AYAA to the Rescue: What can I still audition for?

As promised, here is a list of shows that I am 99% certain can still be auditioned for through August. :)


(Yesterday's post was all about navigating figuring out what to audition for, so check that out.)

Actor's Youth Theatre: James and the Giant Peach Jr., Hairspray, TBA Junior Musical

Christian Youth Theatre: The Little Mermaid Jr.

Don Bluth Front Row Theatre: Once Upon a Mattress, Bullets Over Broadway, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Private Lives, Singin' In the Rain

East Valley Children's Theatre: Snow White and Rose Red

Fountain Hills Theater: Play It Again Sam, Curtains, Dear Edwina Jr, Miss Minnie's Melodrama-don!

Greasepaint Youth Theatre: Honk!

Hale Centre Theatre: Me and My Girl, West Side Story

Musical Theatre of Anthem: 101 Dalmatians KIDS, My Son Pinocchio Jr.

Nearly Naked Theatre: Wonderland Wives, next to normal

Queen Creek Performing Arts Center: The Music Man

Scottsdale Desert Stages: Shrek the Musical Jr., Moon Over Buffalo, Into the Woods

Scottsdale Musical Theatre Company: Kiss of the Spider Woman, My Fair Lady

Spotlight Youth Theatre: Bring It On, Cinderella: a Rock-n-Roll Fantasy

Starlight Community Theatre: Oliver!

Stray Cat Theatre: American Idiot

Theater Works: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Twilight's Quest

Tuscany Theatre Company: Urinetown

Valley Youth Theatre: Disney's The Little Mermaid

AYAA to the Rescue: I WANT TO DO A SHOW BUT HELP

Hi there, guys!

A couple weeks ago, I had a friend reach out to me and say he wanted to branch out from the theatre he has been primarily doing shows at, but he didn't know much about other theatres and what shows they were doing.

Today, I thought I would share some different ways to find out about new theatres and their auditions.

#1. DurantCom

If you don't know what DurantCom is, you need to. Durant Communications updates their sites with audition notices for stage and film weekly. Most theatres post audition notices on DurantCom around Phoenix and the East and West Valley. Here is a link to the site: http://www.durantcom.com/

They also offer Starving Actor discounts to show on the sites.

#2. Phoenix Stages

Phoenix Stages has everything: audition notices, cast lists, show info, theatre news, interviews, you name it! It's a great place to go see what theatres are doing what this season or to see what's playing. I use it a lot to help out with this site.

http://phxstages.blogspot.com/

#3. The AZ Auditions and Show Info FB Page

This Facebook page allows reps from certain theatres to post about their currently running shows and auditions. Most theatres post info on this FB page in addition to some dance companies, improv theatres, and comedy bars. If you have a Facebook, I definitely recommend becoming a part of this group. The operator is also very proficient at keeping the page on topic.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArizonaTheatreChat/

#4. Talk to People!

Don't be afraid to e-mail a theatre and ask questions! They want you to come audition for them and to come see their shows. Also, ask your friends what they're auditioning for and advice on what they think you would be good at. Theatre is a communicative art. Not only on the stage, but off of it as well.

#5. Go See Shows

Good theatre people go see shows. I have learned a lot about acting since my friend Jackie Brecker started working at Hale Theatre. When I sit at the theatre at Hale, I get to observe people like Rob Stuart, Matthew Ryan Harris, Brandi Bigley, Mark Kleinman, Emily Evans, Laura Anne Kenney, etc. and see what they do. If there is a theatre you might be interested in, go see a show there; see what it is all about and talk to the actors if you can after the show. Phoenix Stages has the full seasons of most theatres around Phoenix on their site and posts a "Currently Playing" every week. (I would direct you towards mine, but truth be told, I'm the worst at updating it.)

If you have any more questions, please feel free to shoot me a message on FB or an e-mail at mackenna.azyoung.actors@gmail.com


*TOMORROW: I will be posting a list of shows that can still be auditioned for through August, but I will be in the middle of an Addams Family performance when it goes up at 7:30.

AYAA Request: Let's bring back Bedroom Sessions!

Hello there, everyone.

Hope you all had a wonderful Monday! Today, I am posting to reach out about a program on AYAA that has fallen to the wayside.

From the get go, I wanted AYAA to be about sharing the stories and talents of kids around AZ. Right now, this is coming through primarily in interviews and kind of in the Dream Casting. However, early on in the site, I had two wonderful young ladies share their talents with us in video form.

Becca Webb

Sarah Davidson

Bedroom Sessions are a chance for young actors around AZ to share their talents -- singing, acting, dancing, juggling, etc. -- in a casual environment on the Internet. (Hence the name, BEDROOM sessions.) Here are some bullet points about submissions.

• Must be in a casual setting; no formal production videos and no reels.
• Please try to keep it PG-13. We are not in the business of censoring youth, but we do want to keep the site friendly for all actors. If you do choose to submit something R rated -- whether for swearing or sexual content -- it is likely to be tagged "NSFC" (Not Safe for Children) with an explanation why. Only in extreme cases will we reject a video for content and we will explain to the submitter why. I believe in doing work that is age appropriate for the most part, so if you are 11 years old, please don't submit a video of you singing a vulgar song about sex meant for a 30 year old woman. 
• That being said, this is an environment for exploration. As long as it is overall appropriate, do not be afraid to cross gender and other "type" lines. A girl singing "One Song Glory" from Rent or a guy singing "Pretty Funny" from Dogfight is not only fine, it's awesome!
• Less than 6 minutes; audiences don't have long attention spans.
• Can be multiple people in the video; SILLY CAST VIDEOS ARE ENCOURAGED.
• And finally, if you submit something to us, we will review it just to make sure everything is squared away and so we can label videos appropriately, but if everything is fine and dandy content and video wise, we will accept it. We are not in the business of judging your talent. If you are bold enough to submit a video to be put on the Internet, we are not going to put you down. 
• Commentors: be kind. If you're being unkind, you are completely disregarding the mission of AZ Young Actors' Alliance. But, please, speak up! Write a comment. Encourage your fellow thespians.
• Finally -- although cheesy -- have fun with your selections! Explore, do something different; share yourself with us.

If you have a submission, feel free to e-mail it to mackenna.azyoungactors@gmail.com. You also send it to me over FB, but e-mail *tends* to be easier. Please submit; this is a safe, encouraging place.

AYAA Press Release: Charlotte's Web at Theater Works

Theater Works Presents A Tale of True Friendship in

Youth Works Production Charlotte’s Web

  On Stage November March 4 - 20

(Peoria, AZ) Theater Works 30^th Season continues with the YouthWorks production Charlotte’s Web opening Friday, March 4. Get caught up in Charlotte’s web as this colorful, fun and timeless story is spun on to the stage. Meet all the fascinating characters:  Wilbur, an endearing piglet in grave danger of becoming bacon; Fern, a young girl who loves animals and wants to save him; Templeton, the gluttonous rat who can occasionally be talked into a good deed; and Charlotte, the wise and winsome spider who proves what true friendship is all about.

Charlotte begins her campaign to save Wilbur with the “miracle” of her web in which she writes, “Some pig”… and it’s the beginning of a victorious campaign. Based on the book by E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web was named by the Children’s Literature Association as “the best American children’s book of the past two hundred years.” Charlotte’s Web was adapted by Joseph Robinette. Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois.

The cast of 23 will be directed by Chris Hamby, who serves as Theater Works’ Education and Outreach Director, as well as the puppetry director for the Puppet Works program. Most recently Chris directed the award-winning productions of A Year With Frog and Toad, The Tales from the Arabian Nights, and Avenue Q: School Edition for YouthWorks. This season he also directedThe Secret Garden. Theater Works is thrilled to see the return of Alexa Pedersen (Charlotte), Josh Pike (Wilbur), and Tabetha Horney (Fern Arable) leading the cast of talented young people.

Charlotte’s Web will be on stage at the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts March 4 – 20, 2016. The Youth Works 2015-16 season concludes with an original production written by Hamby, Twilight’s Quest opening May 6 and running through May 22.

Tickets for Charlotte’s Web are now on sale. General admission tickets are just $15. The production takes place in the McMillin Theater of the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts (8355 West Peoria Avenue, Peoria, AZ 85345). To purchase tickets or find out more about Theater Works and the Youth Works productions, contact the Box Office at (623) 815.7930 or visitwww.theaterworks.org.

Theater Works, at Peoria Center for the Performing Arts is entering its 30th season of providing exceptional theater to the West Valley.  As a destination, it features more than 200 events a year including: live theater, classical concerts, jazz, popular music, dance, comedy, cultural events, festivals, youth and adult education classes and much more.  Theater Works is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. 

If you're interested in having your shows or auditions advertising on AYAA, shoot me an e-mail at mackenna.azyoungactors@gmail.com!!

AYAA Dream Casting: Legally Blonde

Hi, everybody!

Ohmigod you guys; it's a Saturday edition of AYAA Dream Casting. Big thanks to Macy Wood, Kate Nienstedt, Sarah Davidson and Grace Napoletano for helping me cast Legally Blonde, the Musical this week!

The musical is based off the book and movie of the same name. It follows the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back her boyfriend, Warner. Elle becomes involved with the murder trial of exercise queen, Brooke Wyndham, and shows the world what a woman -- a blonde woman -- can accomplish.

On AYAA, I am running dreamcasting two ways:

Self-submitted: If you have a dream cast for a show, send it to me at mackenna.azyoungactors@gmail.com or via Facebook. MUST BE WITH VALLEY ACTORS, NOT BROADWAY HUMANS.
Facilitated by me: I will be reaching out to 4-5 actors/actresses periodically. (I will also be participating from time to time) I will give each of them the same show and see the diverse ways they cast the show. I will only be able to ask you if you are friends with me on my personal Facebook. Same thing, it will be with Valley actors, not people on Broadway.

The cast lists of the ladies I mentioned above and my own are below. Enjoy!

Macy Wood:

Elle- Jessica Sinodis

Emmett- Jonah Carlson

Paulette- Becca Bauer

Callahan- Mark Munoz

Warner- Jacob Emnet

Vivienne- Sarah Davidson

Kyle- Bryce Dilullo

Brooke- Benny Rose

Enid- Macy Wood

Serena- Olivia Nienstedt

Margot- Haley Reed 

Pilar- Adyson Nichols

Chutney- Nikkolina Kamouzis

Kate Nienstedt:

Elle- Lauren Anderson

Emmett- Dale Mortenson

Paulette- Mackenna Goodrich

Warner - Kale Burr

Kyle - Adam Lundgreen

Vivienne- Olivia Nienstedt

Margo- Rachel Spencer

Chuntney- Kate Nienstedt

Pilar- Grace Napoletano

Brooke- Jackie Brecker (She was so good as Brooke)

Callahan- Jonah Carlson 

Grace Napoletano:

Elle: Jackie Breaker 

Emmett: Sam Primack 

Paulette: Mackenna Goodrich 

Callahan: Julian Mendoza

Warner: Vinney Pugliese 

Vivienne: myself ( dream role)

Kyle: Jeremy Yampolsky

Brooke: Payton Bioletto 

Enid: Becca Webb 

Serena: Sarah Pansing 

Margot: Benny Cowens 

Pilar:  Tiana Marks 

Chutney: India Chudnow

Sarah Davidson:

Elle: Jessica Sinodis

Emmett: Konnor Smith

Paulette: Megan Codling

Callahan: Bryce Dilullo

Warner: Nick Hambruch

Vivienne: Jessie Jo Pauley

Kyle: Kale Burr

Brooke: Zoe Zamora

Enid: Me (I think this is such an under appreciated role and I love it a lot)

Serena: Summer Farnsworth

Margot: Lina Cappellano

Pilar: Grace Napoletano

Chutney: Alli Halliday (she was literally amazing in Hamilton's)

Mackenna Goodrich:

Elle: Jackie Brecker

Emmett: Dale Mortenson

Paulette: This is a part that is near and dear to my heart and I think Jessica Sinodis would kill it.

Callahan: Isaac Dowdle

Warner: James D. Gish

Vivienne: Adyson Nichols

Kyle: Joey Sortino

Brooke: Grace Napoletano

Enid: Megan Codling

Serena: Gabi Giusti

Margot: Brittney Peters

Pilar: Christianna Mills
Chutney: Alli Halliday

AYAA Dreamcasting: Rent

Welcome back! After about a week long break from this series, I present to you an AYAA Dreamcasting of the cult classic, RENT! Rent tells the story of a group of impoverished artists and their mates struggling in NYC's Alphabet City during the age of Bohemia and AIDS. The show is based on La Boheme by Puccini and includes famous songs like "Seasons of Love" "La Vie Boheme" and "Take Me or Leave Me."

On AYAA, I am running dreamcasting two ways:

Self-submitted: If you have a dream cast for a show, send it to me at mackenna.azyoungactors@gmail.com or via Facebook. MUST BE WITH VALLEY ACTORS, NOT BROADWAY HUMANS.
Facilitated by me: I will be reaching out to 4-5 actors/actresses periodically. (I will also be participating from time to time) I will give each of them the same show and see the diverse ways they cast the show. I will only be able to ask you if you are friends with me on my personal Facebook. Same thing, it will be with Valley actors, not people on Broadway.

Today, I present to you one of the "Facilitated by me" types of dream casting. I reached out to five different young actors in the Valley --  Julian Mendoza, Alexia Filler, Bailey Gorman, Konnor Smith, Jake Bonar  -- and asked them to dream cast Rent. Their responses and mine are below.

Julian Mendoza
Mark: Sam Primack
Rodger: Vincent Pugliese
Mimi: Payton Bioletto
Tom: Sague Molina
Angel: Brandon Reyes
Maureen: Sarah Pansing
Joanne: Sophia Drapeau
Benny: Jacob Browning

Alexia Filler:
Mark: Kale Burr
Roger: Ian Winters
Mimi: Payton Bioletto
Tom: Jared Kitch
Angel: Sam Ellefson
Benny: Donovan Fiore
Maureen: Jessie Jo Pauley

Bailey Gorman
Mark- Kale Burr
Roger- Tim Eversole
Mimi- Michelle Correa
Tom- Danny Blankemeir
Angel- Bailey Gorman
Maureen- Brittany Howk
Joanne- Jessie Jo Pauley
Benny- Noah Delgado

Jake Bonar
Mark: Alex Tuchi
Roger: Vincent Pugliese
Mimi: Tiana Marks
Tom: Joey Grado
Angel: Spencer Claus
Maureen: Maddie Alfano
Joanne: Sarah Pansing
Benny: Ethan Shanker

Konnor Smith
Mark- Kale Burr
Roger- Joey Grado
Mimi- Jackie Brecker
Tom- Ian Winters
Angel- Spencer Claus
Maureen- Kenna Goodrich
Joanne- Tatum Weight
Benny- Joey Sortino

Mackenna Goodrich
So, my big thing with RENT is I have always wanted to see the genderbent version of this show. (It's my biggest directing dream after The Drowsy Chaperone.) And since this is my website and I can do whatever I want ;) my dream cast reverses the genders of all the characters in the show. :)

Mark: Mackenna Goodrich
Roger: Jackie Brecker
Mimi: Sam Ellefson
Tom: Gabi Giusti
Angel: Jessica Sinodis
Maureen: Vincent Pugliese
Joanne: Michael Schulz
Benny: Rebecca Galcik

AYAA Talkback: Broadway Revivals

Hi everyone! And welcome to the next AYAA Talkback. This time around, I asked about what play or musical people would most want to see a Broadway revival of. Here is what you said!

"Big Fish because it was made out to be to big of a production the first time and I think it would do better with a revival." - Grace Napoletano

"Ragtime, because of the sensitive topics it deals with, such as racism, class-based discrimination, immigration, etc. The musical shows the audience that in the end, we are all just human beings, and no one is better than anyone else. Right now, I think people need to hear that message more than anything." - Bronson David-Todd

"Rocky The Musical because that was real and I need to see it to believe that was actually real." - Bryce DiLullo

"Can I say hunchback? It never made it to Broadway, but I would love to see a revival of the show finally make it!" - Jackie Brecker

"Jekyll and Hyde -- incredible music, maybe not the greatest script, but a lot of potential. Would love to see it be big." - Dale Mortensen

"I feel like it would be cool to have Heathers revived just so it could try its luck on Broadway." - Vincent Pugliese

"Meet me in St. Louis. It's a classic!" - Brenda Carlson

"I'd like to see a revival of the play, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." You can't really beat Jack Nicholson, but the story teaches many great lessons about life that I wish more younger people would take into consideration." - Jaclyn Stack

"Dogfight! In the midst of all these more modern, rock, hip hop musicals that are becoming more and more popular, Dogfight would fit right in! I think people would appreciate the music more; it's beautiful and fun! Plus the story is captivating. The two leads, Eddie and Rose, are both funny and heartbreaking." - Jessie Jo Pauley

"The Scarlet Pimpernel. That show hasn't gotten nearly enough recognition. The story is engaging, the characters are classic, and the music is beautiful." - Noah Delgado

"Seussical. Other than a couple of Disney shows, there's not many "family friendly" Broadway shows right now. It's a wholesome fun show that needs to be done again with bigger and better hair, makeup, and sets! Songs are catchy and great and kids love it! Doesn't get enough credit." - Kylee Toon Chouinard

"In a world where the Book of Mormon is the only religious satire making it big everywhere we must remember our roots. Also its a rock opera about Jesus Christ. I want to be Jesus." - Bryce DiLullo (again)

Thank you everyone! Stay tuned for another Talkback in the near future.