CHICAGO – Lyric Opera of Chicago is auditioning dancers for principal and solo dancer roles for its upcoming production of the operetta The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár. This production will be staged and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman. August Tye is the ballet mistress.
Rehearsals begin October 19, 2015, with ten performances November 14 – December 13.
The Merry Widow requires 6 Grisettes and 1 cover (contracted as Principals), 8 additional Female Solo Dancers and 1 cover (contracted as Solo Dancers), and 4 Male Dancers and 1 cover (contracted as Solo Dancers).
WOMEN: Those auditioning as Grisettes will need to sing, deliver dialogue, and be comfortable with heights. The can-can is the primary dance, and female dancers should be able to perform splits and cartwheels. Lyric is especially seeking tall, chorus line/showgirl-type female dancers with significant performing experience.
At the callback round, female dancers who are considered for the Grisettes will be asked to sing a standard Broadway piece along with music from The Merry Widow and read sides of dialogue. Both music and sides from the show will be distributed in advance, upon a formal audition request.
MEN: Male dancers should be tall, possess strong acrobatic and tumbling skills, and be comfortable performing folk dancing and partner waltzing.
Auditions will be held at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago IL 60606.
All auditionees will need to come prepared to dance. There will be no warm-up class before the auditions; dancers will be granted the time to stretch and warm themselves up once checked-in for their audition.
Sunday, May 17 Preliminary Audition Schedule:
|
9:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m. (approx.) |
Female Dancer Check-in and self warm-up
Female Dancer Audition
Male Dancer Check-in and self warm-up
Male Dancer Audition |
Monday, May 18 Callback Schedule:
|
9:30 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m.
12:30 p.m. (approx.) |
Female Dancer Check-in and self warm-up
Female Dancer Callbacks
Male Dancer Check-in and self warm-up
Male Dancer Callbacks
should run no later than 2pm |
Women should wear heels and men should wear ballet or jazz shoes, and bring clothes suitable for tumbling. Clothing should be form-fitting for both men and women.
The deadline to register for this audition is Monday, May 11, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. To RSVP, please send your résumé and headshot to [email protected] or call (312) 827-3576.
You will not be granted the ability to register for an audition until you have made a complete application. Walk-ins will not be seen.
Please be prepared to show a government-issued photo identification card to gain access to the auditions. All applicants must have valid eligibility to work in the United States. Lyric Opera will not apply for working permits for foreign dancers.
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About Lyric Opera of Chicago
Founded in 1954, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s mission is to express and promote the life-changing, transformational, revelatory power of great opera. Lyric exists to provide a broad, deep, and relevant cultural service to Chicago and the nation, and to advance the development of the art form.
Lyric is dedicated to producing and performing consistently thrilling, entertaining, and thought-provoking opera with a balanced repertoire of core classics, lesser-known masterpieces, and new works; to creating an innovative and wide-ranging program of community engagement and educational activities; and to developing exceptional emerging operatic talent.
Under the leadership of general director Anthony Freud, music director Sir Andrew Davis, and creative consultant Renée Fleming, Lyric strives to become the great North American Opera Company for the 21st century: a globally significant arts organization embodying the core values of excellence, relevance, and fiscal responsibility.
