The Boardmore’s 41st Season of Plays includes three major productions: The Tempest (late November 2011), Death of a Salesman (late January 2012), and The Last Resort (February/March 2012), along with the Elizabeth Boardmore One-Act Play Festival (late March 2012).
Auditions for these shows will take place on Saturday, September 17, 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, September 18, 1pm to 5pm. Audition times are made by appointment only and can be booked by calling 563-1351 or emailing todd_hiscock@cbu.ca.
Actors are asked to prepare one contemporary and one classical monologue (1 to 2 minutes long) and a short song (their choice), as well as a theatrical resume and recent photo (usually a head shot).
“Generally, in our productions, a person can expect to be in rehearsal for three to four months, three times per week, 3 to 4 hours per rehearsal, at the most,” Hiscock says about the time commitment required to be in a major production. “Unless your character in onstage for the whole play you will not likely need to be at all rehearsals. On top of that, there is a big commitment to do your actor work outside of rehearsal–learning lines, etc.”
The Boardmore is also looking for stage crew and technicians. Application forms for that are available at the Boardmore Theatre.
“The Boardmore Theatre has had a great relationship with the general community since it began back in the late ’60s (under the mentorship of Harry and Elizabeth Boardmore),” Hiscock says. “The relationship has been two-fold. First, Boardmore Theatre has always been open for the general community to be directly involved in the productions. Many, many community members have found their way on to the stage or doing technical aspects of the plays. Also, the Boardmore Theatre has been a springboard for many new playwrights. So, I think it has been a case of, ‘build it and they will come’.”
“Second, the community has supported the theatre as a dedicated audience. We have always had strong ticket sales, averaging 150 people per performance. In my experience, if you were to ask any professional company, they would be thrilled with those kind of numbers.”
This year, the Boardmore is offering a variety of season ticket packages for their patrons.
“I wanted to provide more access for more people to the plays than before,” Hiscock says about the variety of packages. “By expanding the season ticket to include a number of packages, I think we can encourage more people to buy tickets. For example, the Family Series will appeal to families when they see just how much we do for younger audiences, as opposed to one play that runs for two performances.”
“The various packages offer a variety of prices so hopefully we can accommodate everyone’s pocket book. We have also partnered with Flavour 19 to provide each of the ticket packages with a dinner and theatre option. The new Flavour 19 at Lingan Golf Club, just across the street from the theatre, makes for a perfect fit with us. So, in the end, we give the theatre a more professional look, and we are able to provide more opportunity for more patrons.”
