Auditions for University of Iowa theater, opera, and dance fall productions and performances will be held during the first week of classes, beginning on Monday, Aug. 25.

Theater

The University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts will hold open auditions for its fall productions, including the musical Striking 12, Aug. 28-31. These auditions are an excellent opportunity to learn more about UI Theatre and to perform in Mainstage, Gallery, and Workshop productions, as well as staged readings.

Auditions for UI Theatre productions are open to everyone. For academic considerations, priority is given to theatre majors first, and then all other students of the UI. Members of the greater Iowa City community are also strongly encouraged to audition. There are many excellent roles available throughout the year and many nonmajors and actors from the surrounding community are cast each season. Occasionally, professional guest actors will also be employed.

"Nontraditional" casting is the norm for all directors in all productions, except those in which race, gender, disability, or age is the explicit issue. Casting is "nontraditional" when all roles in a script are open to casting without bias in terms of race, gender, disability, or age, so long as the actor can fulfill the artistic requirements of the role.

One hundred fifty-six UI students participated in last year’s fall auditions, with 87 roles being cast. There will be more than 80 roles available this semester.

Auditions for spring shows will be held in November and auditions for the Iowa New Play Festival will take place in March.

For those auditioning at the UI for the first time, they are invited to join the division’s Audition Workshop hosted by John Cameron and David McGraw. The workshop will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, in Theatre B in the UI Theatre Building.

• General auditions and musical auditions: 7 to 11 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Aug. 28-29
• Callbacks: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31
• Casting will be announced starting at 11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31, with several shows beginning rehearsals on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

Shows, workshops, and readings participating in fall auditions are as follows:

Mainstage

• Iowa Partnership in the Arts: Crescendo – Directed by Matteo Destro and Paola Coletto
• Striking 12 – Directed by John Cameron (musical)

Gallery Series

• Order Now – Theresa Giacopasi
• Water Bound – Sam Lahne
• thing with feathers – Sam Collier
• Designer (A Brechtian Techno Drama) – Mario El Caponi Mendoza

Workshops

• Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen – Annie Levitz
• Return to Mongoose Island – Sean David DeMers
• A Devised Project (Muhajir- Working Title) – Marina Johnson
• Role Models – Hiram Alexander Orozco

Readings

• Rock n’ Roll Jesus – David Freeman
• Too Few to Mention – Catherine Shook
• Lemonade Dress – Erin Marshall

The special project Global Express will be inviting people to participate following casting.

In addition to the number of open roles to be cast, there are specific needs for A Devised Project: child actors between 9 and 14, male or female, and two roles for actors or actresses over the age of 50.

For more information regarding auditions for productions in the Department of Theatre Arts, visit www.uiauditions.com or contact Melissa Turner at melissa-turner@uiowa.edu.

Opera

Auditions will be held for the fall opera, The Consul, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, in UCC Recital Hall. For more information regarding opera auditions, please contact the UI School of Music at 319-335-1603 or visit the Auditions page.

Dance

Auditions will be held for Dance Gala on Monday, Aug. 25, with registration beginning at 5 p.m. in the Halsey Hall Gym. Auditions for Dancers in Company will be held Tuesday, Aug. 26, beginning at 5 p.m. in the Halsey Hall Gym.

Also, auditions for Thesis I, Thesis II, and MFA independent projects will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6, beginning at noon in the Halsey Hall Gym, and auditions for the Graduate/Undergraduate Concert, Choreography I and III projects, and the Collaborative Performance will be held on Saturday, Sept. 20, beginning at noon in the Halsey Hall Gym.

For more information regarding dance auditions, contact the Department of Dance at 319-335-2228 or visit the Auditions page.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, contact the Department of Theatre Arts at 319-335-2700, the Department of Dance at 319-335-2228, or the School of Music at 319-335-1603.