2020-2021 School Season Auditions
Everyone needs a good laugh right now, and we’re bringing the comedy to YTN’s stage all season long! We’ve got some things old, some things new, some things radio and improv too.
Please read everything carefully, there is no “usual way” as we’ve had to do some creative planning to make as season that ensures we are able to provide programming under COVID19 restrictions.
Luckily—creative is our thing!
CALLBACK PAPERWORK
ON THIS PAGE:
WHAT YTN PRODUCTIONS LOOK LIKE WITH COVID
HOW TO SIGN UP FOR AN AUDITION
AUDITION DATES
In-Person Group Auditions for 1st-4th Graders: September 9th and 10th
Zoom Solo Auditions for 4th-12th Graders: September 14th-17th
Callbacks (one day per show, TBD): September 19th-24th
CALLBACK SCHEDULE
If you are called back for a show, it will just be for one of the slots.
Callbacks check-in directions will be emailed.
Rescued – Monday September 21st 4:00-5:00, 5:15-6:15
Sidekick Island – Saturday September 19th from 1:00-2:00, 2:15-3:15, or 3:30-4:30
Radio Drama – (on Zoom) Tuesday September 22nd 4:00-5:00 or 5:15-6:15
Complete Works...Shakespeare – Tuesday September 22nd 6:30-7:30 or 7:45-8:45
Wizard of Oz, Grades 5th-12th – Monday September 21st 5:30-6:30, 6:45-7:45, or 8:00-9:00
Thursday September 24th 5:30-6:30, 6:45-7:45, or 8:00-9:00
Wizard of Oz, Young Stages – Thursday September 24th 4:00-5:00 or 5:15-6:15
Sky Below Conservatory – (on Zoom) Wednesday September 23rd 4:00-5:00 or 5:15-6:15
WHAT YTN PRODUCTIONS LOOK LIKE WITH COVID
Read each show descriptions very carefully, some shows are online only, some shows are in-person only, and most are a combination of online and in-person.
Here is what we will be doing to keep everyone safe:
YTN 20-21 School Year COVID-19 Policies and Procedures
These policies are subject to change along with government policies and mandates change.
Masks are required at all times on campus.
Classes and rehearsals will observe 6 feet social distancing.
Daily health screenings will be required for students and staff members, prior to arriving on campus.
We will perform rigorous cleaning, per CDC guidelines.
Frequent hand washing and sanitization will be observed.
We will be limiting in-person contact times, groups will be limited to two hours increments.
We will be limiting the number of bodies in the room for in-person groups:
- For classes: 10 students or under, based on classroom size limitations
- For rehearsals (except the last two weeks): limit of 10 actors in the room
- For the last two weeks of rehearsals: limit of 15 actors in the room
- Design team members for productions will be limited to 5 at a time.
- These guidelines follow the Washington State Department of Health guidelines for youth programming.
Windows and doors will remain open for maximum ventilation when possible.
Outside spaces will be utilized when appropriate and weather permitting.
There will be no in-person audiences for productions or final sharings of classes at the present time.
These performances will be video recorded to be shared with audiences and families, respectively.
On campus we will not be singing, all vocal instruction for classes will be provided via prerecorded video.
In-person productions will be non-musicals for the 20-21 season.
All in-person classes and productions will move to a fully online format should quarantine be necessary or to comply with government policy or mandate changes.
RESCUED
The Fully Staged Production
Actors grades 5th-12th
Written by Andrea Karin Nelson
Directed by Nikki Przasnyski
Rehearsals: (in person) 9/28-11/12 M-Th 7:00-9:00 Sat 1:00-5:00
The performance will be recorded in the final week of rehearsals.
Streaming Release Date: 11/21
This brand-new play by Andrea Karin Nelson, about a world where princesses train to save themselves, was workshopped this spring by our amazing Workshop Conservatory actors. With the input received from the cast, director, and the audience, the playwright had done a final rewrite over the summer and the production will be fully mounted by the same cast.
Tuition:
Tier 1/Tier 2/Tier 3* - $700/$625/$550
Tier system explained below.
SIDEKICK ISLAND
Actors grades 1st-5th
Written by Kate Swenson
Directed by Cory Southwell
Rehearsals: 9/28-11/19
M/W (in person) 4:30-6:00
T/Th (on Zoom) 4:30-6:00
Dress Rehearsals: (in person) week of 11/16 M-Th 6:00-8:00
The performance will be recorded in the final week of rehearsals.
Streaming Release Date: 11/28
Have you ever wondered what happens to the sidekick after the story ends? You know, after the evil villain gets defeated, after the happily-ever-after, after their supposedly BFF abandons them for the next chapter? Come closer and I’ll tell you. It’s a pretty big secret. There’s a safe place where secondary characters can recover and reflect. A place called: Sidekick Island.
Tuition:
Tier 1/Tier 2/Tier 3* - $575/$500/$425
Tier system explained below.
RADIO DRAMA:
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
& Emma and The West
Actors grades 6th-12th
Directed by Mike Lion
Rehearsals: 11/7-12/12 (on Zoom)
Sat 10:00-1:00
1/13-1/30
Wed 7:00-9:00, Sat 10:00-1:00
Tech Week: starting 2/1 M-Th 6:00-9:00
Performances: Live Streaming 2/5, 2/6 & 2/7
One old time classic, one modern piece—brought to you live, and through audio streaming for your listening enjoyment. Radio Dramas will be performed live with live foley sound effects. All rehearsals and performances will be online.
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was an old-time radio show which aired from 1939 to 1947. Originally, the show starred Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. Together, they starred in 220 episodes, solving mysteries and keeping audiences on the edge of their seats.
Emma and The West is a new radio play. Emma and Kit are reading about the adventures of the Wild West, but when the last page of their book is missing, they journey into the world of the book to get it back. Fueled by imagination and friendship, Emma and Kit turn a regular afternoon at home into the wildest adventure in the west in this musical adventure!
Tuition:
Tier 1/Tier 2/Tier 3* - $575/$500/$425
Tier system explained below.
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ABRIDGED
Teen Conservatory
Actors grades 9th-12th
Written by Reduced Shakespeare (Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield)
Directed by Mimi Katano
Conservatory Classes: (Zoom and in person) 10/3-1/9 Sat 10:00-1:00 (no class on 11/28, 12/26)
Rehearsals: (In person) 1/11-3/11 Mon-Thurs 7:00-9:00 Sat 1:00-5:00 (no rehearsals the week of 2/15)
Performances: (Actors in person) Live Streaming 3/12-3/28 Fri/Sat 7:00pm, Sun 2:00pm
An irreverent, fast-paced romp through all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in 97 minutes, this play was once London’s longest-running comedy. Originally performed by only 3 actors, YTN will revive our hilarious multi-performer version (last done in 2006) of Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter. Conservatory training will consist of dramaturgical work on Shakespeare plays, and physical comedy.
Tuition:
Tier 1/Tier 2/Tier 3* - $1325/$1225/$1150
Tier system explained below.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
Actors grades 5th-12th, plus Young Stage actors grades 1st-4th
Original adaptation by Gillian Jorgensen
Directed by Kate Swenson with Cory Southwell
Rehearsals: (In person/Zoom) 3/1-4/22 (No rehearsals during MI spring break)
Schedule for Actors Grades 5th-12th:
3/1- 4/10: M-Th 7:00-9:00, Sat 1:00-5:00 (No rehearsals during MI spring break)
4/12-4/22: M-Th 6:00-8:00, Sat 1:00-5:00
Schedule for Young Stage Actors, Grades 1st-5th:
3/1- 4/10: Monday/Wednesday 6:00-8:00, Sat 1:00-5:00 (No rehearsals during MI spring break)
4/12-4/22: M-Th 6:00-8:00, Sat 1:00-5:00
The performance will be recorded in the final week of rehearsals.
Streaming Release Date: 5/1
This fresh take on the old classic was performed on the YTN stage in 2009 (with a YTN Teaching Artist/Director Rachel Carlson as the witch and our freshly graduated Leiney Gamache and Mollie Parkinson as munchkins). With two different age groups collaborating to create one big story, this production will be performed in the spring utilizing indoor, outdoor environment.
Tuition:
Wizard of Oz Grades 5th-12th:
Tier 1/Tier 2/Tier 3* - $700/$625/$550
Wizard of Oz Young Stage:
Tier 1/Tier 2/Tier 3* - $475/$400/$325
Tier system explained below.
THE SKY BELOW: WORKSHOP CONSERVATORY
Actors grades 5th-12th
Written by: Maggie Lee
Directed by: Kim Douthit
Conservatory Classes: 2/23-3/30 Tues. 4:15-6:15
Rehearsals: 4/12-5/27 Mon-Thurs 7:00-9:00
The staged reading will be recorded in the final week of rehearsals.
Streaming Release Date: 6/5
Following last season’s format, we will once again develop a new play to be fully mounted in the fall of 2021. This year, the new script by Maggie Lee (The Monkey King: Journey Westbound, Through The Looking Glass), which will take us on a steampunk SiFi adventure in the sky. Through this Conservatory, actors will work with the playwright to help shape a meaningful play for YTN (and theatres like ours), by giving their perspective and input. At the end of the process, actors will mount a workshop production to be performed for an audience to get their feedback, before the final revision for the fall.
Tuition:
Tier 1/Tier 2/Tier 3* - $995/$895/$820
Tier system explained below.
CHAOS THEORY
Old Timers: Starts 10/5 M 4:00-5:30
New Comers: Starts 10/5 M 5:30-7:00
Halloween show: 10/30 7pm
Holiday show: 12/4 and 5 at 7pm
Late night Fakespeare (paired with Complete Wks) 3/20 & 3/27 at 9pm Spring show: 5/8 & 5/9 7pm
Tuition:
Tier 1/Tier 2/Tier 3* - $475/$400/$325
Tier system explained below.
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
Group Auditions for 1st-4th* Graders:
- Review the rehearsal and performance commitments for the shows you are interested in.
- Group auditions will be in-person at YTN in small groups.
- Bring a mask, a water bottle, a positive attitude, and good listening ears.
- No monologue memorization is required for this audition.
Solo Auditions for 4th*-12th Graders:
- Review the rehearsal and performance commitments for the shows you are interested in.
- Solo auditions will be held via Zoom, with the season directors on the call.
- Actors will be brought into the room one at a time for their monologue recitation.
- Actors need to prepare a one-minute memorized theatrical monologue.
- A Zoom link will be provided to you via email prior to your audition time.
- If it comes to less than an hour before your audition time and you have not seen a Zoom link yet, check your spam folder. Sometimes our emails go into spam. If you still do not see a Zoom link and you are certain you signed up for an audition time, email Mike (info@youththeatre.org).
*Actors in 4th grade may choose between a group audition OR a solo audition
HOW TO SIGN UP FOR AN AUDITION
In-Person Group Audition Sign-Up for Actors in 1st-4th Grades
(No monologue required)
Zoom Solo Audition Sign-Up for Actors in 4th-12th Grades
(Monologue audition required)
You will also need to complete the following two forms by at least one hour prior to your audition time:
20-21 School Season Audition Form
Participant Agreement Form
Questions about auditions? Email Mike, our Administrative Assistant, at info@youththeatre.org.
*YTN is introducing a tiered cost structure.
Cost Tiers Explained:
Tier I - True Cost. True costs covers: the artist rehearsal time, their prep time, administrative work, and the YTN permanent staff all of which are essential in bringing you the high-quality program you expect. By choosing Tier I, you help our donation dollars stretch, keeping our doors open and allowing us to provide valuable theatre programming for more children and offer our Scholarship Rate to those in need.
Tier II - Direct Cost. Direct cost covers the artist rates for the duration of rehearsal time only.
Tier III – Reduced Cost. This price does not reflect the true cost of producing this show, but we know that the financial impact of sheltering in place has impacted some of our families more than others. A creative outlet is essential for our youth to cope with their drastically changed world and YTN will be there for them.
If this reduced rate is still too high, please contact Stephanie.
YTN will not turn any families away due to financial hardship.