MAT holds successful company audition, more to come

Montana Actors’ Theatre appears to have had a successful company audition Saturday, with more than 50 people showing up to audition for this year’s season of shows, and is setting up follow-up auditions soon.

MAT Creative Director Grant Olson said the company usually holds auditions for each show individually, but this year they are trying a different model, by holding an audition for the whole season at the beginning, followed by subsequent auditions to fill the remaining gaps.

Olson said this model will allow directors more flexibility in casting shows by developing a pool of talent early on that they can draw from, and lessen the pressure on actors by making the audition process, which is famously one of the most stressful parts of theater, a bit less stressful.

He said it will also allow the company to make plans earlier so they can spread out work over the year more effectively and reduce pressure on everyone and allow directors to better handle situations where actors have to drop out of a show.

Olson said they’ve only finalized the casting for “Lend Me a Tenor” in October, but Saturday’s audition gave them a great pool of actors to recruit from, so they can make plans for the season.

“There was a lot of great talent,” he said.

He said the audition drew more people than he expected, given everything that was going on that weekend, which was encouraging.

He also said there were a number of people who filled out the forms for the event beforehand that said they were interested in auditioning but couldn’t come that day.

Olson said the number of people who said they were interested but unavailable made him nervous for what Saturday would look like, but it still surpassed his expectations.

He said they are going to set up a smaller audition soon for the people who expressed interest but couldn’t make it Saturday, and if there is anyone out there who’s interested but hasn’t gotten in touch already, they want to hear from them as soon as possible.

He said anyone still interested can go on MAT’s website and fill out the form or email [email protected] to tell them they want to audition.

He said the deadline for submitting those forms is approaching, but they will accommodate anyone who gets in touch before the deadline.

Olson said they may not be able to find a role for every person, but having more people audition means they will have them in mind for roles next year, and choose shows with those people in mind.

As for the Saturday audition, he said, they saw an impressive number of newcomers and veterans and, while they always try to pick the best person for every role, they are also going to try to find ways to give the newer talent the opportunity to get some experience and develop.

The event also provided a good demographic spread of talent, he said, but they are still coming up short on men age 20 to 45, a group that is always difficult to recruit from.

He said some high schoolers also auditioned at the event for practice even though they weren’t really recruiting many non-adult actors, but he’s glad they came, as they are always welcome to get some experience auditioning and may be interested in backstage work as well.

Olson said a lot of the people who auditioned at the event were also interested in doing backstage work, which is great, because they have lots of roles to fill there as well.

He said they haven’t set a date and time for their follow-up audition but they should have plans done by later this week

The troupe has been holding “youth intensive auditions” at Havre High School Auditorium starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday and today, and auditions for the musical “Newsies” for youth grades eight through 12 is set for Thursday, Aug. 31, also starting at 4 p.m. in the auditorium.

MAT has its full season lined out, listed on its website under “Events” at https://mtactors.com:

• “Lend Me a Tenor”

By Ken Ludwig

Performs: Oct. 6-7, 12-14 and 19-21

Roles for up to one man and three women Ages 20s-60s. Four roles have been cast.

“Lend Me A Tenor” is set in September 1934. Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world-famous singer Tito Merelli, known as Il Stupendo, the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as the star of the opera. Tito arrives late, and through a hilarious series of mishaps, he is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out. His pulse is so low that Saunders and his assistant Max believe he’s dead — and in a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Merelli’s costume and fool the audience into thinking he’s Il Stupendo. Max succeeds and lives up to his idol, but Merelli regains consciousness and gets into the identical costume, ready to perform. Now two opera singers are running around in the same costume and two women are running around in lingerie, each thinking she is with Il Stupendo.

• “Newsies”

Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Jack Feldman Book by Harvey Fierstein

Based on the Disney film written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White.

Performs: Nov. 16-18 and 23-25 on the Havre High Stage

Roles for 24 youth eighth through 12th grade. Characters are mostly male but cross-gender casting is likely.

There are also several roles for adults which will be cast by invitation only.

Based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, this Disney musical tells the story of Jack Kelly, a rebellious newsboy who dreams of a life as an artist away from the big city. After publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsboys’ expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action.

• “Puss in Boots Christmas Panto”

by Caroline Tuss

Performs: Dec. 8-10, 14-17 and 21-24. This show may travel one of these weekends.

Roles for 11 adult actors. Some roles have been cast. More details will be available at the audition. Cross-gender casting is expected.

The classic tale of a cat who gains the trust and admiration of a rich and powerful leader to help his owner improve his life. Audience participation, silly puns, and slapstick comedy make this show fun for the whole family!

• “Hill Country Revue”

Performs: Jan. 19-20, 25-27, and Feb. 1-3

Roles for 8-10 adult comic performers of any gender

A variety show in the vein of “Hee-Haw,” “Saturday Night Live” and “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” This production will feature a weekly local musician playing original music with comic interludes commenting on life in Havre and the Hi-Line.

• “The Queen of Hill County (A Murder Mystery with Cows)”

By Jay Pyette

Traveling Dinner Theatre running in March and April. Specific dates and locations to be determined.

Roles for a minimum of two actors of any age and gender. two roles have been cast. More actors may be cast to allow flexibility in travel dates.

The Annual Hill County Pie Bake-Off kicks off and the winner will be named Queen of Hill County, complete with bragging rights and a wonderful prize basket donated by Tuckerson’s Hardware, Guns and Embroidery Supply Store. This year is different, however, as outside forces infiltrate the contest. Californians, hippies, soccer moms and even a branch of the mafia (or a very, very, very distant cousin of the mafia) give the local ranch wives, farm ladies, church choir singers, 4-H leaders and others a run for their money. Devious plans and ruthless behaviors dominate the contest to become the Queen of Hill County. A zany, fast-paced farce with four actors and about a zillion characters.

• “Outside Mullingar”

By John Patrick Shanley

Performs: April 5-6, 11-13, 18-20

Roles for two men and two women ages 35-70

Anthony and Rosemary are two introverted misfits straddling 40. Anthony has spent his entire life on a cattle farm in rural Ireland, a state of affairs that — due to his painful shyness — suits him well. Rosemary lives right next door, determined to have him, watching the years slip away. With Anthony’s father threatening to disinherit him and a land feud simmering between their families, Rosemary has every reason to fear romantic catastrophe. But then, in this very Irish story with a surprising depth of poetic passion, these yearning, eccentric souls fight their way towards solid ground and some kind of happiness. Their journey is heartbreaking, funny as hell, and ultimately deeply moving.

• “The Imaginary Invalid”

A new adaptation by Martin Holt based on the play by Moliere

Performs: June 7-9 as part of Ren Faire

Roles for eight men and four women (subject to change)

Argan, a hypochondriac, wants his daughter, Angelique, to marry a young doctor so he can get all of his medical treatment for free. Angelique is in love with someone else, Cleante, and refuses to marry the doctor. Argan tells her she can marry the doctor or become a nun. Cleante, Toinette the maid, and Argan’s brother Beralde all try to convince Argan to let Angelique marry Cleante will hilarious results.