Audition Video for Youth Performance Companies 2021-2022
“Exhaust the limits of the possible.” – Pindar
We are searching for Echo Theater Company students ages 8 – 17 who have excellent basic tumbling and trapeze/aerial skills and a strong interest in physical theater, collaboration, and performance. Students who are younger than 8 years old are welcome to audition but are less likely to be chosen due to limited space.
ETC performance ensembles are a Sept – June commitment. We are unsure what the 2021-2022 school year will look like. However, we are hopeful that we will be able to safely return to our youth performance company programming in person in the fall. As long as it is safe to do so, we will meet at the Echo Theater two days/week. If we are unable to meet in person, we will train, create and play together on Zoom or at the park as needed. Regular attendance is key to our success, so please consider your family’s schedule and other commitments when choosing to audition.
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Tik Toks (ages 8 – 14) will rehearse Tue and Thu 4 – 5:30pm.
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Zig Zags (ages 13 – 17) will rehearse Tue and Thu 6:00 – 7:30pm.
If you have any questions about the audition process, the skills assessed, or the commitment, please email wendy@echotheaterpdx.org.
Video Audition Information:
In order to support public health, we are holding auditions via video again this year. Audition videos are due by July 6. Decisions will be made by July 30.
When creating your video, please prioritize your health and safety. We recommend warming up before you film your audition. If you don’t have a chin up bar or tree at your house, skip the pull up. If you don’t know how to move into a bridge from standing, skip that trick. We are looking for a mix of skills, including focus, strength, flexibility, theatricality, sense of humor, and the ability to take direction. It is rare that successful auditionees demonstrate all skills at a high level. Do your best and have fun!
Be sure to frame your video thoughtfully so that we can see your entire body well. We recommend enlisting a family member or friend as a videographer. (We are not auditioning your videography skills, however it is important that we can see you!) We would most appreciate a single video file for each auditionee. If possible, please edit individual takes together or film your entire audition in one take. If creating a video is a barrier for you, please contact us and we will find a solution. If you are able, please include the following in your audition video.
Strength & Flexibility
Strength & Flexibility:
- 3 push ups (elbows by your sides, hollow body, abs strong)
- 1 pull up (back of hands facing the auditionee, pull up, descend as slowly as possible)
- 1 bent arm hang for 20 sec (tree, chin up bar, bunk bed)
- Demonstrate lower body flexibility by sharing your right and left splits. ‘Splits’ in this case means showing how close the auditionee’s pelvis is to the floor when attempting splits with the right leg forward, and also the left leg forward. You do not need to be able to complete a 180 degree split. When viewing your splits, we are looking at your understanding and embodiment of ‘square hips’ as well as your flexibility and self care.
- Bridge, pushing up from the ground with your best form (straight arms and legs, extended)
Acrobatics
Acrobatics:
- 1 headstand (held for up to 30 sec)
- 3 handstands, filmed consecutively with no cuts. If you cannot achieve a controlled handstand, no worries! We want to see how confidently you put your weight on your arms, how inverted you can become (hips above shoulders) and how engaged your core is when attempting handstands.
- 3 cartwheels (slow and controlled, with long legs and solid landing.)
- Walk-overs: Please show us any of the following. (Do not attempt a skill that you are not confident you can complete safely.)
– Front limber: handstand into bridge and stand up
– Back bend kick over: Bridge from standing and kick-over back to your feet.
– Front walk-over
– Back walk-over - 1 additional tumbling/acro trick of your choice (round off, 1 arm cartwheel, back roll, dive roll, trampoline trick, etc.)
Creative Movement & Physical Theater
Creative Movement & Physical Theater:
Create a short scene involving you and an object. Your goal is to explore and interact with the object as if you do not know its intended use. You may embody an animal, alien visitor, or another character that might be discovering this object for the first time, or you may be yourself. We want to see your focus, creativity and curiosity come alive.
Storytelling
Storytelling:
Tell us a one minute story about a time when you were proud of something you did. (solved a problem? Something that made you excited/ Elated/ full of wonder?)
Collaboration/Call-Backs
Collaboration/Call-Backs:
(A call back is a second audition that allows the directors to see auditionees a second time and see how they interact with one another or the audition material.)
Collaboration is a key part of our process. As we moved our youth company programming online this year, we began exploring remote collaboration via Zoom. We now have a series of video conference room activities that are only possible through cooperation and paying attention to another/others. As part of our ‘call back’ we may connect auditionees to one another and ask them to collaborate remotely to complete their callback.
If it feels safe, we may also ask students to attend a call-back audition in person at the Echo or outdoors. If you are unable to attend an in person call back for any reason, that is not a problem. We will work with each family to create a call back opportunity that feels safe, supportive and reasonable.