Author: Stephen Henel

Auditions for Confetti Fest XIII

Confetti Fest XIII AUDITIONS!

Monday, August 7th & Tuesday, August 8th
6:30pm sign-in; 7:00pm audition start
Albany Masonic Hall, 67 Corning Place, downtown Albany

Confetti Stage seeks actors and crew for our 13th annual short play festival! This year we have selected 5 original works by local playwrights to showcase in our 13th season’s opening show. For years, Confetti Stage has been devoted to developing new works and local talent, and Confetti Fest 13 is the hallmark of our collaborative and creative process.

Actors should prepare a 1-2 minute monologue. It does not have to be memorized. Monologues will be available at the auditions for cold readings. Actors may also be asked to read selected sides from the plays. Actors of all ethnicities, ages, and genders are encouraged to audition for the nearly 20 roles. Character descriptions below are suggestions.

“No-Kill Shelter” by Brenda Kilianski

Synopsis: Sarah is on the hunt for a mate, so naturally she uses a cat to catch her prey. But what happens when the hunter doesn’t know she herself is being stalked? No cats were harmed in the making of this play…not so sure about the humans.

Estimated Running Time: 10 minutes

Characters:

SARAH- Thirty-something. Web designer. Frequent user of the Chicago Reader’s Matches
section (or Craigslist-Albany Personals section).

DANNY- Thirty-something. Hipster. Lady Killer.

KATIE- Twenty-something. Professional volunteer. Cat lover. Clothes covered in fur.

“Lust In The Time of ISIS” by Richard Landers

Synopsis: APRIL, a college student, brings a friend home for the weekend home with a plan
to inform her parents of a decision she has made that they will find very upsetting.

Characters:

BILL – male, father, 50s

VICTORIA – female, mother, 50s.

APRIL – female, college-age, daughter of BILL and VICTORIA

JOSH – male, college-age, friend of APRIL

Running Time: 18 minutes

“Welcome to Sammy’s” by Steven Maggio

Synopsis: Sammy is working his first job! At the fast-food restaurant Sammy’s. Be it destiny or just an unfortunate coincidence that his parents met at a Sammy’s, our Sammy must face the responsibilities from working behind the counter. His training may have prepared him for that but there’s only so much that you can learn from a book.

Running Time: 15-20 minutes

Characters:
SAMMY – Naive worker who is new to Sammy’s. Excitable but also worrisome, he tries to fit in in his new environment. Actor must be able to play 15-17.

DECKER – Sammy’s best friend and an experienced grill worker at Sammy’s. He is friendly, relaxed and is respected on both sides including managerial. Actor must be able to play 15-17.

COREY – Brand new worker who has not even started training yet. A woman of few words that seems cold at first, but eventually warms up with her dry humor. Actress must be able to play 15-17.

TURTLE – A crew trainer who has spent many years at Sammy’s. He may not be the best or brightest, but he is seen as a leader among the crew. Actor can be played from 20 – 35.

ALEX – The manager at Sammy’s. Mean and pregnant, the crew does not wish to upset her or joke with her. Actress can be played from 18 – 25.

“The Absolute Coherent Justifications of a Rationale Human Being’s Behavior” -or- “The Apology” (working title) by Julie Demers

Synopsis: Allison P. Cunningham knows that no act is too outlandish to show her true love, Pete Morgan, that she wants to be with him. At least they can agree on one thing: they both want the other to be committed.

Characters:

ALLISON P. Cunningham- an eager woman with a big heart who will go to any lengths to win back her love. 20s-40s.

ALLISON’S MOM- a kind-hearted but now worried mother. 40s-60s.

SECRETARY, a bored but efficient woman, any age

MAN (SSA agent), a stern man, any age

Running Time: Approximately 10 minutes

“Bleached Blind” by Sunny da Silva

Synopsis – Annette cannot see and cannot close her eyes. But sometimes seeing the truth is overrated.

Characters:

ANNETTE – a frail, plain woman in masculine dress with eyes that seem too big for her head, and that never close. Never.

Two MEN – Play various roles, one of which should be physically attractive in both face and body.

Running Time – Approx. 15 minutes

Please be prepared to stay for the duration of the audition, and please dress comfortably for possible movement exercises.

Performance dates:

Performances for Confetti Fest 13 will be held October 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th (7:30pm for Thurs-Sat performances; 2:00pm for Sundays)
The tech week schedule is to be determined during rehearsals, but actors are expected to clear their schedules the weekend before opening night and prepare themselves for show conditions during the dress rehearsals thereafter.

Please come to auditions prepared with your scheduling conflicts.

All those interested in Sound, Lighting, or other production roles are also encouraged to attend!

Please contact Stephen Henel at sghenel@gmail.com with any questions.

Confetti Stage’s The Birthday Party Honored by TANYS

 

(Photo credit: Adam Wilson-Hwang)

It is with great pride and gratitude that we announce the following TANYS – Theatre Association of New York State awards for our recent production of Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party:

Meritorious Achievement in Directing to Linda Shirey

Meritorious Achievement in Acting to Kasey Kenyon for his portrayal of “McCann”

Excellence in Acting to Stephen Henel for his portrayal of “Goldberg”

Excellence in Ensemble Work to the Cast

It truly was an unforgettable night of theater, and could not have been possible without every one of our talented cast, crew, designers, board members, committee members, and audience members! It takes a village to raise a show, and we are lucky that village is full of creative people!