Casting Director Arnold Mungioli To Teach Master Class And Mock Cattle Call 8/21

Students enrolled in Theatre West Virginia and Mountain State University's Professional Training Internship Program will train with award-winning casting director Arnold Mungioli. Through Mungioli's training, the student interns will experience a professional actor's master class and a mock "cattle call" audition. The showcase event wraps up a summer of intensive training for the interns led by Pamela Chabora, performance specialist and actor with Theatre West Virginia and a faculty member at Mountain State University.

Mungioli states, "The goal of the showcase is to provide some professional perspective from the Broadway and commercial theater. Very often, an actor's first audition for Broadway is when he or she shows up to his or her first audition call. If it is an open call, it can be unlikely that a senior casting director from the office will be present, leaving little or no time for feedback. Here, the interns will get to work with a senior level casting director, and they will be given feedback of a detailed nature to help themselves improve their auditions and prepare for their next step up the ladder of success. By the end of our time together, the hope is to have succeeded in demystifying the audition process and to have ignited a desire in the interns to further develop their talents and move forward as artists."

The showcase is free of charge and open to anyone interested in learning about the process of a professional audition. Participation in Mungioli's master class will be available only to the TWV/MSU interns, although individuals can reserve a seat to observe the workshop. Networking opportunities with Mungioli will also be available at a reception following the event.

Mungioli has enjoyed success across the globe as a casting director, producer, director, teacher and audition coach for over two decades. As former executive director of casting for Disney Theatrical Productions, he was responsible for worldwide casting of many productions, among them the Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Aida. He also spent six years as senior vice president of casting and creative development for international producing organization Livent, Inc. During his time with Livent, Inc., he cast Ragtime, Fosse, Showboat, Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Candide and Kiss of the Spider Woman, among others.

Each year 12 to 14 interns are selected for the TWV/MSU Professional Training Internship Program through national and local auditions. The selected interns have performing roles in Theatre West Virginia productions. They also receive voice and dance training, master classes in acting, and studies in such related topics as the business of acting. MSU provides the interns with three hours of undergraduate field experience credit that can be applied to its newly announced bachelor's degree program in theatre performance. MSU also provides the interns with options for lodging and meals.

The showcase event will take place at Tamarack's Hulett C. Smith Theater from 12 to 5 pm on Saturday, August 21. Mungioli's master class available only to the TWV/MSU interns, will be held from 12 to 2 pm. Individuals can reserve a seat to observe the master class. The mock "cattle call" audition will take place at 3 pm and is open to the public for observation. To reserve a seat for the showcase or learn more about the internship program, contact Theatre West Virginia at 304.256.6800 or 800.666.9142.

Mountain State University, founded in 1933, is a not-for-profit independent institution based in Beckley, W.Va., serving more than 8,700 students a year in such market-relevant fields as business, accounting, computer science, information technology, criminal justice, theatre performance, nursing, medical sonography, and leadership. In addition to its main campus in Beckley, MSU has campuses in Center Township, Pa.; Martinsburg, W.Va.; Mooresville, N.C.; Orlando, Fla.; and Washington, D.C.; as well as a site in Hickory, N.C. Many degrees are also offered online. For more information, call 866.FOR.MSU1 (866.367.6781)

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