Perform Musicals 2009 auditions

Echelon Productions is a multi award-winning theatrical producer and one of the largest touring theatre companies in Australia. Based in Melbourne, the company has been established since 2000 and in that time has produced a number of Helpmann Award and Green Room Award nominated plays and musicals. 

Also operating as Perform Educational Musicals, which specialises in touring educational musicals for schools across Australia and New Zealand, the company employs around 50 performers throughout the year.

Our educational theatre division is holding auditions across Australia during March & April for our major 2009 productions celebrating Book Week (primary school tour) and Science Week (secondary school tour). This year we will be celebrating 10 years of Book Week musicals and in this time have performed to over one million students.

The performances, which take place within schools, are highly interactive and feature action packed narratives, appealing, identifiable characters, loads of comedy, singing and dancing that captivate and engage all audiences, including teachers! Question time at the conclusion of the performance reinforces the learning outcomes.

Casts of two perform up to three shows a day in schools within a one hour radius of the metropolitan area. The casts drive themselves between schools and performers need to have access to a reliable car.

All productions are one hour musicals and include PA and headset microphones for the performers.

Cast requirements:
Performers are the ambassadors of the company and significant role models for thousands of students and this means we have high standards for hiring performers.
Age: between 20 and early 30s
Skills: strong singing voices, excellent comedic inventive acting and ability to move well.
Personal qualities: Warm, friendly, energetic, personable, excellent communicators, fun loving, reliable, committed and most importantly enjoy working with children.

We are casting:
PERTH – 3 males and 3 females (Book Week production)
ADELAIDE – 2 males and 2 females (Book Week production)
BRISBANE – 4 males and 2 females (Book Week and Science Week productions)
SYDNEY – 7 males and 5 females (Book Week and Science Week productions)
MELBOURNE – 2 males (Science Week production)

Auditions will be held on the following dates:
PERTH – Friday 27th March
ADELAIDE – Tuesday 31^st March
BRISBANE – Monday 6^th April
SYDNEY – Tuesday 7th April
MELBOURNE – Tuesday 21^st April

Auditions details:
The acting audition will involve a 30 minute group session involving 8 auditionees per group.
This will be followed by an individual singing audition.
The aim of the group sessions is to offer a relaxed and enjoyable experience that closely resembles that of our productions – creative, playful, interactive and fun.
1 scene - We will forward one short scene from the script to get a sense of style and character however there is no need to learn this off the page. This scene will be used as a basis for improvised play.
1 song – Please bring legible sheet music in the correct key for one up-tempo, music theatre song.
* Please note auditionees may be asked to do some simple dance steps in the audition.
These auditions may be video recorded for reference.

Book Week 2009 production: JUNGLE BUNGLE! By Craig Christie
When Claire agreed to go with her new friend Oliver on a weekend expedition it was only meant to be camping in the back yard, but somehow they had ended up a lot further away from home than that! Here they were in a jungle, without supplies, a mobile or map, and only that crazy compass with a mind of its own.

Craig Christie has been writing educational musicals for nearly 20 years and has also written several full scale commercial musicals including Eurobeat – Almost Eurovsion which opened on the London West End in 2008. www.craigchristie.com

Science Week 2009 production: ROCK ME GALILEO! By Dean Bryant & Mathew Frank
Rock Me Galileo is a wild ride through the discoveries of Galileo, the father of modern science! In an hilarious combo of pop songs and comic sketches take an exhilarating trip through the breakthroughs and theories of a man whose view of the world – that it revolved around the sun – made him a revolutionary of his day!

Dean Bryant and Mathew Frank are the award-winning writers of Virgins (Melbourne & New York) and Prodigal, the first Australian musical produced in New York. www.bryantandfrank.com

CONTRACT DETAILS:
Performers are contracted full time for a specific period.
Rehearsal dates/times:
Between Saturday 1^st August – Saturday 8^th August 2009 (no Sundays) 9am – 6pm
Exact dates to be confirmed – dependent upon which cast the performer is allocated to
Will not exceed 8 hours per day and 48 hours in total
Season dates:
Between Monday 10^th August – Friday 11^th September 2009
Exact dates to be confirmed – dependent upon which cast the performer is allocated to
Salary:
$800 total for rehearsal
$880 per week for performance
Team leader an extra $50 per performance week
Any individual performance days at the beginning or end of the engagement shall be paid at 1/6^th plus 15% of the weekly salary
On-costs: Superannuation and annual leave
Travel Reimbursement: 88 cents per km per cast

TO SUBMIT YOUR DETAILS FOR AN AUDITION EMAIL US AT info@echelon.net.au
PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR CV AND HEADSHOT