By Kristin Woffinden
Calling all talking clocks, singing candelabras, reading beauties and gentle beasts. If you have any interest in being part of this theatrical magic, Alpine Community Theatre needs you.
Auditions for their upcoming summer production of “Disney”s Beauty and the Beast” will be Saturday (May 12, 2007) at Timberline Middle School in Alpine. Auditions will be throughout the day based on age groups. Adults ages 19 and up can audition between the hours of 9 and 11 a.m.
Hopeful participants should come prepared to sing 16 measures of upbeat music, preferably from a musical. They must bring their own piano music and an accompanist will be provided, said Laura Snyder director of the production and president of the executive board of Alpine Community Theatre.
Come ready to demonstrate skills in dancing, improvisation and reading lines, Snyder said. Snyder, who has experience directing musicals such as “Annie” along with other judges will chose the cast members and assign parts. Auditions are expected to last at least one hour for each individual. Some roles are double cast to involve more people and accommodate more schedules, Snyder said.
“It literally takes an army to put on a production,” Snyder said. “I am expecting to have a cast of one to two hundred.”
Alpine Community Theatre is not only looking to assign parts, they also need volunteers to help in a myriad of areas, such as stage manager, hair and makeup, musicians and vocal coaches, Snyder said.
Any volunteers are needed and welcome. Theatre officials say they will put people to work anywhere they can. Volunteers are also needed to help in unrelated areas such as concessions and ticket collections, said Rita Patterson, assistant director.
“We try to encourage as much community involvement as possible,” Snyder said. “Our slogan is, ”Alpine Community Theatre, where everyone can get into the act.””
Even volunteers without any particular aptitude in musical theater can help and Alpine Theatre is willing to teach and train, Patterson said.
“Our whole goal is to educate,” Patterson said. “If you are willing to learn we will have specialists here to teach you.”
The more people who know about the production the greater the experience will be for the participants, said Heather Houston, who signed on to help with publicity. After her children participated in the community theatre last year, she wanted to become move involved in the process.
The list for callbacks will be posted on Alpine Community Theatre”s Web site and will be on May 15. The final cast list will be announced on May 17, Patterson said.
This summer”s production of “Beauty and the Beast” will run from July 27 to Aug. 6, wrapping up after a total of eight shows. For more information about auditions, visit, www.alpinecommunitytheatre.org.
