Below are play summaries about and requirements:
BE AGGRESSIVE by Annie Weisman, directed by URI alumna Rachel Walshe.
On Stage: Oct. 10-13 and Oct. 17-20, 2013.
Auditions:
Auditions will be held in J Studio
Sept. 3 at 6:30 PM for junior and senior theatre majors
Sept. 4 at 6:30 PM for freshmen, sophomores, transfer and community members.
Callbacks: Sept. 5, 6:30 PM
Rehearsals begin Sept. 6.
Synopsis: A “valley-girl” take on Greek tragedy equipped with a chorus of cheerleaders, Be Aggressive is the off-beat telling of a classic tale of journey and catharsis in the complicated life of a teenager. In the Southern California community of Vista Del Sol, life should be paradise. But life is thrown into chaos when 17-year-old Laura’s mother is killed in a hit and run accident. As a result, she must take on new roles with her workaholic father and younger sister while she struggles to cope with grief, sudden adulthood, and the hell of high school life. She throws herself with total abandon into the world of cheerleading when she befriends popular cheerleader Leslie, a girl with a terrifying zeal for all things cheer. Leslie convinces Laura to run away to the “Spirit Institute of the South,” a hardcore, take-no-prisoners school of cheerleading. Armed with her deceased mother’s credit card and some stolen cash, Laura embarks on a journey, only to find herself faced with unresolved grief, something from which she cannot escape.
Cast: 7 Women, 1 Man:
Laura: 17 years old, struggling to find her place
Hannah: Laura’s 14-year old sister, precocious and desperately in need of guidance
Leslie: 17, Captain of the high school cheer squad, has a ferocious commitment to “real” cheer
Judy: 40s, Leslie’s mother, a perfectly manicured example of Southern California culture
Phil: 40s, Laura’s emotionally distant father, a workaholic with no idea how to deal with his daughters
Cheerleaders #1, #2 & #3 aka “The Cheer Chorus”: a sometimes terrifying, always united squad of cheerleaders who serve as storytellers, girls in Laura’s cheer squad, and more. They move fluidly between “Valley Girl” lightness and Bacchanalian ferocity.
Required: Please prepare a 2-minute monologue from a contemporary play AND a cheer of your own choosing. You may also choreograph your cheer if you choose though it is not necessary. You may also be asked to read from sides in your audition. Please read the entire play before your audition. A copy is available in the URI Theatre Office.
HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES by Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Alan F. Hawkridge.
On Stage: Nov. 14-17 and Nov. 21-24, 2013
Auditions:
Auditions will be held in G Studio
Sept. 3 at 6:30 PM for junior and senior theatre majors
Sept. 4 at 6:30 PM for freshmen, sophomores, transfer and community members.
Callbacks: Sept. 5, 6:30 PM
Synopsis: How the Other Half Loves is a brilliant farce by the master of the comic genre, Alan Ayckbourn. The play concerns the lives and loves of three couples at different stages in their marriages. William and Mary are newlyweds. Bob and Teresa have a loveless marriage but a new baby. Frank is the boss of the other two men; he is often confused and is married to his long-suffering wife Fiona. Through dinner parties, mistakes, lies and infidelity, the play descends into hysterical chaos. How the Other Half Loves is a wonderful and witty play by a playwright at the very top of his game.
Casting: 3 males and 3 females
Bob Phillips: Late 20’s; having affair with Fiona
Teresa Phillips: Late 20’s; fiery mother with new baby
Frank Foster: Middle aged; boss of Bob and William
Fiona Foster: Middle aged; having an affair with Bob
William Featherstone: 20’s; innocent and recently married
Mary Feather: 20’s; innocent and recently married
Required: Please prepare a one to two minute contemporary comic monologue. The ability to use physical comedy is important. Although the characters find themselves in extreme situations, the acting must be truthful and grounded.