My very first entry is... a shameless plug?
It was my plan to keep my LJ pristine and free of entries (yeah, yeah, I know - that defeats the very purpose of having a Live Journal). I originally had set up an LJ account so that I wouldn't technically be considered a "stalker" and, franky, I felt I really had nothing important enough to share in an open journal, being the solitary guy that I am. But now I do have something I would to bring to other people's attention, and so I am using LJ as a medium to getting the word to people that may not be on other mutual networking venues like Google/Yahoo groups or are not friends with me on Facebook.
If you have seen this plug on those other places, you can pretty much disregard this. It's pretty much the same content, with an extra paragraph dealing with a personal assessment, since this is the best place to present it.
I am making a casting call plug for a community theater play for which I auditioned last Monday. The play, produced by the Springfield (Virginia) Community Theatre, will be recreating the famous “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast by Orson Welles and two episodes of the Shadow radio show, for which Welles was the voice of Lamont Cranston and The Shadow during the first two seasons. The cast will play radio actors performing these three programs, with the stage set up to resemble an old sound studio from the late 1930s. According to the flyer that I came across, looks and theater experience are not important - only voice quality. Another bonus is that memorization of lines will not be required; since the cast will be playing radio actors, they will be holding their scripts and reading from them during the performance.
The initial auditions occurred this past week, but the producer and director are definitely still looking for people. The two Shadow programs have about 17-20 male speaking parts each, with perhaps more for the “War of the Worlds” program. Because there are three programs, some of the actors will be asked to play multiple roles, which shouldn’t be a problem for experienced LARPers like us. The number of female parts is, unfortunately, much smaller, but they have yet to find someone suitable to fill the plum role of Margo Lane, The Shadow’s “friend and companion.” The director hasn’t made any casting decisions yet due to the small number of cast currently available, so there is still a very good chance of getting a decent role or two.
With that last part being said, I am 75-80% certain that the director has me in mind for the role of The Shadow/Orson Welles, which would be a dream come true (well, at the least The Shadow part). I base this on the fact that, at the two callbacks following the auditions (the second being a read-through of one of the Shadow episodes), the director had me read only those parts, where he had the other actors read for multiple roles. I had brought all my roleplaying powers and art of mimicry to bear at the audition, even listening to mp3s I have of the "War of the Worlds" broadcast and one of the episodes of the Shadow that I knew they were using (they did this play 9 years ago, which I saw, but used only one Shadow episode) in order to do the best Orson Welles imitation that I could muster, inflections and all. The producer, who wasn't at the audition I attended nor was at the first callback, made a point of introducing himself to me after today's read-through - which was the first time I portrayed The Shadow instead of just Lamont Cranston - so I must have left an impression. But who knows? Someone (perhaps one of you) may come along and completely wow them. Will I be disappointed that the role will go to someone else after my efforts? Maybe a little. But, hey, that's show biz. Besides, there are other good roles in the play.
Anyway, rehearsals will be three days a week: Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 7 pm, and Saturday afternoons. Not everyone will be needed for all rehearsals. Performances will be on three weekends: September 17/18/19, 24/25/26, and October 1/2/3. Showtimes will be at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 pm on Sundays.
The rehearsals will be at the performance site, Immanuel United Methodist Church at 7901 Heritage Drive in Annandale, Virginia. The church is very easy to find from the Beltway exit for Little River Turnpike (VA-236 East, Exit 52B). Inside the Beltway, at the first traffic light, turn right onto Heritage Drive. Go about a half mile, through one traffic light, and look for the lighted sign for the church on your right. Park along the side of the church or in the large lot at the Heritage Center shopping mall. The entrance will be in the back of the church.
For more information, you can either call the producer, Donald Neal, at (703) 548-8234, email the director, Dan DeVany, at ddevany@weta.org, or contact me.
The next time the production will meet is Tuesday, 8/10, at the above location at 7 pm. If you would like to come to try out, I would recommend that you contact Donald, Dan, or me beforehand so that someone knows you’re coming. From the audition and the two callbacks that I have attended, this looks like it will be a fun group to work with.
So there you have it, my first LJ entry. Will I make more entries, perhaps updating my progress with the play, or may be even share things that make me happy or angry as they happen in life? That, only The Shadow knows.
If you have seen this plug on those other places, you can pretty much disregard this. It's pretty much the same content, with an extra paragraph dealing with a personal assessment, since this is the best place to present it.
I am making a casting call plug for a community theater play for which I auditioned last Monday. The play, produced by the Springfield (Virginia) Community Theatre, will be recreating the famous “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast by Orson Welles and two episodes of the Shadow radio show, for which Welles was the voice of Lamont Cranston and The Shadow during the first two seasons. The cast will play radio actors performing these three programs, with the stage set up to resemble an old sound studio from the late 1930s. According to the flyer that I came across, looks and theater experience are not important - only voice quality. Another bonus is that memorization of lines will not be required; since the cast will be playing radio actors, they will be holding their scripts and reading from them during the performance.
The initial auditions occurred this past week, but the producer and director are definitely still looking for people. The two Shadow programs have about 17-20 male speaking parts each, with perhaps more for the “War of the Worlds” program. Because there are three programs, some of the actors will be asked to play multiple roles, which shouldn’t be a problem for experienced LARPers like us. The number of female parts is, unfortunately, much smaller, but they have yet to find someone suitable to fill the plum role of Margo Lane, The Shadow’s “friend and companion.” The director hasn’t made any casting decisions yet due to the small number of cast currently available, so there is still a very good chance of getting a decent role or two.
With that last part being said, I am 75-80% certain that the director has me in mind for the role of The Shadow/Orson Welles, which would be a dream come true (well, at the least The Shadow part). I base this on the fact that, at the two callbacks following the auditions (the second being a read-through of one of the Shadow episodes), the director had me read only those parts, where he had the other actors read for multiple roles. I had brought all my roleplaying powers and art of mimicry to bear at the audition, even listening to mp3s I have of the "War of the Worlds" broadcast and one of the episodes of the Shadow that I knew they were using (they did this play 9 years ago, which I saw, but used only one Shadow episode) in order to do the best Orson Welles imitation that I could muster, inflections and all. The producer, who wasn't at the audition I attended nor was at the first callback, made a point of introducing himself to me after today's read-through - which was the first time I portrayed The Shadow instead of just Lamont Cranston - so I must have left an impression. But who knows? Someone (perhaps one of you) may come along and completely wow them. Will I be disappointed that the role will go to someone else after my efforts? Maybe a little. But, hey, that's show biz. Besides, there are other good roles in the play.
Anyway, rehearsals will be three days a week: Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 7 pm, and Saturday afternoons. Not everyone will be needed for all rehearsals. Performances will be on three weekends: September 17/18/19, 24/25/26, and October 1/2/3. Showtimes will be at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 pm on Sundays.
The rehearsals will be at the performance site, Immanuel United Methodist Church at 7901 Heritage Drive in Annandale, Virginia. The church is very easy to find from the Beltway exit for Little River Turnpike (VA-236 East, Exit 52B). Inside the Beltway, at the first traffic light, turn right onto Heritage Drive. Go about a half mile, through one traffic light, and look for the lighted sign for the church on your right. Park along the side of the church or in the large lot at the Heritage Center shopping mall. The entrance will be in the back of the church.
For more information, you can either call the producer, Donald Neal, at (703) 548-8234, email the director, Dan DeVany, at ddevany@weta.org, or contact me.
The next time the production will meet is Tuesday, 8/10, at the above location at 7 pm. If you would like to come to try out, I would recommend that you contact Donald, Dan, or me beforehand so that someone knows you’re coming. From the audition and the two callbacks that I have attended, this looks like it will be a fun group to work with.
So there you have it, my first LJ entry. Will I make more entries, perhaps updating my progress with the play, or may be even share things that make me happy or angry as they happen in life? That, only The Shadow knows.