The Drowsy Chaperone - Broadway Audition

Equity auditions for the Drowsy Chaperone were held on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 at Stepping Out Studios (37 W. 26th street, 9th fl., btwen Broadway & Sixth Ave.)

The Backstage Magazine Casting Ad was as follows:

Bernard Telsey Casting is casting future replacements for the Broadway production of The Drowsy Chaperone, a new musical. Casey Nicholaw, dir.-choreo. (at auditions); Bob Martin & Don McKellar, book; Greg Morrison, music; Lisa Lambert, lyrics. Rehearsals begin early to mid-March; previews in April; ongoing run begins in May.

Seeking -- Ensemble Dancers Who Sing: mid-20s to late 40s, male and female, unique dancers to play various charactgers and possibly understudy principal roles, seeking an ethnically diverse ensemble, all are encouraged to attend.

Auditions will be held March 1 at 10 a.m. (males) & 2 p.m. (females) at Stepping Out Studios, 37 W. 26th St., 9th fl. (btwn. Broadway & Sixth Ave.), NYC. Be ready to dance wit sneakers for men and heels for women. After dancing, you ma ybe asked to sing 16 bars of a 1920s style song. Bring sheet music for your song, a piano accompanist will be provided. Bring pix & resumes, stapled to gether. Equity chorus procedures are in effect. $1,422 min./wk. Equity Production Contract. (First posted 2/16/06).

I arrived at Stepping Out Studios a little after 2 PM. As usual, I had to show I.D. at the door to enter the building. I liked Stepping Out Studios because the facilities appeared to be clean. Its amazing what a coat of paint and some mardi gras decorations can do for atmosphere. There were two studios on the 9th fl. (I'm not sure if there are more floors), a large hall where the auditions were taking place, and a smaller but still large hall. Dressing facilities were adequate. As a note, it WAS necessary to walk through the audition studio to get to the second studio for registration and also to the dressing rooms. If you ever experience this, make sure that you avoid unnecessary trips in and out of the audition hall. Always be quiet, courteous, and stay out of the way of the dancers!

Since I am non-equity, I was not given the opportunity to audition (See "Chicago Audition and Equity v. Non Equity" for reasoning) but I was able to leave a headshot and resume.

Out of interest, though, I still observed the audition through an open door.

Wardrobe: First of all, let me mention that all the equity ladies were in VERY good shape. There were multicolored leotards, half tops, fishnets, tights, and tiny skirts. Flattering makeup and hair half back were a norm. EVERYONE was wearing Laduca character shoes.

Laduca character shoes nearly deserve an entry of their own. They are the most flexible, comfortable and professional character shoe in the biz. In addition to their in-store line, they custom make shoes for Broadway shows. Anyone who goes to a Broadway audition and is wearing a brand other than Laduca shows that they're a newbie, in my opinion. Of course dancing always counts the most, but its also important to appear professional and experienced. Visit http://www.laducashoes.com/ to get your own pair.

Dancing/Choreography:

Casey Nicholaw was the choreographer and director at auditions (I am not sure whether he is choreographing the entire show or was simply responsible for auditions.) For those of you unfamiliar with Casey's work, he was the choreographer for Broadway's Spamalot.

The word that best describes the choreography at the audition is ADORABLE. The ladies were performing 1920s style moves that seemed to be inspired by the style of the Charleston and the Lindy Hop. There were a lot of free swinging leg movements, where one had to use momentum to make the leg swing freely in the hip (creating an almost paper-doll like effect.) I'd say that the most important thing in the Drowsy Chaperone audition was performance, followed by choreography retention. In the first cut, I didn't see any technically challenging steps.

That about sums up my observance of the Drowsy Chaperone Audition!

-L-