Theatre Auditions

Auditions for Theatre Department

All SUNY Oneonta students are encouraged to audition for department productions. Roles are not reserved for theatre majors only. In fact, Theatre Department productions commonly include a cross-section of students pursuing a variety of majors.

Audition Dates

Auditions for Theatre Department and Mask & Hammer club productions are usually held at the same time. Auditions for fall semester productions are held immediately when classes start at the beginning of the year. Auditions for spring semester productions are held later in the fall semester.

Fall 2023 Auditions

Fall Auditions are closed. Check back later in the spring!

Spring 2024 Shows

Auditions for Telling Their Stories: An Evening with History and Cabaret will be held December 4th and 5th from 6:00 to 9:30 pm.

Sign-Up

To sign-up for an audition time for either Spring production, please visit the callboard outside the theatre office in the Fine Arts Center.

Learn more about this season's shows or shows previously produced


Instructions

Please read all instructions carefully. If you are auditioning for both shows you must schedule separate auditions and fill out the separate forms for each.

Telling Their Stories and
Cabaret
Auditions

Who can audition: Any currently enrolled SUNY Oneonta student. It is STRONGLY encouraged that all theatre majors interested in performance audition for BOTH productions.

When: Monday, December 4th and Tuesday, Dec 5th from 6:30-9:00pm. Select students only may be called back for Dec 6th. Please do not attend callbacks without a directors' invitation.

Where: Fine Arts Center
Cabaret will audition in the Goodrich Theatre. Telling their Stories will audition in the Hamblin Theatre.

How:

  1. Schedule your audition in person by visiting the callboard
  2. Come early and bring a list of your known conflicts to fill out the audition form. Conflicts include work schedules, classes, and any commitments you have made personally that cannot be rescheduled or altered. Be prepared to communicate ALL conflicts.
  3. Prepare for your audition referring to the materials provided by the Director in the below. Please contact the Director if you have any questions.

    Kiara Pipino is directing Telling their Stories.
    Andrew Kahl is directing Cabaret.
  4. Come to the Fine Arts Building for your audition. Please arrive at least 5 minutes early and check-in with the Stage Manager when you arrive.
  5. Call-back announcements will be made via email. Only students contacted for a callback should attend callbacks.

AUDITION MATERIALS FOR TELLING THEIR STORIES:

Expectations: Performers must be available to rehearse Sunday-Friday 6.30-10 pm starting January 25, 2024.

Performances will be March 1 and 2; 5 and 6

Audition Content: It is recommended that you come to your audition with a memorized, contemporary dramatic monologue under 2 minutes. If you do not have a monologue prepared, cold reads will be provided or you can download a monologue provided by the director here. A memorized monologue is not required to audition.

The audition will include an improv component/session.

Casting/Roles: We are looking for a minimum of 5 women + 1 (gender not relevant). Additional actors might be cast as understudies.

The show will be inspired by Hallie Rubenhold’s book The Five. The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack The Ripper. (ISBN-10: 1784162345 or ISBN-12: 978-1784162344)

Characters:

Polly (43) She was the daughter of a blacksmith. She married young and had 5 children, but then she separated from her husband. The motives of the separations are not fully clear, but he had another woman and Polly was a heavy drinker. She ended up on the streets, unable to hold a job because of her addiction to alcohol. She was arrested several times for petty crimes.

Annie (47) Originally from the country side, she moved to London at an early age to work as a maid. She was a heavy drinker, but a functional alcoholic. She married and had 3 children, the youngest, a boy, was borne with a physical deficiency and had to be surrendered to an institution. This event traumatized Annie, and she sobered up for a while.

Her husband was a heavy drinker as well and when they both were unable to hold their jobs, they separated. He gave her an allowance, which was enough to pay for a bed. When he died and the payments stopped, she had to find another means of survival. She did some crochet and got another partner. She picked up drinking again, and that led to several disorderly acts, and fights. The autopsy showed that she would have died within months because of the consequences of alcohol.

Elisabeth (44) Elizabeth was Swedish and lived in Gothenburg for a while, working as a domestic aid. She had several affairs, which led to venereal diseases and to an undesired pregnancy. The baby was stillborn. She moved to London for a fresh start and found employment as a domestic worker. She married a carpenter, but had no children. Their marriage had several ups and downs. Not able to hold a job, she ended up in common lodging residences.

Kate (46) She lost both her parents by the age of 15 and was put into a workhouse. She got a job outside London, but she was fired shortly after (she was accused of stealing). She moved to Birmingham first, living with her uncle and later on with her grandfather. She met her partner (Thomas Conway) in Birmingham. They had 2 children. Then, they moved to London. Their relationship fell apart and Kate later was associated with another partner, John Kelly. She worked as a cleaning lady, occasionally, and in the summer she would travel to the country to work as a hop-picker.

Mary Jane (25) The youngest victim. Her short life left little to no trace. There is not much information to be found. She married at 16, but her husband died only three years into their marriage. Originally from Cardiff, she relocated to London where she was introduced to prostitution by her cousin (also a prostitute). She worked in a high end brothel and picked up a French name “Marie Jeannette”. Her luck took a bad turn as a result of her heavy drinking and bad acquaintances.

Jack the Ripper. Well. He is quite famous. Look him up.

AUDITION MATERIALS FOR CABARET:

Expectations: Evening rehearsals will begin in late January, time and days of week TBD.

Performances are April 24th-27th

Audition Content: Please prepare 16 bars of music to share your voice, preferably from musical theatre. Bring sheet music, as you’ll be accompanied during the audition!

A short, (approx 1-minute), memorized, dramatic monologue is encouraged, but not required. There are also readings available from the script here: Emcee
Fraulein Schneider
Cliff
Herr Schultz
Sally Bowles

Casting/Roles: Total cast size is 16-19 depending on doubling.

Characters at the Kit Kat Klub (singing and dancing ensemble):

  • Emcee – Performing host at the Kit Kat Klub, potentially gender flexible character, needs to be a strong singer and mover, a presence throughout the show
  • Bobby – performer at the Kit Kat Klub (book scenes, drag number (two ladies), kiss with Cliff)
  • Victor – performer at the Kit Kat Klub, roommate to Bobby (short, featured scene)
  • Hans/ /Sailor – performer at the Kit Kat Klub, w/double-cast assignments (including some staged violence)
  • Herman/ Custom’s Officer / Sailor – performer at the Kit Kat Klub, w/ double-cast assignments (including some staged violence)
  • Rosie/engagement party guest – performer at the Kit Kat Klub
  • Lulu/engagement party guest – performer at the Kit Kat Klub
  • Frenchie/engagement party guest – performer at the Kit Kat Klub
  • Texas/engagement party guest – performer at the Kit Kat Klub
  • Fritzie – performer at the Kit Kat Klub (could be doubled with Fraulein Kost – see below)
  • Max – owner of the Kit Kat Klub, has a relationship with Sally, bit of a thug (could be doubled as Herman and/or a sailor, needed in some Kit Kat scenes as a lurking presence)

Other Characters:

  • Cliff Bradshaw – American novelist who has come to Berlin to write, and to experience whatever adventures the city has to offer. Largely non-singing, stage violence and intimacy.
  • Ernst Ludwig – A German smuggler and profiteer who becomes increasingly connected to the Nazi party, capable of both charm and malice.
  • Fraulein Schneider – Owner of a Berlin boarding house, a survivor, she falls gradually in love with one of her tenants, Herr Schultz. Kindly, determined, and world weary.
  • Fraulein Kost /(Fritzie) – a German prostitute, possibly doubled as Fritzie, a performer at the Kit Kat Klub, who lives at Fraulein Schneider’s rooming house. Sharp, but not unlikeable (sings auf deutch for “Married”)
  • Herr Schultz – A Jewish Fruit Store owner who lives in the rooming house, smitten with Fraulein Schneider. Warm hearted, charming, and optimistic. Featured in several musical numbers.
  • Sally Bowles– an English singer who performs at the Kit Kat Klub, hard-partying and a bit self-destructive, starts a relationship with Cliff, but puts high value on her independence (and access to gin). Needs to be able to sell several musical numbers as the headliner at the Kit Kat Klub, some intimacy scenes, depicted alcohol and drug use.


What to Expect

The specific requirements of each audition are posted above. For most auditions, expect to read from a provided script or present prepared material, such as a short monologue or a short song with sheet music. Calls for acting, movement, and singing may be included as appropriate. Theatre majors and advanced students are encouraged to develop a range of prepared material suitable for auditions.

Directors typically hold call-back auditions to help clarify decisions prior to the final selection of a cast. When casting, many factors are considered beyond talent and appropriateness for a role. Experience, availability, attitude, and a readiness to commit significant time and energy to rehearsal are all important. Students interested in participating in a theatre production should realistically consider their ability to commit to the production while still prioritizing other campus responsibilities.

Participation

To participate in auditions you must be a current SUNY Oneonta student. If you are not a student but you have accepted admission to SUNY Oneonta and will be a student at the time the rehearsal process begins, you are encouraged to participate in auditions. If you fit these criteria and would like to sign-up for an audition time please contact the department.

Only under very limited circumstances may non-students be cast in shows; non-students may be auditioned or invited to join the cast if the regular audition process does not sufficiently fill the roles available. Occasionally, a guest artist may be cast if there is a significant educational benefit from their participation in the show.

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