Eusog Wants More
Open casting for Eusog’s Oliver
The Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group has put out an open call for its all-adult production of Oliver!, which will be staged at the end of November, 2017.
The production will be directed by Erica Belton, whose vision is of a “gritty reimagining” of the Lionel Bart musical that is not immune to straying into saccharine territory. Auditions are this week, Thursday 14 to Saturday 16 September.
The company is hot from its five star production of Company during the fringe and is specifically targeting both student and non-student performers to sign up for the show which already has a mix in the core production team.
Eusog president Harry MacGregor told Æ that while it is a student organisation with a large student membership, it is by no means exclusively so. He pointed out that two of the company’s last three productions have had significant contributions from people outside the student body.
MacGregor said: “We are very excited about what promises to be a fantastic imagining of this classic production and are looking to cast the best talent Edinburgh has to offer, students or otherwise.
“Anyone looking to get involved should sign up for an audition as soon as possible to get started with a great team and what is sure to be an amazing cast.”
strong ideas
Erica Belton, whose strong ideas for Theatre Paradok’s Dark Tales were rather too big for the tight confines of the performance space, will now have the not inconsiderable resources of one of the university’s main performing arts companies at her disposal.
Belton said: “Our exciting new take on the show will include the casting of adults in every role. The characters usually portrayed by children are to be cast University age.
“This will not only reinforce our gritty reimagining, but give us a chance to explore characters that are so often left without depth, as well as an opportunity to make them more tough, hardened and streetwise and thus give us a very exciting rehearsal process ahead as we explore these more developed roles.”
Auditions & Performance
Auditions will take place on Thursday 14 from 5.30pm to 10.30pm and on both Friday 15 and Saturday from 12 noon to 10.30pm at the Pleasance. All auditionees will be asked to do a ten minute spot to assess range, sing unaccompanied and perform a monologue. They will also be asked to take part in a 45 minute group workshop.
Rehearsals will takes place every Monday, Thursday and Sunday evening from 5.45-10pm and the show will run Tuesday 28 November – Saturday 2 December with a matinee and evening performance on the Saturday. There will be a Tech and Dress on Sunday 26 and Monday 27.
Production synopsis
Oliver! is a captivating tale of cruelty and murder, exposing the depravity, malice and villainy of 19th century Victorian London. Armed with only his name and a determination to seek out his past, the show follows Oliver as he escapes the horrors of the workhouse and finds refuge in London under the beady eye of the eccentric but manipulative Fagin, and his gang of thieving pickpockets.
Plunged into a villainous world he has little experience of, he is exposed to the underbelly of the worst thieves and bad characters London has to offer. His desire to find happiness in such an unfriendly world sparks a chain of events that has some of Dickens’ most colourful characters questioning whether they really are beyond redemption, and if behind the false smiles and drunken illusions, all are simply searching for something, or someone, to love.
Take Part
Details of the auditions are on the Eusog facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1515701825135429/ with full synopsis and character breakdown available to download here: Oliver-Auditions-Pack.pdf.
Anyone wishing to audition should email producer@eusog.org to be given an audition slot.
ENDS
