Teen Auditions for "This Is Important!" March 25 & 28

The Oddfellows Playhouse Teen Repertory Company announces auditions for This Is Important!, an original, ensemble-created play with music. Auditions are open to anyone ages 14 – 20 and will be held March 25 and 28, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at Oddfellows Playhouse at 128 Washington Street in Middletown.

Photo by William De Kine of Teen Repertory Company 2018 production of Antigone

This Is Important! is devised from a series of workshops that Oddfellows held this winter under the title "This Is Important". The participants (ages 14 - 19) worked with Connecticut State Troubadour Nekita Waller and Playhouse Artistic Director Dic Wheeler over five weeks to generate performance material around the issues that the participants felt were most important to themselves and to our culture/world. There was writing, group brainstorming, interviewing, scene-making, movement, dance, singing and songwriting. The major themes that were identified and explored included Identity, Assumptions, Acceptance and Social Justice. Nekita and Dic, along with collaborators Cecilia Kurachi-Ubé and Bryan Titus, are developing that raw material into a new play with music which will be performed May 16 - 25 by the Teen Repertory Company. 

Participants should come to one of the two audition evenings. Everyone who auditions and commits to the rehearsal and performance schedule will be cast into the show. Please arrive on time, dress to move, and plan to stay for the entire two hours.

Rehearsals will be Mondays and Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 pm, starting April 1. Performance dates are May 16 - 18 & 24-25. There will be additional rehearsals April 28 & May 11, and every evening May 13 - 15. 

New material for the piece will be generated during rehearsals by the cast members, so each performer will be part of the creative team for the production. It will be a play with music, not a musical. There will be some songs, and live accompaniment, but not everyone will be expected or required to sing. The show will have the flexibility to play to the strengths of the people who are in it.

There is a $250 tuition fee for the Teen Repertory Company, but full or partial financial aid and work-study are available. It is Oddfellows policy that programs should be available to everyone, regardless of ability to pay.

To register, or for more info, go to www.oddfellows.org , call (860) 347-6143 or email info@oddfellows.org.