Traverse Open Auditions
Traverse to hold first open auditions
Edinburgh’s Traverse theatre is put out an open call for actors who it has never worked with before, and is hoping to get applications from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible.
The theatre will be holding two days of individual, 15-20 minute auditions. These will be with a limited number of applicants, selected at random from those who apply by the deadline of midnight, Sunday 21 October 2018.
The Traverse. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic
The auditions will be held on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 November 2018. Traverse associate director Gareth Nicholls told Æ: “It’s an attempt to open our doors and connect with performers who we might not know, or have seen or worked with before.
“To give us a chance to connect with a wider broader range of people and an attempt to break down some of the barriers that stops this from happening in the first place.”
Asked whether he had any specific concerns about representation of different groups on the Traverse’s stages, he said: “The industry as a whole needs to be thinking much more about representation both on and off our stages and a big part of this is about access.
“Having open auditions is a small step towards widening access points to our theatre – just one of many steps the industry needs to take as whole.”
Regarding who, specifically, he hoped to take part, he emphasised that it is anyone who has not engaged with the Traverse in the past, for what ever reason.
chomping at the bit
Nicholls added that this is the first test of the new process, intended to see what the appetite is for it and find out what works, what doesn’t and what the theatre can do to improve. He hopes that, having seen “loads of brilliant actors”, this will become a regular event at the Traverse.
Each audition slot will last about 15 or 20 minutes. It will involve a chat about the auditionee’s work and their ambitions as well as an audition monologue of their choice – of about two minutes length from any play written over the last 15 years.
Asked what he would say to someone thinking of applying, Nicholls said: “I’d say go for it. We’re friendly, we’re enthusiastic and we’re chomping at the bit to meet all the brilliant talent out there that we’ve not encountered before.
“And if it doesn’t work out this time (as we’ve only so many slots across the two days) please do look to apply again in the future.”
Full details of how to apply for the open auditions are on the Traverse Website: www.traverse.co.uk/engage/open-auditions/.
ENDS
is there anything like this this year???
I believe that the process was a successful one Peter.
I would expect that the Traverse will be holding a similar process this Autumn – After the fringe!