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Principal Auditions | Rehearsals | Audition Particulars | Audition Form

Auditions for The Gondoliers will be Dec. 10th, with call-backs Dec. 11th

To schedule an audition, please fill out this form.

Auditions 2023

December 10th, Chapel Hill School of Musical Arts
#500 Franklin Square
1829 East Franklin Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Call-backs:
December 11th  at the Durham Arts Council in the Adaron room on the ground floor.

Returning chorus members:
If you were in last year’s production of Yeomen of the Guard and want to remain in the chorus you WILL NEED TO AUDITION. Please fill out the form to attend open auditions on Sunday.  If you were in last year’s production of Yeomen of the Guard and also wish to audition for a lead role, you may chose to skip open auditions and come straight to callbacks.  You still need to fill in this form to be considered/called back.  Anyone who was not in last years production will need to attend open auditions.

If you want to be considered for Royal Chorus, regardless of previous Savoyard involvement, please sign up for and attend open auditions.

Rehearsals: Rehearsals for Gondoliers will in January 14, 2024.
All participants will need to be/become active dues-paying members of the Durham Savoyards (see dues link in upper right corner of this webpage).

  • Rehearsals begin January 14th and will be mostly held at the Durham Arts Center in downtown Durham.  The majority of rehearsals will be held on Sunday (2:00 – 5:30PM), Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (7:00 – 9:30PM), with the possibility of Saturday rehearsals on March 2nd and 16th if needed.   
  • Rehearsal space will be open approximately 30 minutes early for warm-ups and preparation – rehearsals will begin promptly at their scheduled time.  
  • Actors will be off book by Sunday, February 18th.  
  • Tech Week begins March 17th.  No absences are permitted after this date.
  • Performances are the Carolina Theatre in Durham on March 22, 23, and 24
  • All actors are required to volunteer a minimum of 4 activities over the course of the rehearsal period in production or support activities, and are required to assist with strike at the end of the run.

We have adopted the Chicago Theatre Standards.  Please download and review them from: https://www.notinourhouse.org/download-the-standards/ If the link to the Chicago Theatre Standards site does not work, you can download a copy from this link that is current as of 2022-Jan-09 → LOCAL COPY OF CTS.

To schedule an audition, please email auditions@durhamsavoyards.org.

Audition selections:

Please come prepared to sing up to 32 bars of music from Gilbert and Sullivan, other light opera or musical theatre.  We recommend selecting a piece of music that isn’t from The Gondoliers.  An accompanist will be provided.  If you are auditioning for a lead role, select something that will show the directors why you are right for that role.  If you would like for our pianist to accompany you, please bring sheet music for them in the key in which you will be singing. Or you may provide your own accompanist, accompany yourself, or sing unaccompanied.

For callbacks

Reading selections: TBD

Music selections:

TBD

Here’s a link to the score for free in IMSLP:   Score 

In addition, to test how people interact together, people auditioning should be prepared to read through some sections of dialogue.

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What is the Royal Chorus?

Audition Particulars

Like to audition for the next show, but don’t know how to prepare?
Take a look at these general notes taken from prior years’ audition tips!

Your initial audition will be very short and will consist of one song selection and a brief assessment of vocal range.  You may be asked to sing the selection again with some change, to see how well you can take direction.  The callbacks will be a combination of singing and reading lines.   Auditioning actors should also consider the singing portion of the evening as an acting audition. The Directors will be looking for personality and the ability to convey character and story via music.  You may be asked to sing in a group to see how well you take choral direction, or to ensemble selections so that the directors can see how well various voices blend together, as well as how well different people interact.  All stage chorus and lead candidates will have a dance / movement assessment section as well.

Callbacks will also include an acting assessment during which actors will read short scenes from the script. The Directors will be looking for chemistry between actors as well as stage presence and storytelling ability. They will also be assessing actors’ attentiveness to detail and ability to take direction. It is a good idea for actors to be familiar with the characters and with the libretto if possible. No audition scenes will be given out in advance. The Directors will want to see all actors addressing the text from the same point of view and, again, want to see how they rise to the challenge of taking direction and acting collaboratively and in the moment.

In short, the initial audition is to assess individual vocal qualities. The callbacks will focus on music, acting, dance, and collaborative interaction with other singers/actors.

Vocal Range: It will save time if you already know your highest and lowest reliable note, so that you can jot them on the audition sheet. If you don’t know, we’ll find them during the audition.

Chorus: As always, those auditioning for chorus may sing anything they wish, but a favorite tune from a Broadway musical, opera, or G&S show is preferred.  Or whatever. Be as plain or as fancy as you like, from any style of repertoire you like, but remember, brevity is a virtue! One minute or less, please. Choose something you know without thinking about it, just so we can hear the general quality of your voice. Please bring sheet music in the correct key, unless you plan to sing without accompaniment or to accompany yourself.

Royal Chorus: When performing in the Carolina Theatre we place choristers in the boxes alongside the stage to serve as additional singing forces.  These are crucial reinforcements to the choral sound, for which we need good solid self-sufficient singers. The time commitment is much less for Royal Chorus than for stage chorus, so please give a thought to auditioning for the Royals if you can’t make time for the full rehearsal schedule. Or please consider keeping this as an option during auditions. You’ll have a good seat for every performance, plus the fun of singing along.

Principals:  You only need to prepare one selection, even if you are interested in more than one role. Please bring sheet music in the correct key, the key in which you will be singing. Please limit your selection to one minute, even if you need to start within your piece to highlight the passages that best display your abilities.  There will be a dialog portion of the call-backs, to see how the different actors interact and play off each other.  For the musical selections, we will go over each passage as a group before we begin singing it in combinations.  You may end up singing or acting selections that are unrelated to the role(s) for which you are being considered.

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