Talent searches: Masque Theatre New Talent Weekend and Suidoosterfees

The Masque Theatre in Muizenberg is calling for production applications for the New Talent Weekend that will be happening at the theatre on the 13^th and 14^th of May 2016. The New Talent Weekend is a brand new and exciting festival, aiming to give a platform to young, experimental and cutting edge theatre makers from the Western Cape. All productions must be original works and ‘out of the box’ is highly encouraged. There is no application fee for this festival but the production and the theatre will work on a profit split basis.

Applicants are to submit the following documentation:

• A full curriculum vitae, with contactable references
• A pitch document for the proposed production that is not longer than 5 pages
• Images from the production or resource images to give us an understanding of the aesthetic

Please send this information to manager@masquetheatre.co.za, by no later than 29 February 2016. A panel will review these applications and select and schedule a range of diverse and interesting works. All productions will be notified of the results by the end of March 2016.

 

 

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AUDITION: “Top Girls” by Caryl Churchill

Top Girls by Caryl Churchill

­­To be directed by Jenny Brandt for Claremont Dramatic Society

Date: Sunday, 21 February

Time: 11h00

Venue: The Hok, Claremont

Performance dates: 29 May to 18 June

Top Girls is a smart and dynamic piece of socialist theatre.  It comments on the predicament of the modern woman at work and at home and relates this to the experience of women through history.  Although it can be described as feminist in that it challenges the norms for women in society, it goes further than that, asking whether women should simply emulate men or find a unique way of being for themselves.

A comment from a critic on the original production reads:

It is splendid to see the Royal Court back in its old form, presenting virile plays on topical subjects, seizing our times by the scruff of the neck and shaking out the cant.

The play opens with a fantastical scene in which Marlene, the central character, celebrates her promotion to the position of managing director of an employment agency with a collection of intriguing historical and mythological women.

In Act 2, we are introduced to Angie, Marlene’s mildly intellectually challenged niece, and observe Marlene and her female colleagues at work in the employment agency.

Act 3 takes place a year before Act two in the kitchen of Joyce, Marlene’s sister. We learn that Angie is actually Marlene’s child and that Joyce adopted her so that her sister could pursue a career in the city.

Characters

Although there are 16 characters in the play, traditionally it is performed by seven actors, each actor taking on two or three roles, with the exception of the actor playing Marlene.  I will make a decision on how to cast the play after I have seen the auditions.

Please note that because of the potential doubling up of roles I am not going to specify the ages of each character at this stage.  The only exception is Marlene who needs to be in the range of 35–45 years.

The characters are:

• Marlene:  A self-made business woman, who has sacrificed her family life for her career.
• Isabella Bird:  A Victorian explorer, writer and naturalist.
• Lady Nijo:  A concubine to the Japanese emperor who later becomes a Buddhist nun.
• Dull Gret:  A Flemish mythological woman who leads an army of women to pillage hell in a painting by Pieter Bruegel the elder.
• Pope Joan:  A legendary woman who, disguised as a man, reigned as pope in the middle ages.
• Patient Griselda:  She appears in Petrach’s sonnets, Boccacio’s ‘Decameron’ and Chaucer’s ‘Clerk’s tale’ as the long-suffering wife of an impetuous marquis.
• A waitress:  She silently attends to everyone’s needs during the three course meal.
• Angie: Marlene’s mildly intellectually challenged teenage niece / daughter.
• Kit:  Angie’s only, and much younger, friend.
• Joyce: Marlene’s working class sister who makes aliving cleaning houses.
• Win and Nell:   Two high-flying colleagues of Marlene.
• Jeanine, Louise and Shona:  Job seekers interviewed by Marlene and her colleagues.
• Mrs Kitt: The wife of the man Marlene beat to the management post.

Audition requirements

I would like all auditionees to choose and prepare a monologue and/or dialogue from the play (copies available from Jenny Brandt).  Please note that because of the doubling up of roles and the complication this will bring to casting, I will not limit anyone to being cast as the character portrayed in the monologue/dialogue she chooses.  In other words, select a piece that you enjoy. I merely want to see what you can do with it. I also do not expect the piece to be delivered by heart.

For the dialogues, prepare for one character and someone will read in the other character.  The forward slash used frequently in the script indicates where the next speaker interjects.  This is used throughout the play to create a greater naturalism in conversation.  It also makes the play significantly more challenging to perform!

For any further information please contact me at jennybrandt74@gmail.com or on 082 492 5984.  Please do not message me via Facebook – I never look at my page!

Map for the Hok: https://goo.gl/maps/vOaQQ

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CDS Chat – January 2016

Claremont Chat

Claremont Dramatic Society Newsletter

The Hok, Thicket Street, Claremont, 7708

email: claremontdramatic@gmail.com

www.claremontdramatic.wordpress.com

January 2016 – Number 152

Hi everyone!

Happy new year! And new it most certainly is: there is lots of new stuff going on in the theatre world and lots of things to look out for in the coming weeks too. Read on for more!

Karaoke – Masque fundraiser

A fun-filled karaoke evening was held as a Masque fundraiser on Saturday 9 January. About 40 people attended the event and a great time was had by all. Ingrid Diener and Stephan Fourie provided plenty of delicious food to sustain the singers and dancers and the bar till trilled merrily all evening: a successful fundraiser on all fronts. Based on the evening’s success, another karaoke night seems highly likely, good news for those of you who wanted to attend by were unable to.

Aubrey Hindle’s retirement

Aubrey Hindle is retiring after many years looking after the Masque Theatre bookings. He will be missed but we wish him well in his future endeavours and no doubt we will continue to see him at the theatre.

Replacing him at the Masque Theatre bookings helm is Ashley Glass, who has up to now been helping out with housekeeping at the Masque. We wish him all the best as the new Bookings Administrator.

New theatre manager: Nicola Date

A big CDS welcome to Nicola Date, who has taken over the role of Theatre Manager at the Masque. We look forward to working closely with her as we continue to put on top-quality plays at our lovely theatre.

CDS’s next production

The Masque Theatre productions committee has approved Top Girls by Caryl Churchill as CDS’s first production for 2016. The show will be directed by Jenny Brandt and will play at the Masque from 29 May to 18 June. Keep an eye out for the audition notice, which will be sent out shortly.

CATA awards

The 2016 Cape Amateur Theatre Awards are to be held at the Milnerton Playhouse on 15 February. Keep watch for the nominations, which will be announced in the coming weeks. Good luck to everyone who was involved in CDS’s four shows in 2015: Crimes of the Heart, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Honour and The Actor’s Nightmare.

CDS AGM

It’s that time of the year again: AGM time! The CDS committee will send out the official notice after their first meeting of 2016, set for 24 January. So keep an eye out for that as well.

AUDITION: Shall We Dance?

• Date: Sunday 17 January
• Time: 15h00 (dancers) & 17h00 (non-dancing actors)
• Venue: Sarene’s Dance Studio, 185 Main Road, Strand
• Performance dates: 20–30 April 2016 at The Playhouse, Somerset West

Drama Queen Entertainment is bringing this classic story based on the 2004 movie to the Playhouse in the second half of April 2016.

CAST:

DANCERS

• John Clark (male, 40–50) – He is a good-looking middle-aged man bored with his work and his life routine looking for some excitement. The actor needs to be an experienced ballroom dancer.
• Link (male, 40–50) – A man who you would never suspect to be an eccentric ballroom dancer. He must be able to portray two very different images of himself. Needs to have ballroom and Latin dancing experience and not be shy to overplay and be dramatic in his dancing.
• Vern (male, 20–30) – Clumsy, preferably overweight man taking dance classes.  Needs Latin dance skills near the end.
• Chic (male, 20–30) – Pretends to be very sure of himself and to be a ladies man but is secretly gay. Needs ballroom dancing skills.
• Paulina (female, 20–30) – Beautiful and attractive woman. A little sad. Must be an accomplished dancer all styles.
• Bobbie (female, 40–50) – Very eccentric dancer. Can be slightly overweight. She is very ‘common’ and down to earth but has a vulnerable side that she hides away. Needs ballroom and Latin dancing skills.
• Miss Mitzi (female, 50–60) – Older dance teacher. Needs to have ballroom skills.
• Lisa (female, 18–25) – Vern’s fiancée. Small part. Needs ballroom and Latin dancing skills.

NON SPEAKING PARTS

• Francesco (male, 20–30) – Paulina’s dance partner. Needs excellent dancing skills.
• Young people dancing at a party (various) – Need basic two-step skills.
• Ballroom and Latin couples (4–6 couples) – For the competition. These need to be choreographed which means lots of extra dance rehearsals.

Everyone auditioning for any of the dancing parts will be asked to dance to at least one ballroom and one Latin dance at the audition. If you have a permanent dance partner and want to audition as a dance couple, please do so. You will be cast depending your experience; there are quite a few chorus parts for beginners as well. After the dancing audition you might be asked to stay for a reading of a scene as an audition for one of the lead parts.

NON-DANCERS

• Evan Clark (male, 18–21) – Son of John and Beverly. Small part with NO dancing skills needed.
• Devine (male, 40–50) – Private investigator, a bit clumsy but charmed by Beverly. NO dancing skills needed.
• Scott (male, 18–25) – Young assistant to Devine. Clearly more intelligent and learned. NO dancing skills needed.
• Presenter at the dance competition
• Beverly Clark (female, 40) – She is a loving wife and business woman, too busy to notice that her husband is not really happy. The actress does NOT have to have any dancing skills.
• Jenna Clark (female) – Teenager daughter of John and Beverly. Small part with NO dancing skills needed.
• Women taking dance classes (female, 18–40) – Three needed.
• Assistants working with Beverly (female, 20–50) – Two needed.
• Friends of Evan (female, 18–25) – Two needed. NO dancing skills needed.
• Tina (female, 18–30) – Bobbie’s daughter. Small part, NO dancing skills needed.

For more information call Philippe on 072 959 1372 or email philippe@pringiers.co.za.

SECOND AUDITION: P.S. Your Cat is Dead

• Date: Saturday 23 January
• Time: 14h00
• Venue: The Rendezvous, Promenade Road, Muizenberg
• Performance dates: 15–23 April at the Masque Theatre, Muizenberg

This very adult comedy written by renowned playwright/author James Kirkwood and directed by Alastair Duff provides excellent opportunities for comedic acting. American accents are necessary. The play is very funny, quite risqué and not for the squeamish!

CAST: (ages are fairly flexible)

• Jimmy (male, 25–35) – A struggling actor living in a one room apartment in New York. Life is not going very well for him. It’s New Year’s Eve, he’s at a low point in his life – and then Vito happens to him!
• Vito (male, 20–30) – A Latin American, Vito makes his living by hustling (burglary mainly). He chooses Jimmy’s apartment to burgle and the fun begins. He is a mixture of macho and sensitivity.
• Kate (female, 20–35) – A smart, attractive career girl. She decides to dump Jimmy for a new, more promising boyfriend, Fred, and so, of course, chooses New Year’s Eve to do it!
• Fred (male, 30–40) – A very funny smallish part with some of the best lines in the play. Fred is completely flummoxed by the whole situation!

These are four exciting parts to play. Jimmy and Vito’s roles are very big: they are on stage most of the time. Kate and Fred are supporting roles. Vito needs to have a pronounced Latino accent (Think of The Godfather) and should be comfortable with some nudity (tastefully handled).

ALSO NEEDED:

• Stage Manager
• Production Secretary
• Props
• Set Builders
• Various crew

Contact Alastair Duff on 021 788 4984 for more information.

AUDITION: Whistle Down the Wind

• Date: Saturday 6 February
• Time: 10h30–13h30
• Venue: Members of Christ Church, corner 2^nd Avenue and Wrench Road, Parow
• Performance dates: September/October, Metronome Theatre, Bellville

Please register your interest and book your audition time by emailing legendproductions@webmail.co.za. Provide your name, email address and a brief description of your acting experience. State if you are interested in adult or children’s principal or chorus parts.

See below for the list of roles and what you need to sing for the audition. Songs are available on YouTube or from us, if requested. Please note that a Southern American accent is required for all roles (kids included). We will assist with this. Please also note that this is non-remunerable and that voluntary participation and commitment is required.

CAST:

• The Man (male, 25–35) – Demanding lead male role. Excellent singer and experienced actor. Tenor with top note of B-flat. Able to fit the “classic Jesus description” and be credible, as the children believe he really is Jesus. A manic, hunted man who must have the power to move the audience emotionally. Song: Unsettled Scores.
• Swallow (female, 16) – Very demanding lead female role. Excellent actress and singer. Mainly a mezzo but has one high F. It is envisaged that a slightly older girl will have the maturity to cope with this very large role (on stage virtually throughout the show) with many key songs (solo, duet and group). However, it is vital that she has the innocence and naïveté to convey and make credible her unshakeable belief in Jesus. Song: Whistle Down the Wind.
• Brat (female, 8–13) – Swallow’s younger sister. Experienced young actress and god singer for solo and group singing. Lots of dialogue. Song: No Matter What.
• Poor Baby (male, 8–11) – Swallow’s younger brother. Experienced young male actor, good singer for solo and group singing. An older boy could sing the part if he has an unbroken voice. Lots of dialogue. Song: No Matter What.
• Amos (male, late teens, early 20s) – The rebel of the musical, keen on Swallow but planning to leave town with equally rebellious Candy. Strong singer and good acting skills. Tenor who needs to hit a top B. Southern American accent required. Amos is the cocky Harley Davidson-riding James Dean type character. Song: Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts.
• Candy (female, late teens, early 20s) – Amos’s girlfriend, a rebel rock chick. Black or mixed race actress required. Good singing voice and acting skills. Mezzo whose top note is a D-sharp. Song: Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts.
• Boone (male, 35–45) – The children’s father, recently widowed and struggling to cope with his young family, especially his almost grown-up daughter Swallow. Strong singer and actor required. Tenor whose top note is G-sharp/A-flat. Song: Whistle Down the Wind.
• Edward (male, 40s–60s) – The family retainer who looks out for the kids and family. Black actor required. Excellent singer and actor required. Baritone with a top note of F-sharp. Song: Cold.
• Sheriff (male, 35+) – Typical small town sheriff. He is concerned about the safety of the townsfolk with an escaped convict loose in the town. Dialogue and some solo singing. Baritone whose top note is a D. Song: No Matter What.
• Preacher (male, 45+) – The leader of the revival meetings. Uses snakes to gain religious recruits. Good actor with some singing. Tenor whose top note is A. Leads Wrestle With the Devil number. Song: No Matter What.
• Earl (male, 20s–30s) – Snake handler travelling with the religious revivalists. Some singing and dialogue. Bass or baritone. Song: No Matter What.
• Minister (40–60) – The town’s church minister who promises “the Saviour will return”, which is why the kids believe The Man is Jesus. Some dialogue and ensemble singing. Song: No Matter What.

CHORUS:

Various ages and genders required for small speaking roles and company singing. Song: No Matter What.

Team of good character actors and singers (boys and girls) aged 8–16 required for some solo lines in both dialogue and singing. Song: No Matter What.

For more information, contact Legend Productions:

• Sean Dryden (Producer) – 061 468 9954
• Corné Basson (Production Manager) – 078 880 9066
• legendproductions@webmail.co.za
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/Legendproductions/

See you at the theatre!

Calendar

14–31 Jan	Swan Lake on Ice	Artscape Opera House
	presented by The Imperial Ice Stars
17 Jan	AUDITION: Shall We Dance?	Sarene’s Dance Studio
	presented by Drama Queen Entertainment
21–23 Jan	New Journey	The Masque
	presented by Rhythm Productions Dance Centre
21–23 Jan	Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	The Playhouse
	presented by Carnivals of the Heart
23 Jan	AUDITION: P.S. Your Cat is Dead	The Rendezvous
	presented by FHDS
24 Jan–21 Feb	Night and Day – Cole Porter in Dance	Maynardville Open Air Theatre
	presented by Cape Town City Ballet
26 Jan–23 Feb	Othello	Maynardville Open Air Theatre
	presented by Artscape
27 Jan	MADS AGM	The Rendezvous
27–31 Jan	Exhibit S: An Ode to Saartjie Baartman	The Masque
	presented by Thola Antamu
27 Jan–6 Feb	Die Sideboard Musical	Artscape Theatre
	gebaseer op Simon Brunders se roman
1–20 Feb	Santa Gamka	Baxter Theatre
	presented by Golden Arrow Studio
2–6 Feb	Cape Town City Ballet	The Masque
6 Feb	AUDITION: Whistle Down the Wind	Members in Christ Church
	presented by Legend Productions
7 Feb	Pinelands Players AGM	Pinelands Clubhouse
9–20 Feb	A Beautiful Wreckage	Kalk Bay Theatre
	created by Grant Jacobs and Liam Mcdermott
12–14 Feb	Valentine Soirée	The Masque
	presented by Masque Theatre Players
26 Feb–5 Mar	The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)	The Masque
	presented by Constantiaberg Theatre Players

Claremont Dramatic Society Committee 2015: 

Simon Dutton (Chair) simon.d@mweb.co.za Home: 021 683 8630 Cell: 083 327 7350

Santie du Toit-White (Treasurer) santsbabe@gmail.com Cell: 074 608 2670

Jenny Brandt (Minutes Secretary and Member Relations Officer): jennybrandt74@gmail.com Cell: 082 492 5984

Matt Roy (Members Evenings): hapunkey83@gmail.com

Kim R2 (Communications): tzar42@gmail.com Home: 021 671 8687 Cell: 083 619 2441

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