Masks Play! II Keep Playing!: Auditions are May 18

Auditions for Masks Play! will be held on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The first two hours will be an all-group audition, and then we’ll keep working with some of the players for the last two hours. Please be prepared to stay for the full four hours.

The deadline to sign up for auditions is 5 p.m., Friday, May 17.

About Masks Play! II: Keep Playing!

• A devised work
• Director: Rich Brown
• Assistant Director: Kevin Harris

Our work will be experimental. Using the Six Basic Emotions masks and traditional Commedia masks, techniques and characters, we will collectively devise original short scenarios that will be improvised in performance.  We will investigate the physicality of each Emotion Mask as well as the physicality and vocality of each Commedia stock character and apply that study towards creating lazzis & canovaccios from our playing.  In short, as a company, we will devise an original mask play, approximately 80 minutes in length, which will be performed in the DUG Theater. Before COVID, we devised a commedia show at WWU every summer from 2008 to 2019.

Character Breakdown

Who knows?  We haven’t devised it yet! However, I imagine some of our canovaccios (skits) might include Pantalone/a, the greedy old folx; Capitano/a, the braggart soldier (who was never a real soldier and is a total coward); Dottore, the quack doctor/philosopher who thinks they know everything (but know nothing and speak nonsense!); Arlecchino and Columbina, the tricky servants who are always outsmarting the higher-ups; the innamorati, the young lovers (who love themselves and the idea of love more than anything!), and other stock commedia characters...and our new Six Emotion Masks that are purely physical, non-speaking masks. The company will devise contemporary characters that match these stock characters.

We anticipate casting 10-12 actors/players.

Content Disclosure

All actors in this play will engage in robust movement and physical training.  Each rehearsal will begin with 15 to 20 minutes of physical preparation to strengthen the player’s body and increase flexibility and cardiovascular stamina, as required by Commedia.

Instructions for your audition

• Auditions will consist of several exercises and activities to showcase collaboration and players who make big physical and emotional choices. You do not need to prepare anything for the audition. Please wear clothes that will let you move with ease and comfort.
• Make sure to fill out the online form. The auditions will be open, so you do not need to sign up for a time slot – everyone will be expected to start auditions at 10 a.m. Please note the rehearsal schedule of the play when you sign up.
• Deadline to sign up is Friday, May 17.
• Auditions will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 18 in PA 399. The first two hours will be an all-group audition, and then we’ll keep working with some of the players for the last two hours. Please be prepared to stay for the full four hours.
• Callbacks: We do not foresee having callbacks for this production.
• COVID-19 Vaccinations: While vaccinations will not be required to participate in this production, we still strongly encourage that everyone auditioning be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19. This will help protect the cast, production team, and audience from being exposed to COVID-19 and keep everyone healthy.

Questions on this form include opportunities to share information about your identity, including gender, race, and cultural background. Your answers help WWU prioritize authentic, appropriate casting as called for in each script. Please share only what you feel comfortable sharing.

Some questions on this form involve disclosing what you are comfortable with as a performer. Show specific questions are below and you will also be given a longer, more detailed disclosure form to fill out the morning of auditions. You will be asked to return this form by the end of Audition Day.

Additionally, there are some resources made available here to inform you of Western Washington University’s procedures and protocols for moments of intimacy in our productions.

Audition Resources

Below are links to very useful Word documents which are resources to inform you of Western Washington University’s procedures and protocols for moments of intimacy in our productions.

• Production incident report
• WWU Actor Consent Form
• WWU Audition Disclosure Form
• WWU Intimacy and Instructional Touch Policy
• WWU Intimacy Protocols