical director David Blackburn will hold auditions for Terrence McNally's Corpus Christi, to be directed by Jeff Hinkle, on Monday, April 23 and on Tuesday, April 24, 6 - 9 p.m. at the Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Rd. (click for map)

Performances are scheduled for Fridays - Sundays, May 25 - June 10 at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC Church), 8601 S. First Street (click for map).

On March 28 ATP organizers announced their season through 2013, featuring The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, the musical Baby, Love Letters, Avenue Q, Edges - A Song Cycle, The House of Yes, Falsettos, and the 2013 Austin Holiday Project. They also discussed with Lisa Scheps the origins of their new initiative. Click below to listen to them on KOOP-FM's 'Off Stage and On the Air.' (9 minutes)

Auditions for Side by Side by Sondheim, Actors Coop at Dougherty Arts Center, May 17

Found on-line:

The Actors Coop will be staging Stephen Sondheim’s classic revue

Side by Side by Sondheim

July 8, 9 and 10, 2011 at the Dougherty Arts Center.

directed by Barbara Schuler with music direction by David Blackburn and choreography by Michelle Stuckey

produced by The Actors Coop, Robert Josef Cross Producing Director.

Auditions will be Tuesday May 17 from 5:30p to 9:30p at the Dougherty Arts Center Conference Room A, located at 1100 Barton Springs Road (click for map). Auditions are open to adults 18+.

Please email auditions@theactorscoop.com with your name, contact information and, if possible but not required, attach a bio with previous theatrical experience and a current headshot.

Auditions will consist of singing a prepared song (32 bar cut, accompanist provided, no background tracks allowed) and possibly songs from the show (music cuts provided). Come dressed in comfortable clothes that allow movement with appropriate shoes as there will be a dance combination as part of the audition.

Click to view list of Sondheim numbers presented in the original Broadway production.

Upcoming: The Fantasticks, Silver Spur Theatre, Salado, January 14 - 15

Received directly:

The Fantasticks

50-year-old Show Still Going Strong;

Two Shows Only at Salado Silver Spur, Jan. 14-15

Admissions are $15 for adults; $12 for senior citizens, military personnel and students with ID; and $8 for children aged 12. Group rates are available. For reservations, call the box office at 254-947-3456. For directions or more play info, visit www.saladosilverspurtheater.com.

When the “Fantasticks” opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York City in the spring of 1960, little did anyone know that 50 years and 11,000 productions (Not just shows!) later, it would be America’s longest-running musical.

Barbara Schuler Productions of Cedar Park, TX, will reprise its 2010 anniversary production of the popular musical with two performances only at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 14 and 15 at the Silver Spur Theater, (108 Royal St.) in historic Downtown Salado.

“We hope theatre-goers who’ve seen this romantic but bittersweet charmer before will enjoy it again, and those patrons who’ve never seen it will discover the magic that has made it a worldwide success,” said Grainger Esch, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Silver Spur Theater, a seven-year-old professional theater.

“Don’t expect a glitzy Broadway musical,” Esch noted. “At the heart of ‘The Fantasticks’” breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers.” Video clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK8Q4lZEqVs.

The Silver Spur Theater serves wine, beer, cider and expanded food choices at evening shows (only) at The Spuradical Social Club in its lobby. http://www.spuradicalsocialclub.net/ Membership is achieved by swiping your driver’s license before purchasing.

“We’ve got a great cast and a brilliant music director” (David Blackburn), said Barbara Schuler, a professional actress and director of the show. “We are all thrilled to have a chance to work together again in this revival of our March production.”

Click to view images and more information at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Ongoing: The Fantasticks, Way Off Broadway Community Players, Leander, March 26 - April 11

UPDATE: Lisa Schepps of KOOP-FM interviews Musical Director David Blackburn and some of the cast: Derek Smootz (El Gallo), Eve Alonzo (The Girl), Matt Boehm (the Boy), Rebecca Stokinger (Bellemy) and Kirk Kelso (Huckleby) and they sing numbers from the show. "Off Stage and On the AIr," April 5

Found on-line:




present

The Fantasticks

by Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt
directed by Barbara Schuler
musical direction by David Blackburn
March 26 - April 11, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Matinee on Sunday, April 11 at 3 p.m.
Click Here to make Reservations
Crystal Falls Playhouse, 10960 E. Crystal Falls Parkway, Leander

"Try To Remember" a time when this romantic charmer wasn't enchanting audiences around , the world. The Fantasticks is the longest-running production of any kind in the world, and with good reason: at the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers. Its moving tale of young lovers who become disillusioned, only to discover a more mature, meaningful love is punctuated by a bountiful series of catchy, memorable songs, many of which have become standards.

Featuring Derek Smootz, Eve G. Alonzo, Matt Boehm, Kirk Kelso, Rebecca Stokinger, Michelle Stuckey, Fred Bothwell, and Mark Butler

View video of scene with the two actors, Henry and Mortimer (6min. 20 sec.) at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .