Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ready To Pedal!
Trike Theatre is back with auditions for Season 23
Calling all actors, ages kindergarten and up! Trike Theatre has lots of openings to fill and will have auditions from noon to 5 p.m. April 10 for all the productions in their newest season.
“It’s open for basically anyone who is interested in being in one of our productions,” says Chris Tennison, Head of Academy for Trike Theatre. “We’ll have shows of all different kinds.”
Those interested in auditioning are asked to prepare two monologues from film, theater or even to recite poems. For the littlest performers, Tennison says Shel Silverstein poems or nursery rhymes are good options. And if you want to be considered for their summer musical “The Descendants,” then come prepared to sing 16 to 32 bars, or to those who are not familiar with that musical term, a verse and a chorus of a song.
Tennison says they are looking for actors of all age levels and experience.
“We hire professional actors as well, as old as wants to come through the door,” he says. The number of openings in each production varies, but suffice it to say there are plenty of opportunities.
Disney’s “The Descendants” will require about 25 artists. Folks can also audition for Trike’s Resident Acting Company at that time, which has 15 openings, and the shows call for adult actors all throughout the year, too. Productions like “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” all need adult professionals, and the Christmas play especially calls for lots of actors on stage.
Trike’s new season is exciting because, like most artistic companies, it has been operating in a different mode the past couple of years and is now beginning to return to a sort of new normal.
“When the pandemic hit, we pivoted programming to virtual, which was lovely, but this is our first return to a ‘normal’ season since,” Tennison says.
Some virtual opportunities are still available here and there, but the overall hope is to bring the theater back to a traditional style of programming. “We’re bringing back the summer musical, which we hadn’t done in a couple years, cast sizes are larger because we do not have to social distance, so we can fit more in our shows. We’re hoping that this brings us completely to our endemic phase and figure out what that looks like.”
Auditions will be general so that Trike can place actors where they are best suited throughout the season performance, so rather than going in with your heart set on one production, it may be best that the majority be open to whatever role comes their way.
“All the directors for the season will be in attendance for the audition, and what will happen for a lot (of folks) is there might be callbacks at a later date
to audition for the specific parts in a particular show,” Tennison says.
So if you or your child plan to audition for a part, there are a few things Trike asks you to bear in mind. First, arrive at least 5 minutes before audition time, to mentally prepare and to fill out forms. And while they adore props and costumes, “we would love it if you would leave them at home, because we just want to see the performer,” Tennison says. “It detracts, and I just want to see what you’re doing here, not your bling.”
Similarly, be sure to wear clothes you can move easily in, including close-toed shoes, in fact sneakers are great, just in case there’s any movement in the audition. To that same point, leave the dangly jewelry and/or hats behind and come prepared to just present yourself and your skills.
Stage hopefuls should practice a little each day. Tennison recommends roughly 20 minutes a day for the week before the audition and try it out a time or two in front of a supportive audience of your own choosing.
“That way you’ll be so prepared, walk in and just nail it,” he says. “Perform in front of people to get the nerves out: your mom, your dad, your grandma, your neighbor, your fish. Do it in front of things. Oh, and have fun! This should be fun. It shouldn’t be oppressive.”
For the youngest actors, that 20 minutes a day doesn’t have to be all in one block. Have your little one do 10 minutes twice a day or 5 minutes four times a day, whatever works to get that practice in, Tennison says.
While all the productions each have something special, Tennison anticipates Disney’s “Descendants” and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” being the big draws. If you have one you feel strongly about being a part of, you can make that preference known on the forms you fill out before the audition.
“We are so ready to get back to whatever the new normal is,” Tennison says. “We’re coming back. This is our return to normal asterisk, unless…”