WAM THEATRE ANNOUNCES AUDITIONS FOR GIRLS AGES 14-19
for Inaugural Session of New Girls Ensemble
“We envision a world where young women aspire to become confident leaders in their communities”
WAM Theatre is proud and excited to announce auditions for their new Girls Ensemble theatre education program. The program is open to girls aged 14-19 and auditions will be held on Saturday, September 12 from 1-4 pm at Barrington Stage Company’s Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, MA. Thanks to the generosity of the program sponsors, there is NO COST to participating in this program.
The Girls Ensemble is a new program, drawing from schools and groups across the Berkshire region. WAM is seeking 10-12 committed young women who are interested in all aspects of theatre making to be part of the inaugural ensemble. Under the leadership of accomplished teaching artists Barby Cardillo and Amy Brentano, the Ensemble will create an original theatre piece based on themes important to the participants using a process called devised theatre. Devised theatre is a collaborative process where the participants use different theatre techniques, such as improvisation, movement, physical theatre, theatre games and writing, to create original material around a chosen starting point. The show will have strong production values, and share the perspectives and stories of the participants. The first Girls Ensemble presentation will be on December 11, 2015, and will be shared with family, friends and other invited guests.
For the auditions, girls are asked to prepare an original piece. A poem, a song, a dance, a monologue, a painting, play an instrument or a combination of those that is between 1-2 minutes in length. They will also participate in the group audition, which will involve theatre games and ensemble building activities. All those auditioning are required to be present for the whole audition time: from 1pm-4pm on Saturday, September 12.
Participants chosen for the Ensemble must also commit to being present for ALL rehearsals between September 19-December 11, so please visit
http://www.wamtheatre.com/audition-for-wam-theatres-girls-ensemble/ for complete dates and details.
Most, but not all, rehearsals are on Saturdays from 1-4pm. The whole program will take place at the Blatt Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsfield, MA at 36 Linden Street.
To book an audition or to ask any questions e-mail Barby Cardillo. WAM Education Associate and Girls Ensemble Teaching Artist, at
barby@wamtheatre.com or call WAM at
413-274-8122.
An experienced Teaching Artist and trained social worker who has taught at Community Access to the Arts, Shakespeare & Company, Berkshire Theatre Group, and Barrington Stage, WAM Education Associate Barby Cardillo has directed the company’s education program at Girls, Inc. for several years. She was most recently seen on stage as Juliet’s Nurse in the Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park production of Romeo and Juliet. In addition she has performed with WAM, Shakespeare & Company, Berkshire Theatre Group, Boston Playwright’s Theatre, Mixed Company, New Stage, Whitney Arts Center, and the Berkshire Fringe Festival. An experienced improv artist, Cardillo is a founding member of the Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe (RBIT) and The Majesters Improv Troupe.
Amy Brentano is making her debut as a Teaching Artist for WAM’s Girls Ensemble this fall. She was the film and theatre director at Berkshire Country Day School for four years, and she teaches and directs theatre at Richmond Consolidated School, and works with Barrington Stage Company’s Playwright Mentoring Project. In the past she has worked for Berkshire Theatre Group and the Southern Berkshire Regional School District. Brentano was the Co-artistic Director for Red Earth Ensemble and Producing Director for Don Quijote Experimental Children’s Theatre at Lincoln Square Theatre. She performed with director Moises Kaufman at Theatre for the New City; and at La MaMa ETC as an ensemble member of Teatron.
Seed funding for this program has been provided by multi-year grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Greylock Federal Credit Union, the Dylandale Foundation, the International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA) and Petricca Industries as well as a grant from the Feigenbaum Foundation, Interprint and various local cultural councils.
Additionally, this is an ISTA (International Schools Theatre Association) endorsed project. Based in the United Kingdom, ISTA brings together young people, artists and teachers from different countries in different settings to experience, create and learn about theatre. ISTA produces over 50 international arts events each year. WAM Theatre is one of two projects ISTA endorses as part of their ISTA Connect program. The other program is in Kolkata, India. WAM aims to bring the Girls Ensemble participants to an ISTA event within five years
www.ISTA.co.uk
About WAM Theatre
Based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, WAM Theatre was co-founded in 2010 by Canadian director, actor, educator, and producer Kristen van Ginhoven to create professional theatrical events for everyone, with a focus on women theatre artists and/or stories of women and girls.
WAM Theatre also has a philanthropic mission, inspired by the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, and donates a portion of the proceeds from its theatrical events to organizations that benefit women and girls.
Over the past five years, WAM Theatre has donated more than $15,000 to seven nonprofit organizations and provided paid work to more than 100 theatre artists. In addition to the main stage productions and special events, WAM Theatre’s activities include a comprehensive educational outreach program and the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. For more information, visit
www.WAMTheatre.com
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