Fall 2016 Auditions
The fall 2016 auditions process is complete. No new students will be admitted to acting classes or stage productions for the fall. Auditions for spring classes and productions will take place Tuesday 1/17 and Wednesday 1/18 of 2017.
The Department of Theatre invites all interested students to audition for our fall acting classes and departmental stage productions during the first week of the fall semester, starting September 6.
Please note that auditions are open to all undergraduate students at Barnard and Columbia. Preference in casting and class placement is not given to Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts majors.
Fall Stage Productions
Some Hero
A devised work based on the writings of Václav Havel
Directed by Shannon Sindelar
For Václav Havel, despite its failings, history offers the record of "magnificent dreams, longings, and ideals." In this devised work, Barnard and Columbia students explore the political, philosophical, and artistic perspectives of the dissident writer who became president of Czechoslovakia, and then of the Czech Republic.
Performance dates: Thursday 10/13 to Saturday 10/15
Promenade
A musical with book and lyrics by Maria Irene Fornes
Music by Al Carmines
Directed by Alice Reagan
“. . . for those who have no cake, There’s plenty of bread.” In Maria Irene Fornes’ and Al Carmines’ brilliant musical parable, two escaped convicts take a vivid journey through the high-life, and low-life, of New York, a city whose divisions between rich and poor, old and young, the empowered and the powerless seems, perhaps, all too familiar today.
Performance dates: Thursday 12/8 to Saturday 12/10
Acting Classes
Auditioners may also choose to audition for fall semester acting classes:
Acting Workshop (section 1 and section 2; for First-Year Students only, no exceptions)
Acting the Musical Scene
Acting Shakespeare
Acting Solo Performance
Acting Avant Garde
Advanced Acting Lab
Advanced Acting Lab: Sondheim
How to Audition
Auditions will take place in the Minor Latham Playhouse (Milbank Hall 118, Barnard Campus) during the first week of the fall semester.
There is no sign-up process; you simply arrive to the theater at the beginning of theaudition session period, line up in the queue, and fill out an informational sheet indicating which production(s) and/or class(es) you are interested in. You will rank your preferences and cross out any option for which you have no interest.
Students with little or no prior acting experience are welcome and encouraged to try out.
Tips and full details on how to audition can be found on this page.
Schedule
The audition process begins Tuesday 9/6 (the first day of the academic year) and runs until Friday 9/9.
First, there will be an informational meeting at 5:30 PM on Tuesday 9/6 that all auditioners should attend, where the instructors will explain their courses and the directors will talk briefly about their visions for the shows.
Then you will attend one of the following three sessions (again, your choice; no sign-ups necessary):
Session 1
Tuesday 9/6
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Session 2
Tuesday 9/6
8:00 PM – 10 PM
Session 3
Wednesday 9/7
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
On Thursday 9/8, the class rosters will be finalized and posted in the morning, and “callbacks” (the second round of auditions for stage productions) will take place that evening.
The cast lists for Some Hero and Promenade will be finalized and posted Friday 9/9.
After Auditions
Acting classes begin immediately after auditions, starting on Thursday 9/8. You can register for an acting course in advance of auditions (for example, if you need a placeholder in your schedule to indicate you are taking a full course load next spring), but once you are placed in a specific acting class, you must enroll in the correct section as soon as possible.
Rehearsals for productions are Monday through Friday, 6:30 PM to 11 PM and Saturday afternoon. All cast members must enroll in THTR UN3122 (Some Hero) or THTR UN3132 (Promenade), as the productions are taken for course credit.
The time commitment for productions is for half of the semester, not the full semester. Thus:
Some Hero rehearsals will begin on Friday 9/9, and the show closes Saturday 10/15.
Promenade rehearsals will begin on Monday 10/17, and the shows close on Saturday 12/10.
Any questions?
Email theatre@barnard.edu at any time.