PERFORMANCES: February 15th - 24th
Including two Friday matinees
Studio Theater (TD-W 1101)
GENERAL Sunday, November 18, 2018
AUDITIONS: 5pm-10pm
Studio Theater (TD-E 1101)
CALLBACKS: Monday, November 19, 2018
6pm – 11pm
Studio Theater (TD-E 1101)
1ST REHEARSAL: Monday, January 7,2019
REHEARSALS:
Typically 20-25 hours per week until tech rehearsals begin. This play will rehearse Monday – Friday between the hours of 6-11 until tech week. There will be some Friday afternoon rehearsals and occasional Saturdays. There are additional hours for techs and dress rehearsals leading to performances including two Friday mornings and weekends.
CREDIT:
3 units of THTR 49 and/or 149 will be given to cast members.
SCRIPTS:
The current draft of the script is now available on
GAUCHOSPACE.
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:
Any full time UCSB student is welcome and encouraged to audition. The audition sign-up list will be posted in the Production Office (TD-W 1600) starting on November 1st.
AUDITION PREPARATION:
Please read the script carefully so you can use it to:
Pick a short scene or speech from the play to perform. You do not need to memorize this scene, but it should be prepared well.
If you choose a scene, you should also choose a partner and prepare together. It is possible to have a partner who is not auditioning for the role that they read in the scene. For example: if you want to do a Kenny scene, the actor reading the other role may not be auditioning for that role.
Selections should be no more than 2-3 minutes. Time your scene please.
Please specify which role you are reading for on the sign-up sheet.
If you have questions or need more information contact
THE PLAY and PROJECT:
LAUNCH PAD in a co-commission with Seattle Children’s Theatre and Chicago Children's Theatre presents a new adaptation of acclaimed author Christopher Paul Curtis’ groundbreaking, timeless work, The Watsons Go To Birmingham- 1963. The play centers on a buoyant, loving Michigan family of five travelling south to Alabama during the turbulent summer of 1963, a time of racially motivated upheaval and civil unrest. Ten-year-old Kenny is conflicted about this family vacation, but as his world expands, Kenny learns he’s more courageous than he ever thought himself capable. This is geared to young audiences and will have two student matinees during the run.
THE PLAYWRIGHT:
Cheryl L. West’s plays have been seen in England, off-Broadway, on Broadway (Play On!) and in numerous regional theaters around the country. Her plays include Shout Sister Shout, Akeelah and the Bee, Pullman Porter Blues, and Jar the Floor. She has written TV and film projects at Disney, Paramount, MTV Films, Showtime, TNT, HBO, CBS and is the Webby-nominated writer for the original web series Diary of a Single Mom. Ms. West is currently working on commissions for Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Chicago Children’s Theater, Minneapolis Children’s theater, and Seattle Children’s Theater.
ROLES (all roles available to UCSB students):
Kenny , 10, African-American
Byron, 13, African-American
Daddy, 35, African-American
Mama, 35, African-American
Joey, 6, African-American
Grandma Sands, 60’s, African-American
Buphead, 12, any ethnicity
Alabama racist, Caucasian, 25-30
Wool Pooh, any ethnicity (must move well)