Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

Regional Auditions at a Glance – Dec. 29-Jan. 6

The following "Auditions at a Glance" calendar conveniently organizes projects by the date and day-of-the-week that the projects' auditions are taking place, to help you schedule your plans.

Click on any of the following links to see the casting and job notices related to the dates and project titles highlighted below.

Back Stage Reader Snags the EW.com Spotlight

This past April, Back Stage profiled the work of actor Maria Olsen in "Curtain," a short horror film, for our weekly "Who Got the Part" column. And it appears as though we weren't the only ones to take notice of this industrious performer's ever-growing presence on the splatter, ahem, silver screen. Entertainment Weekly's website has posted a wonderful first-person account of Olsen's time on the set of Paranormal Activity 3 as part of their year-end spotlight on the "unsung heroes of the year" in the world of entertainment. Click here for the EW.com story, and here for Maria's "Who Got the Part" column from April 2011. Here's wishing Ms. Olsen and all of our readers continued success in the upcoming year. We're sure it'll be a scream!

P.S.

Click here to check out Ms. Olsen's impressive resume in the Back Stage Talent Database.

--Jesse Landberg

 

Christmas Special for Visually Impaired, and More

• On Christmas Eve, the 17th annual “The Eyes of Christmas” television special for the visually impaired will start with an airing of the 1946 movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The holiday classic will be broadcast in TheatreVision on NBC at 8 pm and be narrated by former President George H.W. Bush. Following “It’s a Wonderful Life” will be special holiday programming beginning at 6 a.m. (ET) Christmas morning on ION Television. The block of Christmas morning programs will be hosted by Vin Scully with stars, such as Sandra Bullock, Bob Costas, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, and Reba McIntyre, sharing holiday wishes. For more details, please click over to RP International.

• Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken will write new songs for the Broadway production of "Newsies." Read the story at Playbill.

• A 19-year old British man was imprisoned because he missed the last day of jury services by pretending to be ill and instead attended the West End production of "Chicago." The young gent, and apparently passionate theater-lover, served a sentence of fourteen days, which some consider too harsh. Check it out at The Guardian.

• Film director Don Sharp passed away at 89. He was known for his Gothic horror films. Read his obituary at The New York Times.

Stars Sparkle in "A Broadway Christmas"

The holiday spirit shined brightly at Chris Isaacson’s star-studded holiday concert, “A Broadway Christmas,” presented at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood for two performances only on December 20. 

Nobody assembles a stellar roster of talent as effectively as impresario extraordinaire Isaacson. His cabarets and concerts always glisten with top-notch production values, knockout musical accompaniment, and smashing renditions of great songs.

Audition Online for Dance Theatre of Harlem

Dance Theatre of Harlem is holding online auditions for a new troupe, reported The New York Times. Theatre's professional dance company shut down in 2004, but thanks to foundations and donors contributing about $2.5 million, it is being revived as a troupe of 18 dancers. Company hopefuls can post audition videos to dancetheatreofharlem.org.

If you don't want to use the Web, in-person auditions will be available at various locations and dates listed on the company's website. Live auditions will be held for finalists overall. A portion of the revived troupe's dancers will also come from Dance Theatre of Harlem II, which is a training group comprised of students from Theatre's school.

Rehearsals for the new company are scheduled to commence in August and touring in October. The company reportedly hopes to be back in April 2013 on a New York stage.

Gary Oldman Hits Joe Pesci

One of the most entertaining anecdotes to come out of our Evening With Gary Oldman a couple weeks ago was Oldman's story about his "JFK" co-star Joe Pesci. Oldman, who I learned over the course of a week with the gentleman, is actually a master mimic. He does a flawless Michael Caine and admits he based the voice of his "Hannibal" character Mason Verger on author Thomas Harris. In the above clip, he does his best Pesci, which he admits is "an easy one." Oldman is currently on screens doing amazing work as spy George Smiley in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and even though he failed to get a nomination from SAG or the Golden Globes, I believe he can still snag an Oscar nom for his work.

After the jump, more videos of Oldman talking about "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and reveals his most difficult role.

--Jenelle Riley

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Watch 'Memphis' Broadway Cast Sing "I'll Be Home for Christmas"

Memphis ensemble members Justin Patterson, Jamison Scott, and Kevin Massey took a break from their Broadway performance schedule to sing a beautifully harmonized rendition of "I'll Be Home for Christmas." Watch the video below for their a cappella version of this holiday favorite:

Opera Sees Mediator; New B'Way Shows Struggle

• New York City Opera management and union leaders met with a federal mediator Monday morning in the hopes of resolving a labor dispute, reported The New York Times. The American Guild of Musical Artists, which represents City Opera's chorus members, stage managers and assistant directors, said it agreed to return to negotiations on Jan. 3.

• The number of long-standing art house theaters is decreasing nationwide. These theaters aren't faring so well partially because they're losing customers to high-end theaters, which offer premium services and more mainstream titles, and major chains that are now showing the types of movies normally reserved for indie theaters. Read the story at Los Angeles Times.

• Last week, several new Broadway musicals struggled to sell tickets. The main reason: holiday tourists tend to attend long-running shows like "The Lion King" and "Wicked" instead of trying something new. Read the story at The New York Times.

• Tokyo-based management company Japollywood Artists is looking to give American and British actors more fame in Asia along with possibly hefty paychecks. The best part is you don't have to be on Hollywood's A-list to work with the new company. Check it out at The Hollywood Reporter.

• The Weinstein Company is moving forward developing its first stage musical, “Finding Neverland,” based on the 2004 film of the same name, according to The New York Times.

Reality TV Casting Highlights - 12/20/11

Back Stage runs hundreds of casting notices every year for reality television shows, games shows, reality competitions, talk shows, documentaries, commercials, and multimedia projects and events seeking real people, hosts, contestants, and performers. And now with the help of our partner RealityWanted.com, we're pleased to bring you even more reality casting opportunities than ever before.  See below for some of this week's top reality casting calls and auditions.

You can find all of these casting notices and more in the Reality TV category on BackStage.com, at Twitter.com/RealityTVCast, and in Back Stage's new Reality TV Casting iPhone app.