BEAT-BY-BEAT

CASTING CALL January 2006
TAKE PART IN NEW MUSICALS!

Can you sing and act? If so, you may be the one we're looking for.

You are invited to audition for 3 exciting original musicals to be staged on 24-26 March 2006. A small honorarium will be given.

Interested parties may walk in for an audition. If you would like to confirm your schedule, please contact Tamara  at 81134292 or email tns@uanworld.com

DATE: Saturday 21 Jan 2006
          Sunday 22 Jan 2006
TIME : 3:00 to 6:00 pm
PLACE: The Next Stage Academy,  420 Clemenceau Avenue North, adjacent to the carpark at Newton Food Centre. It's opposite Cairnhill CC , 5 mins walk from Newton MRT.

Please prepare TWO SONGS (One slow/ One Fast) to be sung acapella or accompanied by your own minus one. Bring along a photograph (any photo will do) and your bio-data/resume if possible.

1. THE SWAMI, THE COW, AND THE SPACEMAN
A psychedelic comedy about an American astronaut from the 60s who crashes on a mountain in a failed attempt to reach the moon, and meets an Indian swami and his talking cow. Cultures collide, and the world turns upside down.

Characters :

(i) Swami (m) 40+
A hermit and religious ascetic who lives on the mountain and enjoys milk and chapattis; Actor should either be Indian, or can do an Indian accent.

(ii) Cow (f) –
A sassy, young talking cow, dressed in the bright flower power dresses from the 60s, and Swami's companion. (Role taken)

(iii) Spaceman (m) 20-30
An American astronaut (born and raised in Texas) on his way to the moon; Actor should either be American, or can do an American (Southern/Texan) accent.

2. TEN DAYS OF MOURNING
A coming-of-age story about a Singapore Indian girl who faces issues of cultural and personal identity during a visit to India. 10 Days of Mourning features modern song structures and lyrical styles using Indian scales.

Character List

(i) Veena: 20
Veena is wilful. Her relationship with her mother is tense, as Veena tries constantly to assert her independence. In the early scenes, she practices disengagement from the family, in rebellion for having to leave the comforts of home and her life in Singapore, to visit her grandparents in India. She eventually comes around, due largely to her Grandfather's gentle persuasions and some eye-openers from a young musician (Raj). When the musical closes, she understands herself, her
family and her culture better than when she reluctantly arrived in India.

(ii) Mother: 40
Veena's mother, having married and had Veena at an early age. She is the sort of person who accepts her fate calmly and makes the best of any situation, believing it better to live happily in the moment. Partly, she has learnt this the hard way, after the death of her husband, early in their marriage, and since she has had to raise her child alone. She is also a musician (she played the Veena) who gave up that passion when she took on the roles of wife and mother. Veena's mother, in her gentle way, teaches Veena about respect, selflessness and that regret is something we should avoid incurring at all cost.

(iii) Grandfather 60s
Veena's grandfather is a dignified man with a gentle, wizened air about him. He is responsible for much of Veena's transformation because he is the only one who does it in a kind, loving way. He often communicates in metaphors, but always makes a strong point. He is the one to first break through Veena's icy exterior.

(iv) Grandmother 60s
Veena's grandmother is playful and humorous. She teases Veena relentlessly and is not averse to colluding with Veena's mother to makes jokes at Veena's expense. She doesn't do this to be mean but rather to counteract Veena's iciness and sulkiness. Whereas Veena's Grandfather gently coaxes Veena out of her shell, Veena's Grandmother playfully heckles her out of it.

(v) Raj: Late 20s
A young, celebrated and widely-travelled musician whose father (also a musician) used to play with Veena's mother. Veena is instantly drawn to him (but not in an overtly romantic way), because of his youth and because of his exposure to other lands and cultures. Veena quizzes him about why he keeps returning to India when he could choose to live anywhere else, and in replying, Raj opens Veena's eyes to the beauty of her motherland.

Ensemble
Three or four people are required for the first scene, in which a beggar-woman and a drinks seller harass Veena and her mother.

3. ROSES AND HELLO
A spunky flower shop owner fights the acquisition of her property by a law tycoon, whose son falls in love with her.

Main Cast:  All singing parts

(i). Chris Wee (Male lead) Mid/late 20s
An up-and-coming lawyer in the law firm Wee, Bill & Soo LLC.  Son of the firm's senior partner, but also capable, competent, and charming. However, also youthfully naive and has yet to face real challenges in his life.

(ii). Penny Lee (Female lead)  Mid/late 20s
Penny inherits a flower shop, "roses & hello", from her mother. Spunky and determined to succeed, she commits herself to keeping the business afloat, against the advice of those around her.  One of Chris' love interests in the play.

(iii). Mr William Wee  Late 50s
Senior partner in Wee, Bill & Soo LLC.  Chris' father.  Fights to maintain the firm's reputation.  Wee finds himself slowing down with age, and hopes that Chris will take over the reins in the firm.

(iv). Mr Richard Sooreej  (tentatively a character of Indian ethnicity, but may be flexible)  Late 40s
Senior partner in Wee, Bill & Soo LLC.  A driven, self-made man who will let nothing stand in the way of his success.  Has a dubious relationship with Stella.

(v). Stella  Mid/late 20s
Rising star in Wee, Bill & Soo, and also a bombshell of a woman. Intelligent and witty, but also as cold as ice.  Chris is shamelessly infatuated with her.

(vi). Annie Ting  50s
Secretary to William Wee.  They have a deep friendship that has spanned decades - a relationship that might or might not be amorous in nature.

Also casting for a chorus of 4-6 characters.

Chorus members must sing and dance (although dancing is optional for the upcoming "highlights" showcase)

Chorus will play different characters in the course of the play, but most of the time assume the character of a lawyer in the firm.  Parts have been written for individual chorus members (tentatively 4 female and 2 male)

Chorus will also be required to rehearse as intensively as the leads.

What is Beat-by-Beat?
Beat-by-Beat is an incubation program for the generation of new musicals.

How does it do that?
a) It matches writers with composers.
b) Mentors, directors, and other specialists in musical theater help guide the incubation process.
c) It creates a community of musical theater enthusiasts so that there are opportunities to interact with one another.
d) Workshops and seminars are organized as an integral part of the incubation process.
e) It will do a no-frills black-box staging of highlights of the musicals.

What are the stages in the incubation process?
There are three stages in this process:

Stage 1: Initial matching of writers and composers leading to the first draft of the musical. This is then presented to the other teams as a round-the-table playreading with song.

Stage 2: The musicals are workshopped, rewritten and the music arranged. Up to eight musicals are then selected for a 45-minute highlights, no-frills, no choreography, demonstration in a black box setting. The exception to the “no choreography” rule may be made if the musical is a dance musical. The public are invited to this “mini-festival of new musicals”.

Stage 3: One or two out of the above musicals are then selected for a further development into a full 90-minute performance with choreography in a theater.

Who are the organizers?
Beat-by-Beat is a joint project between Musical Theatre, UAN, The Next Stage, and the Singapore Repertory Theatre's Second Stage.

What are the musicals submitted so far?

1. Roses & Hello
Words by Luke Kwek; Music by Esther Yang
A spunky flower shop owner fights the acquisition of her property by a law tycoon, whose son falls in love with her. Broadway style music.

2. Love is in the Air
Words: Sim Siying; Music: August Lum
Comedy about two couples about to be married. Contemporary music style.

3. Peter and Pierre
Words: Stella Kon; Music: Desmond Moey
Two singers talking about growing in maturity, learning to trust again, and rediscovering hope and love. Ballads, soliloquies and duets.

4. Samsara
Words: Musa Fazal; Music: Sean Wong
A comedy about a swami, a cow, and a spaceman. Comedy songs, ballads.

5. One More Day
Words: Mohamad Shaifulbahri; Music: Frederick Lin
Heart-tugging drama about a house-cleaner mother and her son. She has lost her husband to liver cancer and her eldest son to Aids. They learn to survive. Ballads and jazz.

6. Ten Days of Mourning
Words: Carolyn Camoens; Music: Nawaz Mirajkar
A 20-year-old Singaporean returns to India with her mother, and discovers her own identity. Ethnic Indian style.

7. City of the Gods
Words: Darius Lim; Music: Michelle Loh
How the ancient South American Teotihuacans empire came to an end in
the 2nd Century BC. New age and ballads.

8. Vanity Victorious Virtue Vanquished
Words: Dwayne Lau; Music: Kevin Fok and August Lum
Comedy about four ladies obsessed about their external appearances, but learn about internal appearances. Ballads, pop.

9. Blue Willow House
Words: Stella Kon; Music: Kenneth Lyen
A tender love story set in a Singapore brothel around the turn of the 19-20th century. Sweet-sour drama. Schonberg & Boublil style.

10. Swingle
Words: Lionel Chok; Music: Iskandar Ismail
A jazz musical dramedy about being single and swinging. Kander and Ebb style.

11. I Love Harajuku
Words: Justin Kan; Music: Bang Wenfu
A quiet and meek Singapore girl goes on a student exchange program in Tokyo and stays with a loud, brash and very alternative Harajuku girl. Music style: rojak.

12. Beautiful Young Things
Words: Jack Tan; Music: Michelle Loh
Drama about the lives of six young university graduates struggling with their careers and their loves. Pop songs and ballads.

13. Setting Him Straight
Words: Chet Woon; Music: Michael Koh
A wiimp has to change his image and prove he is not gay in order to avoid being disowned and unfinanced by his parents.

14. Red Threaded Hearts
Words: Megan Chia; Music: August Lum
Comedy about love set in an undertaker's shop. Broadway style.

15. Memory (working title)
Words: Tan Kok Keng; Music: Darren Ng Tzer-Huei
A surrealistic reflection of a man’s entire life. Techno style.

16. Flights of Passage
Words: Wong Chen Seong; Music: Kenneth Lyen
Trapped in an airport because of a terrorist bomb threat, a group of travelers reveal their personal problems, and as they share their experiences, they learn about themselves which will ultimately change the course of their lives.

22 November 2005