Auditions - Albertine in Five Times

Albertine in Five Times

by Michel Tremblay

Translated by Linda Gaboriau

PERFORMANCE DATES: February 8th – 18th, 2012

AUDITION DATES: October 16th & 17th, 2011; Times: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

at Walterdale Playhouse (10322 83 Avenue)

CALL-BACKS: Thursday, October 20th, 2011; Times: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.; Location: TBA

Director: Mary Jane (M. J.) Kreisel

Production Manager: Sarah Valois

Stage Manager: TBA

What would you say to yourself thirty years ago? Would you ridicule your earlier decisions? Laugh at your earlier self? Michel Tremblay’s haunting Albertine in Five Times, with five actors playing a woman in different decades of her life, explores memory, regret, consequences, and shows how extraordinary an ordinary life can be.

SIX ROLES:

Albertine at 30 – age range: late 20s to late 30s

Albertine at 40 – age range: late 30s to late 40s

Albertine at 50 – age range: late 40s to late 50s

Albertine at 60 – age range: late 40s to late 60s

Albertine at 70 – age range: mid-50s to late 70s

Madeleine – age range: late 20s to mid-40s

Please note: ages are relative and relational and never specifically mentioned in the script. We are concerned more about how old you will read in relationship to the rest of the cast and onstage in costume and make-up.

The auditions will comprise of readings from the script – no memorization is required. Readings can be emailed out to people in advance of their auditions. Please indicate the role(s) in which you are interested. You are also recommended to familiarize yourself with the script.

Copies of the script are available for reading from Walterdale. Contact Kent Sutherland, Theatre Administrator at walterph@telus.net or 780.439.3058 to sign one out. Copies are also available at Theatre Alberta – please call ahead.

Rehearsals will begin late October and will break for two weeks over the Christmas holiday season, resuming again the first week in January.

Please bring the following to the audition: your résumé and headshot as well as availability times and any conflict dates you may have.

Walterdale is a volunteer/member organization. We cannot engage Equity performers.

To book an audition or for further information, email M. J. Kreisel at mjkreisel@gmail.com

(Drop-ins will be accommodated as time allows)

What I have learned...

Even though there are still 3 more shows before my tenure is up as Artistic Director, the shift into the next season is starting at the theatre and it has me thinking a lot about what I have learned about Walterdale over the last 2 years. The biggest thing I think I learned is that Walterdale, more than any other theatre I have worked in before, is all about collaboration. Everyone brings something to the table and the productions that welcome collaboration are the richer for it. In this sense, and in my role, I realized that whether I am Director of a show or Artistic Director of the entire theatre, the other people at Walterdale do not work FOR me, but rather I work WITH them. And although in some things the buck may stop with me, there is no boss. It has been so valuable to embrace this as I have learned so much from the many people I have been fortunate to work with over the past few years. I know that I will get to work with them again in the future near and distant, and I know that the foundation we have built by sharing and collaborating will work for us in whatever we do at Walterdale or outside of it. I feel blessed for the people that I have been able to work with. Some of them I got to mentor, some mentored me, and some just fit into their roles as though they were the right jig-saw piece for the puzzle.

It has to work that way, because we are community theatre. If the respect is not given to those that come to contribute then they will leave, because the currency they are paid in is respect, not money. We say we do it for Love, not Money, but tied into that Love of Theatre is the feeling of accomplishment and respect from those that we work with. It's a wondrous thing to count the hours of dedication and sweat and hard work and laughter that go into every show.

Starting to Think About Next Season Already...

Season Submissions 2011-2012

Every year the call goes out for submissions for the upcoming season. If you are interested in directing a show at Walterdale, please submit at this time. These scripts and additional information will be held in care for the incoming Artistic Director to use to help build their season. All selected Directors will need to be members by the time their audition notice is released. For information on membership, please refer to our website.

What if you haven’t directed much or at all before?
If you are new to directing, please contact Kristen M. Finlay, current Artistic Director, at adwalterdale2009@yahoo.ca to find out how to become an Assistant Director, or direct a One-Act in our From Cradle to Stage One-Act Festival. Please bear in mind that many people do want to direct at Walterdale and experience is a factor in selection.

What kinds of plays are we looking for?
We are looking for a variety of plays. Dramas, comedies, thrillers, classic works, musicals, pantomimes, small cast, large cast, medium cast, period, modern, Canadian, etc… The season has 5 shows plus the one-acts and these shows must meet a variety of needs. We serve a varied audience and a varied membership, so we like to offer up different shows to meet those needs. Feel free to push boundaries and choose edgier works, or pick plays that you connect to. You can submit more than one script. I recommend submitting different kinds of works (varied cast sizes and themes) so that you give the Artistic Director a variety to choose from. Always submit well-written scripts as it is often the writing that rules a script out.

Please submit the following materials:
1. A copy of the script (if you submit the original script, it will be returned to you – photocopies will not be).
2. A copy of your theatre résumé, highlighting your directorial experience both with Walterdale and in other theatrical settings.
3. A Directorial Proposal – including the following:
* Why you think this would be a good show for Walterdale to produce
* Your directorial concept for the show
* Casting requirements
* What Production Team you would bring with you into the project
* ANY information that might affect budget (e.g. Chorus size for a musical or size of ensemble in a straight play, desire for period dress, rental of special equipment).

Scripts and accompanying materials may be dropped off or mailed to:
Walterdale Theatre Associates
c/o Kristen M. Finlay, Artistic Director
10322 – 83rd Avenue NW
Edmonton, Alberta
T6E 5C3
Deadline: January 5th, 2011