The Clark State Community College Theatre Arts program will accept virtual auditions this month for the fall production of She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms written by Qui Nguyen.
The show – designed specifically for an online performance - will be produced and co-directed by Theresa Lauricella, professor of Theatre at Clark State, and co-directed by Dan Hunt, technical director of the Clark State Performing Arts Center.
“I think theatre practitioners might be the original out-of-the-box thinkers,” said Lauricella. “We also do a lot of group work. Even people who don't like group work and do theatre are amazed when they realize how they are working together as a team. It is the communication within the group of people putting on the show - the actors, the director, the set, costume, lighting and sound designers. And we are always thinking about the final group to join that conversation: the audience.”
She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms is a comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games; it is a high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres and '90s pop culture - a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.
Interested actors will be emailed a link to submit their self-recorded video after completing an audition form at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdky05VLrJr9s_mdV5gyHLxWCEzFxbd54QBgnTB8pzkmjkU7w/viewform
For the self-recording, actors should prepare a one-minute monologue from a contemporary play. A headshot and resume are also preferred. The deadline for self-tape submissions is 7 p.m., September 14. Callbacks will be held virtually September 21, 2020. Virtual rehearsals will begin in September.
There will be one live online performance of She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms on November 6 at 8 p.m. and a repeat viewing at a later date to be announced.
Lauricella said the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the performing arts for now, but when the risks of the pandemic are less, and people are able to gather again, there will be some of the most dynamic theatre experiences ever enjoyed.
“As I mentioned to students in my courses, theatre has survived millennia,” said Lauricella. “Theatre roots date back before Thespis who in 504 BCE became the first actor. It has survived many societal conflicts: wars, famine, religious persecution, plagues. It has survived against other forms of entertainment: film, television and video gaming and even the more recent streaming media we have ready access to.”