9th Hour Theatre Company is seeking talented VOICE ACTORS and/or SINGERS for a radio theatre production of a musical play called Beauty Will Save the World. Those auditioning should enjoy creative voice work, singing chorally, engaging the imagination, and exploring the story's themes and ideas. NOTE: Those auditioning do not need to be both voice actors and singers and can audition for either or both aspects of the production. More About the Company
ABOUT THE SHOW
Beauty Will Save the World was written in the fall/winter of 2020-21, further developed in workshops with an ensemble cast and previewed to an invited audience in summer 2021, revised further in fall/winter 2021-22, and developed again with an ensemble cast in spring 2022. It was adapted in 2023 as a radio play. Read our blog series about Beauty
"Mankind... can live without science, without bread, and it only cannot live without beauty, for then there would be nothing at all to do in the world! The whole secret is here, the whole of history is here. Science itself would not stand for a minute without beauty.” ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky
The play is a challenging work that provokes and asks questions about the values of our society. It’s a fantasy piece and spiritual allegory about our individual and collective postures toward liberty, fear, safety, and Control, as well as where lies our salvation. It portrays a world of absurd rules and irrational regulations where all things sacred and beautiful are forbidden, even singing, dancing, and laughing. For in the words of Control, “beauty is dangerous, lest we remember”.
Beauty Will Save the World is packed with humour and music, full of verbatim text from public officials and media pundits, complete with complex relationships, emotionally charged moments, and high-stake action sequences. This fictional story is inspired by actual events and observations over the past few years. It presents an alternative way of living in community, love, and respect, instead of conflict, fear, and division. It echoes Dostoyevsky and other philosophers and spiritual leaders in stating that only ‘beauty can save the world’. More About the Story
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
Rehearsals will be held in Ottawa, Mondays and Wednesdays (6pm-10pm) from January 8th to February 19th, 2024.
Recording will take place at a studio in Ottawa from Tuesday to Friday, February 20-23 (2pm-10pm), Saturday February 24th (9am-5pm), and Sunday February 25th (1pm-5pm).
NOTE: Some weekday afternoons may be required as outlined above. Those auditioning should come with full knowledge of their schedule and the ability to commit to the production schedule as stated. Some flexibility to the schedule is available for weekday afternoons in February.
CASTING REQUIREMENTS
All are welcome to apply for an audition. Due to the need for a broad range of characters in this fantastical story, a wide spectrum of voice actors and singers that best reflect society as much as possible is desired, including all racial and religious backgrounds, ages, abilities, and genders. The company is keen to work with talented artists of all levels of experience, especially strong singers and versatile actors who can speak in character voices with a style that is over-the-top, buffoonish, and cartoonish.
Key voice acting roles include the following archetype characters:
· Older Male (a grandfather character aged 60-80)
· Young Boy (a grandson character aged 8-14)
· Older Male (a father and grandfather “foolish” character aged 50-70)
· Older Female (a mother and “free-spirited” character aged 50-70)
· Male (a father and “veteran” or “working class” character aged 30-50)
· Female (a mother and “strict teacher” character aged 30-50)
· Young Male (teen boy or young adult “anti-social” character aged 14-24)
· Child (male or female “innocent” character aged 8-14)
· Male (“legalistic commanding officer” character aged 30-50)
· Male (“worn-out ship captain” character aged 50-70)
· Various other ensemble roles of any age and gender (nurse, artist, expert, journalist, cleric, celebrity, elite, and other citizens)
COMPENSATION
Those cast will be engaged under an agreement with 9th Hour Theatre Company and paid a fee for involvement in the production, upon completion of all recording dates. The company will not be engaging artists under CAEA agreements for this production.
AUDITION INFORMATION
Auditions will be in a downtown Ottawa location and by appointment only. To book an audition, please email info@9th-hour.ca no later than November 30th, 2023 with performance C.V. or relevant experience, as well as a statement of interest as to why you would want to be part of this artistic work. NOTE: While all applications will be reviewed, only those selected for an audition will be contacted.
ACTING AUDITION: Voice acting auditions are conducted in a group format as a dramatic reading of scenes from the radio play to determine suitability of voice types for casting. Voice acting auditions will be held Saturday, December 2 (10am-1pm) and, if needed on Sunday, December 3 (10am-1pm).
SINGING AUDITION: Singing auditions are conducted both in a group format and on an individual basis. The group portion involves artists learning and singing some of the music from the show. The individual portion involves the artist singing a 60-90 second portion of a prepared song that features their voice, with a backing track or without music entirely. Singing auditions will be held on Saturday, December 2 (2pm-5pm) and, if needed on Sunday, December 3 (2pm-5pm).