Tech Theatre Open Call for Auditions for “Black Comedy” and “Eurydice”

HOUGHTON, MI — Friday, August 23, 2019. Interested in being on stage? Tech Theatre is currently looking for actors and actresses for their two fall theatre productions, “Black Comedy” and “Eurydice.” Auditions for Tech Theatre’s first fall production, Black Comedy, are set for September 4 and 5, 7:00 PM, in the McArdle Theatre, on the second floor of Michigan Tech’s Walker Building. Auditions for Sarah Ruhl’s play Eurydice will be held in the McArdle Theatre on Sunday and Monday, September 8- 9 at 7:00 PM. Auditions are open to anyone interested in performance, no experience required! Both prepared and “cold readings” are welcome. Please arrive early 6:50 PM for a beginning time of 7:00 PM. Dress in comfortable, loose fitting clothes. Questions about Black Comedy auditions should be directed to Patricia Helsel, helsel@mtu.edu. Questions regarding Eurydice auditions should be directed to Roger Held, rheld@mtu.edu.

Black Comedy is a hilarious fast-paced comedy, lovesick and desperate sculptor, Brindsley Miller has embellished his apartment with furniture and object d’arte “borrowed” from the absent antique collector next-door, hoping to impress his fiancée’s pompous father and wealthy art dealer.  Everything goes wrong when a fuse is blown leaving the apartment in total darkness.  Only we, the audience, are privy to the riotous antics that happen when the lights go out. The play is set in 1960s London England and we will be going for British accents.  The director is looking for potential for acquisition of the accent, so please bring an open mind and willingness to try!  To assist in preparation, here is a link to a tutorial on a Standard British Dialect.

The production opens earlier this year than in past years, so the rehearsal schedule may be more demanding for a shorter rehearsal period.  The performances will be:  October 11-12, October 17-19. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script and comedic physical improvisation.  (It’s a farce, after all!) Both men and women should dress in pants, no shorts or skirtrs, please. In addition to readings from the script, auditionees will take part in physical exercises requiring strength and agility.
 
The play calls for 3 women and 5 men. Here is a link to the script:  Black Comedy
 
While drawn from classical myths of Greece and Rome, Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice is a Surrealist rendition. Jungian symbolism is merged with current day understanding of father – daughter relationships in an elegant telling as the play moves through timeless space turned inside out between the here and now and a bizarre Underworld. Roles include Eurydice and her father, Orpheus, a musician; and husband to Eurydice: A nasty man who is the Lord of the Underworld. A chorus of three strange women completes the ensemble. Rehearsals begin on September 29, with performances on November 20, 21, and 22. Audition readings are available for preparation in the Visual and Performing Arts office, 209 Walker Center for the Arts and Humanities.