Get Real is not dead, but we are redefining our goals, with a focus on finding  space in which to hold auditions, rehearsals and performances and that isn’t an easy task - as any independent theatre group will tell you.  We have nothing but admiration and thanks for our loyal supporters.  Don’t give up on us yet!

We will be making an announcement soon.

C’mon guys, we need you! We could use a few more men at auditions for our next show.

WONDERFUL WORLD
Playwright: Richard Dresser
Director: Karen Golden

Production Dates: January 14, 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 8 pm and January 17 at 3 pm.

Audition Dates: October 4 and 5, 2009, from 7 – 10 pm , with Callbacks on October 8, 2009 at 7 pm.
Audition Address: Tsawwassen Arts Centre

1172 56 Street, Delta BC
Require: Two men 30’s – 40’s, Two women mid 20’s  to late 30’s, and one woman late-50’s to late 60’s.

NOTE: This is a Non-Equity production. Auditions are by appointment. Be prepared to do a cold read from the script, and please bring a headshot and resume if you have them. Rehearsals will be in Tsawwassen  and will generally be on Sunday, Monday and Thursday evenings from casting date until performances in January. There will be no rehearsals between December 22 and December 26, 2009, inclusive.  Contact getrealtheatre@yahoo.ca or  info@getrealtheatre.com with questions or to schedule an audition.  Drop-ins are welcome, but scheduled appointments take precedence. We are also seeking stage crew, lighting and sound technicians, a costumer, and promotions assistance, and we are willing to mentor newcomers. It’s going to be a lot of fun!

One thing I must say about being an indie theatre group without its own venue, it sure galvanizes you to get creative with set design!

To be honest, we are always looking for plays that begin with those wonderful words “ lights up on a bare stage”, and this isn’t because we’re lazy or cheap.  It’s because the places we end up working in usually require that we strike our set after every performance, and that means setting the scene with no walls, no stairs, and no doors (and certainly no elevators, running water, or anything that flies). Unfortunately, plays without any set at all, or with a minimum of very portable  set pieces, are not all that common (and I’d just like to urge all those gifted playwrights out there to write more wonderful plays that call for only the amount of “stuff” you could squeeze into a small station wagon or hatchback). So that leaves us with an interesting challenge: to create bedrooms and bars, front porches and windswept beaches, offices, boardrooms, graveyards and  farmhouses out of almost nothing.

As we prepare for our second season, mounting two productions out of the many terrific scripts we would absolutely love to do, we find ourselves surprisingly enthusiastic about facing some of these set design difficulties. It’s scary, yes, but liberating.  We simply cannot have a luxurious two-storey home onstage for our audiences to sigh over, not yet anyway.  We have to sit down with the script and go over it line by line saying “is this really necessary?”,“how can we suggest this in the most pared-down way?”, and “how can we move from scene two to scene three without a blackout, with our actors moving the furniture?”.  It’s hard, but it’s fun, and when you come to the process with only acting or directing skills at your disposal, it stretches you to become creative in entirely new ways. Ultimately  I think we have the guts to do it because we believe  that the magic really happens whether the walls (including the fourth wall)  are there or not,  when the actors breathe life into their characters and say the playwright’s words as if they were saying them for the very first time.  Although I love a pretty box set as much as anyone, I would rather take the risk that even with nothing much to look at except the actors, we can still keep an audience captivated for a couple of hours.   Will we be able to do this?  We’ll be announcing our 2009/10 season any day now – why don’t you plan to come to Tsawwassen to find out?

Karen Golden

Now we turn our attention to the 2009/10 season.  We will announce Get Real Theatre’s plays, run dates and audition times shortly so check back soon.  In the meantime, Stephen is directing for North Vancouver Community Players in the Fall.  “Light Sensitive” by Jim Geoghan is a wonderfully funny and touching love story set in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen.  Here are the audition details:

LIGHT SENSITIVE

Company: North Vancouver Community Players
Playwright: Jim Geoghan
Director: Stephen Torrence
Production Managers: Anne Marsh (604-980-5552 or annemarsh@shaw.ca ) & Margaret Lee
Production Dates: October 23-24, October 28-31 and November 4-7 (preview October 22)
Audition Dates: August 8th @ 2 pm & August 9th @ 7 pm
Audition Address: The Theatre at Hendry Hall 815 East 11th Street, North Vancouver
Call backs: August 11th @ 7 pm
Requires: Two males, one female
Thomas Hanratty… Late 30’s to mid 50’s, working class Irish American
Lou D’Marco… Late 30’s to mid 50’s, working class Italian American
Edna Miles…35-50, an unmarried woman from Madison Avenue
Notes: Please bring a résumé and headshot, if available. Cold reading from script. This is a non-equity production. Actors must realistically be able to play within the specified age range. New York accents not required for audition. These are open auditions, but preference will be given to existing members of NVCP. Successful auditioners must all be members of NVCP ($20 fee) prior to the first rehearsal.
Setting: 1990, a shabby apartment in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC.

Contact: Stephen Torrence, torrences2006@yahoo.ca or 604-992-2594.

A friend & I were privileged to be in the audience at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre last Sat. to experience your memorable production of “Eleemosynary”. It was outstanding. I am telling everyone I know about your incredibly talented theatre company. All 3 actors portrayed their characters with such conviction & passion. It was a totally flawless & seamless performance. Mesmerizing! I would not have missed it. Continued success.

 Now on to Mainstage July 8 at 7:30 pm at the ACT Theatre in Maple Ridge. Don’t miss it! Details here.

WONDERFUL WORLD  by Richard Dresser

Directed by Karen Golden

Show Dates:

January 14 (2 for 1 preview night), 15, and 16 at 8 pm, January 17 (3 pm matinee),  and January 22 and 23 at 8 pm

All at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre, 1172 56 Street, Delta, BC.  Now is the time to let us know if you want to be involved with this production.  We are seeking stage management, technical, costuming, and promotions volunteers as well as actors.  Check the audition page for further information about audition requirements, dates, etc. and be sure to sign up for our mailing list on our homepage.
 

As always, if you know a play that fits our mission send us an email and let us know! And be sure to join our mailing list so we can stay in touch.

It takes people of varied talents and skills to mount a successful stage production.  If you are interested in any aspect of theatrical production, from graphic design for posters and programmes, through set design and construction, stage management, lighting and sound operation and design, props or costuming, please get in touch.  We are  currently putting together a team for our January show, WONDERFUL WORLD, by Richard Dresser.  It’s sure to be  an exciting project, and we’d love to see some new faces at the theatre.

If you are interested, but not sure how you can help, we still want to hear from you, and we are willing to train and mentor newcomers, so don’t be afraid to volunteer, even if you have no experience.  Dedication and commitment are essential, however.  We usually rehearse two to three times per week. You can contact us through the Contact Us form on the website.

We like this  code of ethics for the theatre that was written in 1945, so we’ve supplied the link here.