Bendigo Theatre Company Bendigo Theatre Company
Information for Artistic Development Program (ADP) and Godspell Production
The first ongoing, professionally supported theatre-training program in Bendigo for children, young people and adults.
In training and development in the areas of Actor Training, Directing Program Season One & Design
Artistic Director Matthew Emond
Bio Note
Matthew graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with a Graduate Diploma in Dramatic Arts (Directing). Matthew’s directing credits include Peter Pan (BTC), a selection of short plays by Daniel Keene (BTC), the musical Godspell (CEO Sandhurst), Taize (Castlemaine State Festival), The Return (National Theatre Drama), Cowboy Mouth (Victorian College of the Arts), Crave (Cat and Fiddle Theatre) and Blow (Theatre Nepean), The Pirates of Penzance (La Trobe University) Libretto adapted for Primary School Children by Matthew Emond.
Matthew
has also worked on Saved (Victorian College of the Arts), Hard Lines
Readings (Melbourne Theatre Company), with Nick Enright
on A Man and Five Children (Sydney Theatre Company), Ray’s Tempest
(Melbourne Theatre Company), and with Geoffrey Rush and Neil Armfield
on Exit the King.
Matthew was Associate Director of The Journey Program at Actors Centre Australia, Sydney Matthew has taught at Australian Theatre for Young People, National Theatre Drama School, and VCA youth program, Actors Centre Australia and Actors College of Theatre and Television. In 2006 founded
Regional Theatre Works, an independent production company supporting the creation of quality contemporary theatre in regional Australia.
Godspell and Directors’ Season Productions
* Audition form.
Artistic Development Program and Godspell production audition form is attached. It can be returned via an attachment to an email, posted or delivered to letter box at BTC Arts Shed 15-17 Allingham Street Golden Square by Wednesday 25th January.
Check you are able to commit to all dates for training/rehearsals and performances before returning your audition form.
* Auditions for Godspell ADP:
Saturday 4th February, Call backs Sunday 5th February 2012
You will be notified of times when we have received all applications.
Please nominate your preference for your audition time on audition form (attached) AM PM
* Godspell Performance dates:
May 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 at The Capital Theatre View Street Bendigo
You will be required to attend rehearsals at the Capital Theatre (evenings) Monday 7 – Thursday 10 May
Production Week Saturday May 5 – Thursday May 10 (Cast not required on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6)
• (Run the show at Arts Shed on Wednesday 16th May)
* ADP training & rehearsals:
Every Saturday 10am – 4.00pm commencing Saturday February 18 to Saturday March 24 and every Monday and Tuesday 7pm – 9pm, commencing Monday March 26 to Tuesday May1
* Fees
Actor Training: $100 Plus BTC membership fee: Senior $25.00, Junior (16 years and under) $15
Director’s Program: $150 Plus BTC membership fee: Senior $25.00, Junior (16 years and under) $15
Design: $80 Plus BTC membership fee: Senior $25.00, Junior (16 years and under) $15
Your Commitment
* If you are successful in obtaining a place in the ADP and Godspell production, it is compulsory you pay the set fee as listed above plus a membership fee to Bendigo Theatre Company; senior $25.00, junior (16 years and under) $15
* All fees must be paid at the first rehearsal on Saturday February 18
* If you will be absent during any of the training/rehearsal season, eg. For holidays, work commitments etc.. Please note these dates on audition form when you receive it. We do appreciate that you have other events in your life, but we must be aware of these dates before the rehearsal schedule is set to ensure productive use of rehearsal time. Failure to inform us could put you at risk of not staying in the production if you are cast.
* BE PROMPT for rehearsals. Arrive at least 15 minutes early.
* Respect that everyone in the show has a job to do, and that requires giving each other the courtesy of making valuable use of the time available to you.
* The minimum expectation is that you will do your ‘actors preparation’. That is to practice directions you have been given.
Thank you for your interest in the Artistic Development Program and Godspell production.
We look forward to seeing you at auditions.
BENDIGO THEATRE COMPANY. email: btc@netcon.net.au
15-17 Allingham Street Golden Square www.bendigotheatrecompany.org.au
Godspell Information
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway. Several cast albums have been released over the years and one of its songs, "Day by Day" from the original cast album, reached #13 on the Billboard pop singles chart in the summer of 1972.
The structure of the musical is that of a series of parables, based on the Gospel of Matthew (though three of the parables featured are only recorded in the Gospel of Luke). These are then interspersed with a variety of modern music set primarily to lyrics from traditional hymns, with the passion of Christ treated briefly near the end of the performance. It started as a college project performed by students at Carnegie Mellon University and moved to La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in Greenwich Village. It was then re-scored for an off-Broadway production which became a long-running success. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godspell
It's also something more - a celebration of family and humanity.
Soloists in Godspell
Jesus- Must be the most charismatic individual in the cast. High energy, charming, funny, gentle but with strength. He is the sort of person others instinctively follow.
Gender: Male
Voice: Tenor
Dancing: Medium
John the Baptist/Judas- He has attributes of both Biblical figures: he is both Jesus' lieutenant and most ardent disciple and the doubter who begins to question and rebel. Like Jesus, he is also charismatic, but in more of an overt revolutionary way. Usually played by someone handsome and masculine, with an undertone of sexuality. He is the most "serious" and intellectual of the group, though as with all the actors, he must still possess a good sense of physical comedy.
Gender: Male
Voice: Baritone
Dancing: Medium
Jeffrey- Very high energy. Impish and playful. In the original, he played several musical instruments, including concertina and recorder.
Gender: Male
Voice: Tenor
Dancing: Light
Lamar- Not the brightest in the bunch, he is a little slow on the uptake. But there is a great sweetness and innocence about him. Because he sings "All Good Gifts," he must be a very good singer.
Gender: Male
Voice: Tenor
Dancing: Light
Herb- The comedian, the class clown. The guy who can do a hundred voices and imitations. This is also the role that sings the least, so it is wise to cast it for a comedian rather than a vocalist.
Gender: Male
Voice: Baritone
Dancing: Light
Robin- A bit of a tomboy, but basically open and sweet. She is the first of the group to commit to following Jesus in the song "Day by Day."
Gender: Female
Voice: Alto
Dancing: Light
Joanne- The confident one, the show-off. The first one to volunteer sometimes jumps in before she really understands what's going on.
Gender: Female
Voice: Soprano
Dancing: Medium
Peggy- The shy one. Sometimes a little slow to get things, but when she does, she commits all the way. Has an "earth mother" kind of warmth to her.
Gender: Female
Voice: Mezzo
Dancing: Light
Sonia- Sassy and slightly cynical, the most urban of the group. Also the "sexy" one, but her sexiness contains a large element of put-on, in the manner of Mae West or Madonna (who in fact once played this role).
Gender: Female
Voice: Alto
Dancing: Light
Gilmer- The female equivalent of the class clown. Goofy and a cut-up. This is the female role that sings least, and therefore should be cast with a strong comedienne.
Gender: Female
Voice: Mezzo
Dancing: Light
The notes are from Stephen Schwartz and were taken directly from the MTI Godspell Libretto/Vocal Book.
Your Godspell Audition
Singers, Dancers, Actors
You will need to prepare:
1) One song (two minutes long) please bring along sheet music or a backing track (backing tracks must not include a sung melody line);
2) One parable from the selection below;
3) If you are a dancer and would like the opportunity to be showcased in the Godspell production, please provide a short dance routine at your audition;
4) A general movement/dance routine will be provided on the day.
Godspell Audition Pieces
Please select one of the following parables for your audition. Remember a parable is a short story intended to illustrate a moral or lesson. For your audition you will be asked to present one of the following parables as a piece of theatre. You may like to use clowning, storytelling, mime, puppetry, circus skills or vaudeville to tell your story. The choice is yours. The piece is to be presented as a solo.
Parable A)
A man was on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell in among robbers who beat him, stripped him, and left, leaving him half dead. It so happened that a priest came upon him, but when he saw him he went past on the other side. So, too, a judge came to the place and saw him and went past to the other side. But, a Samaritan who was making the journey came upon him, and when he saw him, was moved to pity. He went up and bandaged his wounds, bathing them in oil and wine. Then he put him onto his own beast, brought him to an inn, and looked after him there. The next day he produced two pieces of silver and gave them to the innkeeper and said, "Look after him and if you spend any more, I will repay you on my way back."
You have learned that they were told, "Love your neighbour, hate your enemy," but what I tell you is this, "Love, love, love, your enemies. And pray for your persecutors.”
Parable B)
Gather round, brothers and sisters, because two men, I said two, went off to the temple to pray. One, a Pharisee, and the other a tax gatherer. The Pharisee, why he just stood right on up, and praaaaayed thus:
"I thank thee, O God, that I am not like other men, greedy, dishonest, adulterous, or, for that matter, like that tax gatherer. I pray twice a week (get that, twice a week) and pay taxes on all that I get.” But the other kept his distance and would not even raise his eyes to the good Lord in Heaven. But beat upon his breast, saying, “Oh, God, have mercy on me, sinner that I am!” And it was this man, I tell you and not the other who went off and quitted of his sins for – Everyman who exalts himself shall be humbled. Every man who humbles himself shall be exalted. Amen, brothers and sisters!
Parable C)
Narrator: There was once a rich man who dressed in purple and the finest linen and every day feasted in the greatest magnificence. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who would have been glad to have satisfied his hunger with the scraps from the rich man's table.
Rich Man: “Oh, my God, it's good!”
Narrator: Even the doggy-doggies used to come and lick his open, running sores. Well, one day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels, to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried in Hades where he was in torment. He looked up and there, far away, was Abraham with Lazarus close beside him.
Rich Man: Oh, Father Abraham, have pity on me; send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue for I am in agony in this fire.”
Abraham: Remember, my child that all the good things fell to you while you were on earth and all the bad to Lazarus, and now it is he who has consolation here and it is you who are in agony. But that ain't all; there's a great chasm fixed between us and nobody from your side who wants to cross it can, and no one from our side who wants to cross it can ... either.”
Rich Man: Then Father, send Lazarus to my Father's house where I have five brothers to warn them so that they too may not come to this place of torment.”
Abraham: They've got Moses and the prophets. Let 'em listen to them.”
Rich Man: But if someone from the dead should rise, then they would listen.”
Narrator: Look, if they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, they ain't gonna listen to nobody, even if someone should rise from the dead. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
Parable D)
Now, when the Son of Man comes in all his glory with all his angels with him, he will sit in state on his throne with all the nations gathered before him and he will separate the people into two groups as a shepherd separates the SHEEP “Baa!” (Indicating division)...from the goats – “Baah!” ...And then he will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left... and then he will say to those on his right: "Baa baa baa baa baa." You have my Father's blessing. Come and enter the kingdom that has been ready since the world was made. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, when I was naked and without a home you took me to your house, and when I was ill and in prison, you came to my aid. And then they will say to him: “Master, when was it we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you drink? Or in prison or helped you? And then he will say to them: Anything you did for one of your brothers here, however humble, you did for me. Baa!