MALTZ JUPITER THEATRE
INVITES LOCAL PERFORMERS
TO AUDITION FOR NEXT SEASON
Every hit stage production begins with auditions, and the Maltz Jupiter Theatre is encouraging local professional performers to try out.
The first of the Theatre’s auditions for the shows in its 2014/15 season, Spark Your Imagination, will take place in Jupiter onFriday, April 11, for Glengarry Glen Ross (onstage Feb. 8 – 22). Performers are asked to be ready to read passages from the script. They should bring a headshot and résumé.
Other upcoming auditions in Jupiter include auditions for all of the other shows in the Theatre’s 2014/15 season, including The Foreigner (onstage Oct. 26 – Nov. 9), Fiddler on the Roof (onstage Dec. 2 – 21), The Wiz (onstage Jan. 13 – Feb. 1) and Les Misérables (onstage March 10 – April 5).
As the largest regional theatre in Florida, the Theatre is one of the area’s top employers of both onstage and backstage talent, including directors, choreographers, designers, musicians, performers and stage crew. To cast its professional shows, the Theatre draws from a national and local talent pool. Of 94 stage roles needed during the 2013/14 season, 43 performers were from Florida. The remaining 51 performers were from New York and elsewhere.
“People have the misconception that talent can only be found in New York or other big cities – but talent exists everywhere,” said Andrew Kato, the Theatre’s producing artistic director. “We’d like to encourage local performers to read the casting information on the Theatre’s website, find a role that interests them, make an appointment, show up to auditions and let their talents be known. Our first priority is to employ talented actors from this area.”
Between 400 and 700 people typically audition in New York for each of the Theatre’s large-scale musicals, and as many as 250 people audition for its plays. However, the Theatre’s leaders always give strong consideration to local performers due to their desire to support local talent. There are also financial incentives to hiring locally, since the Theatre is required to offer housing to any union performer outside a 50-mile radius. All directors are present at call-backs.
“There are so many opportunities to be seen at our Theatre,” said Rachel Blavatnik, the Theatre’s associate producer who coordinates casting. “Just like on Broadway, we follow Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) union requirements and host Equity Principal Auditions (EPAs), or union open calls. However, non-union actors can also attend these auditions and wait in line to be seen. Performers who are members of the union are encouraged to make an appointment.”
Since the Theatre is also required to hold EPAs in two major cities outside of South Florida, auditions for the Theatre’s season shows also take place in Orlando and New York City. The Theatre is also a member of the Florida Professional Theatres Association (FPTA), which holds state-wide auditions every summer – this year in Vero Beach. Blavatnik attends each year.
“The opportunities abound each year, from comedy and drama to big, splashy musicals,” Blavatnik said. “The needs are often very specific to the particular shows we are doing. This season, we have two large-scale classic musicals, a rock and soul musical, a heartwarming comedy and a cutthroat drama. There is great opportunity for all types of talented performers.”
The Theatre’s New York musical auditions often take place over five days, including a day for an open casting call, two days for agent submissions, a day for dance calls and a day for callbacks.
Student auditions will be held on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the Theatre’s fifth annual First Step to Stardom audition day, with roles for dozens of students (ages 6 – 21). The day will feature casting for the Theatre’s professional productions of the classic musicals Fiddler on the Roof, The Wiz and Les Misérables, the comedy The Foreigner, the new musical Through the Looking Glass and a classic drama produced through the Theatre’s high school mentorship program: The Crucible.
Full details of all of the Theatre’s casting sessions can be found by visiting
www.jupitertheatre.org and clicking on the “auditions and submissions” button on the side of the page. First Step to Stardom audition information can be found by visiting
http://www.jupitertheatre.org/fsts.
About the Maltz Jupiter Theatre
The not-for-profit Maltz Jupiter Theatre has become one of Florida’s preeminent professional theatres, committed to production and education through its collaborations with local and national artists. Currently the state’s largest award-winning regional theatre, the Theatre draws nearly 100,000 people annually, serves a subscription base of more than 7,611 and has world-class classroom facilities in support of its Paul and Sandra Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts, which serves hundreds of youth and adults. The Theatre is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres and has earned numerous Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s highest honor for artistic excellence, including the prestigious Bill Von Maurer Award for Theatrical Excellence in 2012. For more information about the Theatre’s upcoming shows and Conservatory, visit
www.jupitertheatre.org or call the box office at
(561) 575-2223.
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