All-of-us Express
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Upcoming open auditions |
Click on the name of a play for details about performance dates and location. Read the material further down the page for information about exactly what to expect at auditions. (By the way; it's okay to come and do a "trial" audition, even if you cannot be in a particular show, just to see how it feels. Simply let us know when you arrive that that's what you're doing!)
Auditions are 6:30 - 8:30 Thursday & Friday, 10:00 - noon Saturday. More details further down the page.
The audition workshop fee is $5 for members, $10 for non-members. There is no fee to audition, but there are participation fees if you are cast, and fees to work on "running" crews.
You may check out a script for up to three days. A $10 deposit is required, and the script must be returned no later than one week before auditions begin. (You get the entire deposit back when you return the script; the late fee is twenty-five cents per day.)
Details & FeesNo previous training or experience is required to audition for a part in a play, or to sign up to work on most crews. There is no fee to audition, or to work on some crews. There are fees for being in the cast and being in a guild crew. The fees cover each child's script, show folder, and the 40 - 70 hours of instruction and supervision during rehearsals, tech week, and shows. |
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The cast participation fee is $90 for non-members, $70 for members. The fee for being in a guild crew is $45 for non-members, $30 for members. (If you are working toward your Journeyman or Master level in a guild, the fee is $90 for non-members, $70 for members, to cover the additional instruction at those levels.) There are optional fees for a show T-shirt ($15), a video ($20), show photo CD ($20) and to attend the cast and crew party ($5) following the final performance.
Please ask about scholarships if you need help with any of the required fees! You don't have to fill out a bunch of forms or prove anything; simply tell the Director or one of the Producers that you need help with fees and we'll work it out. We do everything we can to make certain that no one is unable to participate because of the fees.
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When you audition you indicate if you wish to be placed on a crew if you do not receive a part in the play, and you indicate in which crews you are interested. If you are interested only in being on a crew, you simply fill out the forms, we take your picture (for use on the lobby display board when the show is in the theater), and then you may leave. Once you have been in a play as a member of the cast, regardless of the part you had, you must work on a crew before you can be cast again. It is possible to work on crew in two shows, then be cast in two shows, but you cannot "bank" crew points beyond that. The idea is to give everyone a chance to be cast in shows, and to require everyone to learn something about what goes on behind the scenes. Some crews (assistant director, sound, lights) require a certain level of experience. |
Auditions are held Thursday and Friday evenings 6:30 - 8:30, and Saturday morning 10:00 - noon, in the All-of-us Express office and rehearsal space in Logan Square. You come any one of these times and usually stay about an hour if you are trying for a part (much less if you are signing up for a crew only). You may receive a "callback" for Saturday afternoon, 2:00 - 5:00 so you can read at the same time as everyone being considered for speaking roles.
The audition workshop is a two-hour class about what it's like to audition with All-of-us Express, conducted by the director for whom you will audition. The fee is only $5 for members ($10 for non-members). Age range for the workshop is the same as for the show. Workshops are 6:30 - 8:30 pm, usually the Tuesday before the Thursday on which auditions begin. (Please call to sign up in advance; enrollment is limited!)
Rehearsals are usually 6:30 - 8:30 pm three days a week for six weeks, then a tech week of 6:00 - 10:00 pm rehearsals at the theater, then two weekends of shows. Summer rehearsals run four days a week for five weeks. It's a lot of work, and a lot of fun!
You show up for audition, fill in some forms, get your picture taken, and have your measurements taken. Then you sit down until you are called to come forward with a small group of other kids. Your parents may remain with you if they wish. How long you have to wait depends on how many kids are ahead of you in line. Early on the first night of auditions, most people have to wait a while.
The director has the people in your group read some dialog and do some creative movement. Everyone reads at least twice. (You may not be reading an appropriate part at this point. The director just needs to see you and hear you and take notes.) This part takes about fifteen minutes. You are free to leave when the director dismisses your group.
Some people are asked to return for call backs on the final day of auditions. This is done so the director can get together at the same time all the people they are considering for certain parts. (That you get a call back does not mean you will get a part, and that you do not get a call back does not mean you won't get a part.)
If you are called back, you must stay for the entire session, usually three hours, because the director may want to have you read for several parts. Following callbacks, you are notified by letter, within a day or two, of the results, and should phone us immediately to let us know if you accept the part offered.
If you don't get a part, you can be on a crew. Our policy is that you must serve on a crew to be cast again. (And being on crew is fun, educational, and important.)
If you are cast, the next thing you do is come to first read, where you get your script, rehearsal schedule, cast list, and so on. Your parents need to come, also. The director and the producer go over the rehearsal schedule, rules and procedures, and all the odds and ends you need to know. Parents are given the opportunity to help out with a number of necessary tasks.
It's all a lot of fun, so go ahead and audition!
On our audition form we ask if you will accept a non-speaking role. We do this because we don't want to take the effort to cast you for a part you will not accept. (Casting often means matching performers for size or other characteristics. When a person turns down a part, sometimes the casting has to change to make everything fit right.)
Needless to say, all parts are necessary for a play to work. Think about shows and plays you've seen. What would they be like if one or more of the "minor" characters were missing? And every acting job is a chance to learn and grow.
The first thing the director wants to know is whether you can speak loudly enough to be heard, and whether you speak with lots of expression (not in a flat monotone).
Next the director looks for performers who understand the characters. For instance, is your character happy or sad at a particular point in the script and can you show those feelings with your voice and body.
After that the director looks for a variety of body shapes so as to create an interesting picture on stage.
For most shows you have a pretty good chance of being offered a part of some kind, which is always an opportunity to learn and grow. (But you don't always get a part. Sometimes there just isn't anything that is right for you.) If you are not offered a part in a show that does not mean you are no good! Keep trying!
It is the mission of All-of-us Express Children's Theatre to provide young people with an opportunity to produce plays of a professional quality, and to provide the community with an opportunity to enjoy live family-oriented dramatic activities.
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