by Hard Road Admin | Feb 2, 2016 | Announcements, Auditions, Casting
Do you remember your first First Date? Well, this show is nothing like that! You will actually enjoy going on this date.
FIRST DATE is just that – a blind date that unfolds in real time. The couple quickly finds they are not alone in this unpredictable evening. Casey and Aaron’s inner critics take on a life of their own when other restaurant patrons transform into supportive best friends, manipulative exes and protective parents who sing and dance the pair through ice-breakers, appetizers and potential conversational land mines.
This could also be one of the most challenging shows in which you have ever performed. Aside from our main couple, everyone plays multiple roles. This is a true ensemble show.
There are roles for 3-4 women and 3-4 men. Lots of singing and dialog and very little dance (so, if you avoid musicals because you can’t dance well – like me – cast your worries aside!)
Auditions are next Monday, February 8th at 7:00 in the Chorus Room at the Highland Elementary School. Have a musical number prepared – modern show tunes would be a good choice (you should put away your Rogers and Hammerstein Songbook) and be prepared for some cold readings from the script. AND – here’s the change from our traditional auditions – fill out your audition form BEFORE you come. Our form is online and will be very easy to complete. If you have a picture or theater bio you’d like to submit, you can upload it with your form. Pretty easy, huh? To access our form, go HERE or HERE or even HERE.
Callbacks will be held the following night at the same location.
Performance dates are April, 15, 16, 17, 22 and 23. Rehearsals will begin late February. Bill Sullivan is directing the show (that’s me) and David Wilton is the musical director. Guaranteed good times!
See you Monday night?
by Hard Road Admin | Jan 19, 2016 | Auditions
In a bold, unprecedented move . . . OK, maybe not so bold, but certainly not common in this area . . . the audition form for Hard Road’s spring musical, First Date, is now an online form. You can now use your phone, tablet or laptop to fill your audition information BEFORE you show up for auditions!
Admit it – don’t you hate filling out the form at auditions? You forgot to bring your black-out dates, and can’t quite remember all the shows you were in and, “wow, my handwriting really sucks!”
Now you don’t have to worry. Go HERE to access the form and fill it out at your convenience. Your director (that’s me) will now have everything beforehand and the entire evening will proceed smoothly. What? You have a photo you want to attach? No problem – at the end of the form there’s an option to upload photos or documents so you can even add a theater resume if you already have one prepared.
So, let’s see . . . online audition form . . . do beforehand . . . any digital device will work. . .do it HERE . . . photos . . . yada, yada, yada.
Yup, got it all! See you at auditions for your new favorite show!
by Hard Road Admin | Jan 6, 2016 | Press Release, Shows
Sponsored by Staunton Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Hard Road Theatre Productions in association with the Highland Arts Council invites you to join them for an evening of hilarious hijinks with the nuns at the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing in the state and regional premiere of the family-friendly comedy Drinking Habits 2. The play is a direct sequel to last winter’s highly popular play, Drinking Habits and features all of the same characters.
Set in the present day outside the small town of Shady Glenn, USA, Drinking Habits 2 follows the misadventures of the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing and their friends. An orphanage with a strong connection to the convent is in danger of closing unless $5,000 can be raised in four weeks. In order to raise the needed funds, the convent decides to perform a play written by Mother Superior. Meanwhile, the other nuns of the convent agree to make a secret batch of their award-winning wine to sell to supplement the play’s proceeds. But when Mother Superior believes she’s had a holy vision, the lead male actor can’t remember his lines, and the woman playing the Blessed Mother can’t stop her uncontrollable cravings because she’s pregnant with twins, things are thrown into chaos and everything that can go wrong does just as the curtain rises.
Directed by Tom Varner, the cast includes Breanna Noe as Sister Augusta, Linda Collman as Sister Philamena, Chad Korte as George, Mary Knebel as Mother Superior, Evan Fifer as Paul Billings, Gentry Nessel as Sally Andrews, Megan Jakel as Kate, and Rob Bowman as Father Chenille. According to Varner, audiences are in for a real treat as Hard Road’s production is only the second place in the world to be performing this play. The play hasn’t even been officially published, yet, and is being produced in direct accordance with the author. “Drinking Habits was so successful and well received than when we were presented with this opportunity, we couldn’t pass it up,” said Varner. “It isn’t necessary to have seen the first show to enjoy this one. Audiences are going to love this show and what occurs as the convent tries to put on their play while the sisters secretly start bootlegging wine again.”
Drinking Habits 2 is acceptable for families as it contains no foul language or adult situations. Performance dates are Jan. 21, 22, 23, 29, and 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 24 at 2:00 p.m. Performances will be held in the Highland Elementary Auditorium, 1800 Lindenthal Ave., Highland, IL 62249. Ticket prices are $10 and can be purchased online (www.hardroad.org), at the door, or in person at the Highland Chamber of Commerce.
Hard Road Theatre Productions is a non-profit theatre organization committed to providing Highland and the surrounding area with high-quality, affordable, live theatre productions.
Do you remember your first First Date? Well, this show is nothing like that! You will actually enjoy going on this date.
