Geva Auditions

No, I did NOT audition to be in a show!

When Mark Cuddy announced to the trustees his intention to open next season at Geva Theatre with In the Heights (the 2008 Tony Award winner for best musical and best original score, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton fame), the excitement in the room was palpable. In order to commit to the show, his question to us was whether we would commit to sharing that excitement with our friends (who might not be familiar with the musical), and whether some of us would commit to help produce the show (since it will be a large production, in the vein of Spamalot). The answer was a resounding “yes!”

One of the benefits of being in the “Scale the Heights Producing Group” was the opportunity to attend a casting session, either here in Rochester or in New York City. Since the latter didn’t fit my travel schedule, I opted for the former. It was a new experience for me to watch someone audition. The auditions were scheduled in 6-minute intervals – so little time to make a lasting impression!

Since I arrived early, I had the chance to chat with two brothers who were auditioning, one of whom now lives in NYC (and has appeared Off-Broadway). It would be the first audition for most in this round, and many of the actors had been recommended by the Rochester Latino Theatre Company, which is Geva’s community partner for this production.

I got to watch 9 auditions (4 men and 5 women) in my hour slot, and it was fascinating to see the range of talent. Two of the men were particularly adept at rapping, and more than a couple of the women seemed to project and connect vocally and emotionally. Melissa Rain Anderson, who will direct this show (and who directed the recent productions of Spamalot and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), asked a couple of the actors to re-sing a passage, to get them to convey that the character is the hero of his/her own journey, even if her or she is a victim. I’m not sure if she elicited the effect she was looking for – I couldn’t really tell the difference…

Mark Cuddy & Melissa Rain Anderson

After the auditions, Mark and director Melissa explained the process – they would be calling back a couple of these actors for dance auditions over the weekend. Mark also explained the complex rules regarding equity vs. non-equity actors for chorus vs. principals, as well as an exception to the chorus rule is to use college students. Of the auditionees I watched, only one, Demetrio, was a student (at Nazareth College), and I recognized him immediately as a star of recent SOTA productions. He is definitely maturing as a singer.

I wonder if any of the actors I would have chosen will wind up in the cast – I’ll definitely hold onto my notes. And I look forward to taking advantage of my other producing group benefits, such as attending the first read through, and sharing my experiences with my friends. Because in the end, if my enthusiasm for this show isn’t contagious, then I haven’t fulfilled my end of the bargain.

The actors only sang about 32 bars from selected songs for the auditions, but these snippets definitely made me want to hear more! These are the songs I already have rolling around my brain waiting to put them into context:

“Hundreds of Stories” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA51MNJ5KlA

“When the Sun Goes Down” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxBODJ5vJWk

“Everything I Know” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B4cSDcPADQ

“Paciencia Y Fe” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldv7aWp9z9A

For more information on the upcoming season, visit www.gevatheatre.org