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Portland Area Auditions

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For Auditors

PATA's organizational-level memberships (for theatre companies, dance companies, agencies, and independent theatre entities) include auditing of PATA's Unified Shakespeare Auditions and PATA's Citywide General Auditions. Individuals who do not have an organizational-level membership but who are actively casting may pay a guest auditor fee to observe auditions. Please, email the PATA Office Manager (info@portlandtheatre.com) if you would like more information about auditing PATA's auditions.

PATA's Unified Shakespeare Auditions

Dates: Saturday, February 1, 2020 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Location: CoHo Productions (2257 NW Raleigh Street, Portland, OR 97210)

Eligibility Requirements: 

Individual-level membership (individual performer, student performer, theatre technician) in good standing with either PATA or Theatre Puget Sound at time of registration and at time of audition. 

Unified Shakespeare Auditions are only open to candidates age 18 or older.

Registration: 

Online registration 10 am on Saturday, January 11, 2020, through 5 pm on Friday, January 31, 2020.

  • PATA members, please check the PATA homepage for a link in the Events section when registration opens. 
  • TPS members, please write to the PATA Office Manager (info@portlandtheatre.com) during the registration period to request your audition appointment. Proof of membership will be due via email when you register.

Audition Format:

Each actor will have 2 minutes total to perform up to 2 classical pieces. Your 2 minutes start after your introductory slate with the first word of your monologue. At least one piece must be in verse, and we recommend that at least one piece be from a Shakespeare play. 

A single chair will be available on the audition stage. We recommend you place the chair where you need it before you slate. If you do not need the chair, and it is in your space, move the chair off to the side before you slate. As a courtesy to the next actor, if you used the chair, please put the chair off to the side after you have finished your presentation.

Each actor must bring enough copies of their headshot and resumé for the auditors - STAPLED back to back. A reminder email sent out 24 to 48 hours before the audition date will confirm the number of auditors. (Please, check your account settings and make sure they allow you to receive all PATA emails.) At this time, we anticipate each candidate will need to bring 10 copies.

Do not bring props, costumes, or instruments. Consider your audition a job interview, so dress accordingly.

Running Late? Need to Cancel?

Your audition time is an appointment. If you will be late or need to cancel, please contact the PATA Office Manager by email (info@portlandtheatre.com) as soon as possible.

PATA's Citywide General Auditions Online

In support of our community's safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, PATA's 2020 Citywide General Auditions will take place online. 2020 Citywide General Auditions will be a digital talent binder and spreadsheet distributed to auditors. Our Office Manager will compile the 2020 Binder and send it to our auditors by August 17, 2020.

Auditors will be able to flip through the talent profiles binder, or scroll down the spreadsheet, and watch linked audition videos as they read. Auditors have expressed to PATA that they like having a “book” to page through, and several have expressed interest in considering each individual candidate’s audition. 

If you would like to audit the 2020 Citywide General Auditions online, please refer to the Auditor Registration Page. 

If you would like to audition at 2020 Citywide General Auditions Online, please continue reading. For actors, all of the following will be due 11:59 on July 17, 2020.

  • Updating of membership in Portland Area Theatre Alliance or Theatre Puget Sound to meet eligibility requirements.
  • Registration for Citywide General Auditions Online.*
  • Payment of the $15 binder assembly fee.
  • Emailing of a .jpg headshot (ideally >1 MB) and a one-page.pdf resume to info@portlandtheatre.com.
  • Video submission via either PATA online profile or (for TPS members ) email.

*Note: If you already put your membership into good standing; if you already registered for 2020 Citywide General Auditions; if you paid the $15 binder fee associated with your registration; and if you emailed your headshot and resume; you do not need to re-do these tasks to participate in 2020 Citywide General Auditions Online.

Eligibility Requirements

Make sure your individual-level membership in Portland Area Theatre Alliance or Theatre Puget Sound meets eligibility requirements.

  • If your membership renewal due date was on April 17, 2020, or later, you would have been eligible to participate in 2020 Citywide General Auditions as originally scheduled. Therefore, you do not need to renew your membership to participate online in 2020 Generals.
    • If your membership expired April 17, 2020, or later; and if you will not renew your membership; please email the PATA Office Manager if you wish to register for 2020 Generals. The automated system will likely not enable you to register yourself.
    • If your membership is in TPS, please email proof of membership to the PATA Office Manager to register for 2020 Generals. The automated system will not enable you to register yourself. Also, please email your .jpg headshot, .pdf one-page resume, and video link to the PATA Office Manager before 11:59 pm on July 17, 2020.
  • If you never had an individual-level membership, or if your individual-level membership renewal due date was April 16, 2020, or earlier, you would only have been eligible to participate in 2020 Citywide General Auditions as originally scheduled if you joined or renewed. Therefore, you must purchase/renew your membership to participate online in 2020 Generals. Prospective members can join PATA at this page.
  • You cannot have been a no-show at 2019 Generals.

Since video auditions have fewer/different logistical challenges, info session attendance will not be required for 2020 Citywide General Auditions. If you are unfamiliar with Generals-type auditions, however, we urge you to download and read the most recent edition of the info packet to familiarize yourself with standard industry practices.

Registration

  • If you already registered for an audition appointment, you do not need to re-register.

  • If you have not registered, please do so at the 2020 Citywide General Auditions event registration page for add-on candidates.

  • If you wish to cancel your audition registration, please inform the PATA Office Manager via email (info@portlandtheatre.com) by 11:59 PM on July 17, 2020. A refund of the binder fee is not guaranteed after this due date.

Binder Fee

  • If you already paid the 2020 Generals binder fee, you do not need to re-pay it.

  • If you have not yet paid the 2020 Generals binder fee, please pay it before 11:59 pm on July 17, 2020.

Binder Materials

Please, email your headshot & resume to info@portlandtheatre.com by 11:59 pm on July 17, 2020 using the subject line Binder Materials.

  • This resume and headshot are in addition to the headshot and resume on your PATA profile. Emailed attachments allow us to "print" your information in high-resolution in the auditors' binders.
  • If you are a member of Theatre Puget Sound, please also email your audition video link to the PATA Office Manager.
  • If you already completed this step for the 2020 Generals Binder, you do not need to re-send your materials unless you are updating them before the due date.

    Binder Materials Formatting Instructions: 

    • HEADSHOT — Lastname_Firstname.jpg 
    • ONE-PAGE RESUME — Lastname_Firstname.pdf
    • For example, if your name were Una Omega, your files would be Omega_Una.jpg and Omega_Una.pdf  
    • Most word processing software has a Print to PDF function that enables you to create and save a .pdf version of your document.
    • We recommend that your headshot be >1 MB in file size for optimal picture quality.

      Video Submissions

      Submit your audition video before 11:59 pm on July 17, 2020:

      • If you are a PATA member, paste the URL into your online PATA profile in the section marked “Link to Theatrical Audition Video.” Although the option is offered to submit a password for password protected videos, we strongly recommend that you adjust the settings of your video to enable anybody with the link to view it. Entering a password would be an additional step for our auditors.
      • If you are a TPS member, email the PATA Office Manager a link to your audition video.

      Video Formatting Requirements

      • Your audition video must be <3 minutes total.
      • You must have a slate, i.e., an introduction including your name, your pronouns, and a brief description of the pieces you are presenting (character name, song title, show title, and author).
        • Example: Hello. My name is Anna May Wong. My pronouns are she, her, hers. I will be singing “Love Look Away” from Flower Drum Song by Rodgers and Hammerstein and David Henry Hwang. Also, I will be playing Shizuko Mizoguchi from Velina Hasu Houston’s Kokoro (True Heart).
      • The performance portion, including transitions between pieces, must be <2 minutes total. You may use your two minutes as you wish, however, most performers present programs in the following formats.
        • One monologue and one song (recommended)
        • Two contrasting monologues (recommended)
        • Two short songs
        • One long monologue
        • One long song
      • You may use the platform of your choice for posting your video. 
      • Although we offer the option to enter a password for password protected videos, we strongly recommend that you adjust the settings of your video to enable anyone with the link to view it. Entering a password would be an additional step for our auditors.
      • Once you have posted your video online and entered its URL into your online PATA profile in the section marked “Link to Theatrical Audition Video,” keep it and any associated password the same between July 18, 2020, and August 17, 2020. Our Office Manager will be using that URL to link your binder page to your audition video.
      • After the 2020 Binder is done, you may change your entry anytime for “Link to Theatrical Audition Video.” We strongly recommend you keep your 2020 Citywide Generals Audition posted online until August 17, 2021, at the URL you provided for 2020 Generals (with the same password, if applicable.) Regardless of what is in your online PATA profile, your digital binder page in the 2020 binder will link to the URL provided for 2020 Citywide General Auditions, and video passwords will not be updated.
      • Minimum video quality: 1920 pixels x 1080 pixels.

      Video Formatting Recommendations

      To make the process as stress-free as possible, and to enable actors to market themselves in the video format as they see fit, other formatting requirements will generally be kept open-ended. For anyone seeking guidance, you can watch the video and/or read the recommendations listed below.

      Background

      Emphasis should be on you rather than your environment. We recommend a default background of a blank wall or backdrop. However a blank background is not required.

      Framing

      You may frame yourself as best fits the piece being presented. An intimate or quieter piece with little physical movement, or a piece geared toward filmmakers, can be framed to show only your head and shoulders. If you are presenting very physical work or seeking to work with outdoor or large venues, full body or 3/4 framing from above the knees and up is recommended. If you are undecided, we recommend 3/4 framing as a default.

      Editing and Cuts

      Editing and cutting your video to showcase your best take is acceptable but not required. If you opt to edit/cut your video, bear in mind that too many cuts within a song or monologue may emphasize your editing skills over your performance skills. 

      Video Distribution Platform

      You may use the video distribution platform of your choice. Although the option is offered to have a password for password protected videos, we strongly recommend that you adjust the settings of your video to enable anyone with the link to view it. Entering a password would be an additional step for our auditors.

      Some platforms (such as YouTube) offer the option to set a video to “unlisted,” which means the platform does not suggest publicly to viewers that they watch the video. However, recipients of the video’s URL can view it.

      Note that some platforms (such as YouTube) do not allow viewers to download videos. Other platforms (such as Vimeo) allow viewers to download videos if the person who posted the video has an account upgrade enabling them to make videos downloadable. Making your video downloadable is not required, but enables auditors to save and re-watch your video, even if you have deleted it.

      Music

      We recognize that due to social distancing measures, access to an in-person in-the-moment accompanist will be difficult if not impossible for many candidates. Therefore, the requirement to work with an accompanist in-person in-the-moment will be waived for 2020 Citywide General Auditions.

      Instead, we very strongly recommend that singers sing with pre-recorded instrumental accompaniment.

      Accompanying yourself or singing a capella, while allowed, are not recommended. Auditor consensus has been that these methods do not provide the information they need to determine whether to cast you for a musical. If you wish to play your own accompaniment, record the accompaniment separately, and then sing along with the recording.

      Singers may not sing along with another singer (recorded or live) that is singing the same part. The singing voice that is yours must be evident.

      Wardrobe & Appearance

      • The Citywide General Auditions are like a job interview, so your attire should reflect your professionalism.

      •  Avoid distracting clothes: jewelry, uncomfortable or noisy shoes, loud patterns, torn jeans, T-shirts, etc.

      • Avoid wearing solid black, solid white, and small patterns. 

      • Style your hair in a way that keeps it out of your eyes.

      Participating Auditors

      The following auditors signed up to audit 2020 Citywide General Auditions and received the digital binder:

      Theatre Puget Sound's Unified General Auditions

      Did you know? Through a reciprocity agreement, an individual performer membership or student performer membership in the Portland Area Theatre Alliance includes eligibility to audition at Theatre Puget Sound's Unified General Auditions (provided other TPS eligibility requirements are also met). TPS' 2020 Generals will be on March 2 through March 5. Check https://tpsonline.org/uga/ for updates.


      Dance Wire Citywide Dance Auditions


      May 3, 2020, at BodyVox (1201 NW 17th Ave, Portland, OR 97209, USA).

      Check https://dancewirepdx.org/city-wide-dance-audition/ for updates. 

      PDXAuditions.com

      pdxauditions.com is a website where people can post and read casting notices

      PATA Switchboard

      Browse the PATA Switchboard to discover offers and asks from all over the city. In addition to auditions, you'll find rehearsal spaces, local classes, and collaborators. It's free to join, and you do not need a PATA membership to use the Switchboard.


      Portland Area Theatre Alliance

      (503) 449-6270

      info@portlandtheatre.com

      In keeping with efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, PATA is providing service remotely.
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