"I'll tickle your catastrophe!"

Hillcrest High School is proud to announce

AUDITIONS

for their 9th Annual

SHAKESPEARE TEAM

 

Hillcrest's legacy of 1st Place Shakespeare Team ensemble scenes

 

Alright, everyone.  Here we go.

 

WHEN: Friday, August 22, 2014.  After school.  Sign-up sheet will be posted on first day of school.

WHERE: Hillcrest High School room C-202

HOW: Sign up for a time.  Select one of the monologues linked at the bottom of this post. Practice it.  Come and perform it for Mr. Long & Ms. Gremmert at the time you signed up for.  Pretty simple.

WHO: Any Hillcrest High School student is welcome and encouraged to audition.  No prior experience necessary.

WHAT: Hillcrest's Shakespeare Team is one of the greatest experiences you will have in high school.  Here is more info:

 

Hillcrest's award-winning 2013 ensemble scene

The Shakespeare Team prepares scenes from various Shakespeare plays to

compete at the National High School Shakespeare Competition.

 

Now in its 38th year, the Utah Shakespearean Festival's annual High School Shakespeare Competition gathers students from more than 110 schools in 9 states, and is the only inter-state drama competition in the area.

Team members benefit not only from being adjudicated by professional actors and directors from across the country, but are also given the opportunity to see professional theatre. In the last 7 years, Hillcrest has had 15 students walk away with scholarship awards. In addition, workshops in dozens of areas related to the theatre world are offered. There is honestly, nothing else like it. Don't miss your chance! Watch this video of our experiences last year:

This year's competition will be held October 9-11, 2014 in Cedar City, UT. The trip will cost approximately $200 per participant and includes transportation, hotel, some food, team hoodie, play tickets, and entrance fees. Fee waivers do not apply. There is no GPA minimum this year to participate.

Full group rehearsals are only held twice a week (Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings) throughout the month of September and first week of October.  That's it.



Performing on the Shakespeare stage

Come help us defend our 7-time Ensemble Championship, and bring the Sweepstakes trophy back to Hillcrest. Every year, the schools get better and better...and the competition is already looking pretty steep this year...which is really exciting!  The pressure is on. Are you ready to bring those trophies back to Hillcrest?  Are you ready to have one of the most meaningful experiences of your high school career?

The centerpiece of a Shakespeare Team is the 10-minute ensemble scene. Hillcrest's ensemble scenes usually use as many kids as we can fit onto the bus (between 50-55).  I am very excited about our ensemble scene this year.  It should have all of the power and magic of past scenes, but this year, we will be incorporating a lot more humor in addition to the drama.  If we can pull it off, it will be one of the most impressive scenes we've ever done.  You will have to be hysterically funny, as well as profoundly heartbreaking.  Are you ready? Aaaah, let's do it!

In addition, various duo/trio scenes and monologues will be cast in hopes to be selected as one of


Our 2013 individual event team

Hillcrest's individual events on this year's team.  The duo/trio scenes and monologues will work in the Theatre 3 class, but must also be in the ensemble scene.  So in order to be considered for one of those pieces, you must audition for the Ensemble Scene AND be in the Theatre 3 class (so, returning kids, make sure Theatre 3 is on your schedule now). However, as always, ANYONE can audition to be cast in the Ensemble Scene...even if they're not in any theatre class at all.

In the past, some of the honors and awards Hillcrest has won at the competition have included:

*1st Place Sweepstakes (2012, 2011, 2010)

*1st Place Ensemble Scene (2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007)

*Larry Lott "Best Actor" Scholarship (2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2007)

*1st Place Duo/Trio Scene (2011, 2010, 2008)

*1st Place Monologue (2011, 2010)

*In addition, Hillcrest's ensemble scene was the first scene to ever be asked to perform in front of the thousands of competitors at the competition's Closing Ceremonies in 2008.

As you can see, you have a strong legacy to live up to...as well as a couple of areas to step up in.  Will you step up?  I'm ready if you are.  Please spread the word to all of your friends (especially 9th graders who are new to all of this) about auditions. They are the third day of school. There is no time to lose!

Prepping before our big performance

Start working on your auditions now.  Here's how to do it:

Select one of the monologues below and have it prepared to perform at your audition. Although it is not required that you memorize your piece (since some students will not have access to these pieces until school begins), you are encouraged to do so. Click on the title of the monologue and it should download the monologue cutting along with acting hints from me.  These pieces are all taken from cuttings I am considering doing for the team this year.  Therefore, your audition will help me see which roles you excel at as I choose who will be playing the leads this year. Each piece has a different mood/feel/objective, so read through them all and choose wisely. Cast yourself well. :-)
Hard copies of these monologues will be available from Presidency members before and after school, as well as at lunches on the first couple of days of school.  So if you have friends, send them our way once school begins. 

MEN:
Antony & Cleopatra - Enobarbus
Henry IV, Part 2 - Falstaff
Henry IV, Part 2 - Henry V
Henry VIII - Buckingham
Othello - Iago

EITHER MAN OR WOMAN:
Love's Labour's Lost - Holofernes

WOMEN:
Antony & Cleopatra - Cleopatra
Henry IV, Part 2 - Mistress Quickly
Henry VI, Part 1 - Joan la Pucelle
Henry VI, Part 2 - Duchess of Gloucester
Henry VIII - Queen Katharine

If you have any questions, feel free to email Mr. Long at joshua.long@canyonsdistrict.org or comment on this post.
See you next month :-)