Call for Staff and Designers for a Production Next Spring

[DougPowers]

I'm going to try something that I don't often see done (if it does commonly get done, I guess I just don't notice).

I'm putting out a call for people to fill staff and designer positions for the play I'll be directing next spring. We put out audition calls for actors, why not for designers and staff?

I have some positions already filled, and there are other positions for which I have people I want to approach but have not yet done so. But just as an actor whom we don't know can come to auditions and wow us, I'm willing to bet the same is possible with designers. And I'm certainly interested in talking to designers who WANT to work on this project without my having to go out and find them.

THE DETAILS:

WHAT: Extremities, by William Mastrosimone

WHERE: Spotlight Players, Beech Grove

WHEN: April 19-May 5, 2013

Yes, I know it's more than a year away. I want to leave plenty of time to get the staff assembled and underway, so the bulk of the design work can be completed well before (as in several months before) the start of rehearsals--so we aren't all dashing about like headless chickens two weeks before opening. We will have regular coordination among the staff throughout the time between the time the staff is assembled and opening night, but my intention in getting such an early start is that the project will never (with the possible exception of tech week) occupy all your time. We all have other things to do, and your time is valuable. I want to respect that.

THE POSITIONS:

The list of available positions is as follows:

- Stage Manager

- Set Designer

- Lighting Designer

- Fight choreography (unarmed; this is a crucial element of the show)

- Props

- Makeup (we have the potential to do a bit of F/X makeup in this play, but we can do without it if no one wants the gig)

TO APPLY:

Send your theatrical resume and a brief statement of the position for which you're applying and why you're interested in working on this production to Doug Powers at leandrosanax@gmail.com by April 30, 2012. If applicable, please feel free to include links to accessible online photo galleries of your work.

RESOURCES:

If you aren't familiar with the play, I strongly suggest you become so--at least a bit--before you apply. Here are some resources to help you do that.

http://books.google.com/books/about/...d=Ffz9G7Lko2AC
http://www.samuelfrench.com/store/pr...roducts_id/468
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremities_(play)
http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/in...le=Extremities

[DougPowers]

I think it might be useful if I were to clarify a bit. I'm not asking for a commitment to work on the show continuously for a year. Far from it.

I'm saying that if we start the design work this spring, we have the leisure to work on it as we can without a time crunch. If the design work is completed in a couple of months, then great! The designers won't have to do anything more with the show if they don't want to--either not until shortly before opening or not at all, depending on the nature of each designer's area of expertise. But if the design work takes longer because people have other priorities to work around, we have the luxury of that time. The early start lets us maximize creativity and minimize time crunch and stress, while giving the designers whose work is dependent on that of others plenty of time to work, too.

Also, as theatres continue to announce their 2012-2013 seasons, doing design work on Extremities now could maximize your opportunities to work on other shows next season, perhaps even next spring.

There are still 17 days before the staff application deadline--I look forward to hearing from YOU!

[DougPowers]

The staff for Extremities is nearly complete! My gigantic, heartfelt thanks to all those who have already agreed--or are in discussions about agreeing--to use their time and talents on this project.

The major position that is still open is the stage manager. I know sometimes the stage manager's job seems like little more than a cross between a props master and a glorified stage hand. For me, if the director is the captain of the vessel, the stage manager is very much the first officer. It's a big job, requiring great organizational and interpersonal skills, and it isn't publicly glamorous. But it's a vitally important job, and I will greatly value having someone by my side to do it.

I will also fully empower my stage manager to create and manage a support staff of however many assistant stage managers, stage hands, board operators, etc. he or she deems necessary, so delegation can certainly make the big job easier to deal with.

If you are, or know of, someone who would be qualified for and eager to take on this job, please let me know either here or via email at leandrosanax@gmail.com.

Much less vital, but also still open, is the job of makeup designer. We have the opportunity to do a pretty cool makeup effect for the show, so if that sounds like something you can and would like to do, please do let me know.

Judging by the people who are already involved, there are going to be wonderful things happening for this show. I am stoked, and you can still be a part of this wonderful staff!

Also, actors please keep this show on your radar screens as you plan next spring. Auditions are only 293 days away! :-)