Pig Iron auditions August 6-7 for a performance installation

25 Jul 2016
Pig Iron Seeks Singers/Performers for TIMESCALES: A Performance Installation
 
Pig Iron Theatre Company is looking for senior citizens (ages 70 and older) and children (ages 9-12) to appear in TIMESCALES, a performance installation, with singing, at the University of Pennsylvania on October 21 and October 22, 2016.
 
TIMESCALES will be part of Pig Iron’s development process for A Period of Animate Existence, an epic synthesis of theater, music, and design that will feature two generations of choirs singing about rapid ecological and technological changes. A Period of Animate Existence is conceived and co-authored by composer Troy Herion, designer Mimi Lien, and director Dan Rothenberg in collaboration with an exceptional team of theater and music artists.
 
Singers will be part of two volunteer choruses who will both move and sing throughout the event. Movement will be simple gestures such as walking and lying down, and singing will all be memorized. Prior experience performing is preferred but not required. Participants will receive access to a professional rehearsal process, a performance opportunity at a national academic conference, opportunities to mingle with an award-winning creative team, and the chance to be part of the development of an opera about climate change.
 
Auditions will be held on August 6 (10am-2pm) and August 7 (2pm-6pm) at the Pig Iron studios at 1417 N. 2nd Street. If you or your child are interested in scheduling an audition slot, please e-mail casting@pigiron.org with your availability during these times and a bio. Audition slots will be approximate 30 minutes long.
 
Seeking: Performers of all ethnicities, ages 70 and older, or between 9-12, who can sing, to be part of a choir who move in space.
 
Participant requirements:
 
--Be able to match pitch and harmonize.
 
--Be able to memorize music
 
--Be willing and able to perform simple movements
 
--Be physically able to stand still and lie still for long amounts of time (a ‘soft freeze’ for 15 minutes)
 
--Ability to read music a plus, but not required (can learn by ear if necessary)
 
--Be available for rehearsals and the performance
 
Audition Requirements: Singers will audition in groups of six. They will be asked to do some simple movements as a group (standing still/freezing, walking in slow motion) and then individually sing a verse or chorus of a favorite song.
 
Time commitment:
 
--Available for about 6 rehearsals during the months of September/October.
 
--Ability to participate in the final performances on Friday, October 21 and Saturday October 22.
 
Rehearsals for the Children’s Choir:
 
Saturday 9/10 10am-12pm
Saturday 9/17 10am-12pm
Saturday 9/24 10am-12pm
Saturday 10/1 10am-12pm
Saturday 10/8 10am-12pm
Saturday 10/15 or Sunday 10/16 (exact date/time TBA)
Friday 10/21 5pm Performance
Saturday 10/22 11:45am Performance
 
Adult Choir Rehearsal Schedule:
Tuesday 9/6 6pm-8pm
Tuesday 9/13 6pm-8pm
Tuesday 9/20 6pm-8pm
Tuesday 9/27 6pm-8pm
Tuesday 10/4 6pm-8pm
Saturday 10/8 10am-12pm
Saturday 10/15 or Sunday 10/16 (exact date/time TBA)
Tuesday 10/18 6pm-8pm
Friday 10/21 5pm Performance
Saturday 10/22 11:45am Performance
 
MORE ABOUT PIG IRON
 
The mission of Pig Iron Theatre Company is to expand what is possible in performance by creating rigorous and unusual ensemble-devised works; by training the next generation of daring, innovative theatre artists; and by consistently asking the hardest questions, both in our art and in its relation to the world around us.
 
Founded in 1995 as an interdisciplinary ensemble, Pig Iron Theatre Company is dedicated to the creation of new and exuberant performance works that defy easy categorization. Over the course of its nearly two-decade lifespan, Pig Iron has created over 30 original works and has toured to festivals and theatres in England, Scotland, Poland, Lithuania, Brazil, Ireland, Japan, Italy, Romania and Germany. Individual works have been inspired by history and biography (Poet In New York, 1997 and Anodyne, 2001), rock music (Mission to Mercury, 2000 and Swamp is On, 2015), American kitsch culture (Cafeteria, 1997 and Welcome to Yuba City, 2009), and scientific research (Pay Up, 2005/2013 and Chekhov Lizardbrain, 2007).
 
In 2005, Pig Iron won an OBIE Award for Hell Meets Henry Halfway, an adaptation of Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz's novel Possessed; in 2008, Pig Iron won a second OBIE for James Sugg's performance in Chekhov Lizardbrain.  Pig Iron's staging of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was nominated for ten Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, winning four, and enjoyed sold-out performances at Philadelphia Theater Company and later at Abrons Art Center in NYC. Pig Iron has been named Theatre Company of the Year by Philadelphia Magazine and Philadelphia Weekly.
 
In 2012, Pig Iron launched a 2-year graduate program in physical and devised theater at a new home in North Philadelphia. In 2015, the company partnered with University of the Arts to offer both a Graduate Certificate and an MFA in Devised Performance.
 
Currently the company is engaged in research focused on the intersection between music and theater: in 2015 Pig Iron co-created Swamp is On with indie rock band Dr. Dog and played 4 sold out shows at the 1100 seat music venue Union Transfer. A 2014 residency at Baryshnikov Arts Center launched A Period of Animate Existence, a co-creation with Herion, MacArthur Fellow and Pig Iron Associate Artist Mimi Lien, and co-Artistic Director Dan Rothenberg.
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