NEW LINE THEATRE SEEKS MULTI-RACIAL CAST FOR POP OPERA "BARE"

NEW LINE THEATRE SEEKS
MULTI-RACIAL CAST FOR
POP OPERA "BARE"

Auditions for New Line Theatre's production of the pop opera BARE will be held on two successive Monday nights, March 14 and 21, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. at the Washington University South Campus, 6501 Clayton Road (formerly CBC High School), just east of Big Bend, in the second floor theatre. This is not on the Washington University main campus. Performers need to come to only one of the dates. The show will run for four weeks, June 2-25, 2011. For details about the show, visit New Line's BARE webpage, at http://www.newlinetheatre.com/barepage.html

New Line is looking for a multi-racial cast of 15 actors. Twelve of the characters are high school students, but New Line will not cast anyone under 17. There are also roles for one adult man and two adult women. New Line is looking for intelligent singing actors who are willing to take risks onstage. Performers are asked to bring a prepared contemporary theatre song, preferably in rock or pop style, with printed piano music for our pianist (no tapes and no a cappella). There will not be a dance audition. Performers may also be asked to sing from the score.

No roles in the show have been pre-cast. All roles will be cast through the auditions.

ABOUT "BARE"

New Line's 20th Anniversary Season closes with the regional premiere of the cult phenomenon bare, a pop opera by up-and-coming theatre writers Jon Hartmere & Damon Intrabartolo. The show has been described as a mix of Rent and Dead Poets Society, exploring sex, sexuality, self expression, guilt, jealously, and religion, and all overflowing with the kind of urgency and intensity that comes with being 17. First produced in Los Angeles in 2000 and then off Broadway in 2004, this show has attracted a fierce cult following across the country and around the world. The New Liners are thrilled to bring it to St. Louis audiences for the first time.

bare follows five seniors at a Catholic boarding school. At the center are Jason and Peter, who are forced to deal with their mutual romantic attraction while trying to live up to the standards of their parents and the Catholic Church. The show explores the range of problems facing American youth today, from body image to teen pregnancy, from drug culture to adult expectations. The show's first director, Kristin Hanggan, said in an interview, "Its real allure for audiences is the commonality of experience -- alienation, fear of rejection, confusion of sexual identity and the poignancy of marginalization." In Los Angeles, bare won the L.A. Weekly Award for Best Musical, the Ovation Award for Best Musical and the L.A. Drama Critics Award for Best Score. When bare was originally produced in Los Angeles, it was supposed to run for 32 performances at an 87-seat theatre on Santa Monica Boulevard. Four months later, it had become a multi-award-winning sensation created by two 26-year-old writers and a 23-year-old director.

New Line Theatre will be one of the first companies in America to produce this exciting and powerful new pop musical.

No appointments are necessary. All performers should arrive for the audition before 7:00 p.m. New Line is a non-union, professional theatre company and is always very eager to find a multi-racial cast. Rehearsals will begin the first week of April, on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m., plus every night the week the show opens. Rehearsals are at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in St. Louis Hills. Performances are at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. Performers will share a guaranteed 10% of box office receipts. Call 314-773-6526 or email info@NewLineTheatre.com for more information.

ABOUT NEW LINE THEATRE

New Line Theatre is a professional company dedicated to involving the people of the St. Louis region in the exploration and creation of daring, provocative, socially and politically relevant works of musical theatre. New Line Theatre was created in 1991 at the vanguard of a new wave of nonprofit musical theatre just starting to take hold across the country. New Line has given birth to several world premiere musicals over the years and has brought back to life many shows that did not do well in their original New York productions. Altogether, New Line has produced 59 musicals and 5 concerts of theatre songs since 1991. New Line Theatre was recently given its own entry in the latest edition of the Cambridge Guide to American Theatre. New Line has also created a new online musical theatre book and music store, at http://astore.amazon.com/newlinetheatre. New Line receives funding from the Regional Arts Commission, the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, and the Missouri Arts Council. For more about New Line, go to www.newlinetheatre.com/contact.html

New Line has recently announced its annual scholarship for high school seniors planning a career in musical theatre. For more info, visit http://www.newlinetheatre.com/scholarship.html.

New Line's upcoming musical TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA runs March 3-26, 2011, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, at 8:00 p.m., at the Washington University South Campus Theatre (formerly CBC High School), 6501 Clayton Road, just east of Big Bend. March 3 is a preview. Tickets are on sale now through all Metrotix outlets, including Macy's stores, the Fox Theatre, the Edison Theatre at Washington University, and select Schnucks stores, or by calling 314-534-1111. This show contains adult content.