2022 Summer Show Audition Material!!!!

This will be a LONG, LONG POST, so make sure you get all this information!

As you’ve seen from previous posts, this summer Hard Road will be producing Disney’s “Descendants The Musical” at the Weinheimer Community Center! The show will be performed 8 times, over two weekends – July 14, 15, 16, 17 and July 21, 22, 23 and 24. We are excited to have the financial support of Bradford National Bank to help make this show a reality!

Below you will find the audition materials/procedures as well as some notes from the Production Team.
Dropbox link to access and download the Audition Materials. Click Here.

Here is the schedule for both days.
*****You will need to be at a dance audition AND a vocal/reading audition. They are at separate times so please look closely.

Saturday May 14
9:30am Doors Open
9:30 – 10:30am – Time to fill out audition/availability forms
10:00 – 10:30am – Dance Review with Jamie and Autumn
Parent meeting for the Parents
10:45 – 11:30am – Dance Auditions in small groups
11:45am – 2:00pm – Vocal and Reading Auditions

Sunday May 15
1:30pm Doors Open
1:30 – 2:30pm – Time to fill out audition/availability forms
2:00:-2:30pm – Dance Review with Jamie and Autumn
Parent meeting for the Parents
2:45 – 3:30pm – Dance Auditions in small groups
3:45 – 6:00pm – Vocal and Reading Auditions
6:30pm – Callbacks as needed

AUDITIONS
Where: Weinheimer Community Center, 1100 Main St. Highland, IL 62249
Come in the main doors and we’ll steer you in the right direction!

When: Saturday, May 14 and Sunday May 15 (times above)

Who: Anyone who has finished FIRST grade and older.
The majority of the roles in this show are for kids and teens but there are several adult roles in the show that we need to fill, so everyone come try out! We think it would be awesome to see some parents audition for this show and share the stage with their kids this summer!

What do you need:
1) Audition Form – We will have audition/availability and release forms for everyone to fill out on the day of auditions. Some of the most important information we need will be your availability this summer. Please come knowing that – your vacations, summer camps, sports tournaments, etc…! We will ask you to please include ALL absences and to PLEASE BE HONEST in listing your schedule conflicts. Surprises after the show has been cast can lead to major challenges and may cause you/your child to forfeit his/her role in the show. Unless you have a major scheduling conflict, an occasional absence generally can be accommodated. Please note if you are only missing part of a practice.
*** ALL rehearsals during TECH WEEK (the Sunday-Thursday prior to opening night and any pickup rehearsals in the week between show weekends) and all performances are MANDATORY ***

2) Prepare a Joke (It helps break the ice and gives us a chance to see your personality!)

3) Scripts – Pick and Practice ONE set of lines to read from. (If you are auditioning for a different role, chose a character that most resembles the role you are going for)
If you are a a kid/teen – read for Ben, Mal, Evie or Chad
If you are an adult – read for Maleficent or Maurice

4) Music – Pick and Practice ONE song.
You can get a feel for the tempo and style of music by visiting https://www.mtishows.com/disneys-descendants-the-musical and clicking on “Songs”
We will have accompaniment tracks for you to sing with at the auditions.

5) Dance – PRACTICE the dance video. That is all you will be expected to do at auditions. There will be a short time to review the DANCE at auditions. Please wear dance shoes if you have them.
View Audition Dance – https://youtu.be/OBJUs3ZAGEE

6) List of Characters – You will find a list of characters for this show with the other printed files.
PLEASE PRINT ALL THE MUSIC and SCRIPTS PAGES AT HOME. You can find and download all the printed materials needed for Auditions in the Dropbox Link.

7) Most importantly, bring your SMILE, lots of energy and have FUN with this!

Here is the Dropbox link (again in case you missed it up top!) to access the Audition Materials. Click Here.

OTHER NOTES:
If we need to see anyone again we will contact them Sunday afternoon for a callback time Sunday evening. Not everyone will get a callback.

Parents will NOT be permitted into the space for the auditions – They will be in a meeting with the “Parent Wrangler” about what they can expect this summer.

We are excited to be able to perform a live show again this summer! Be sure to practice the songs, dances and lines – Drink plenty of water – Avoid milk based products the morning of your audition – Get plenty of rest. We wish you all the best and can’t wait to see everyone next weekend!

The cast list will be posted on Facebook and our website on or before Wednesday, May 18.

2022 Summer Show Location – HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

We are thrilled to announce that with amazing support from the City of Highland, and the Highland Parks and Rec Department we will be staging this summer’s show, Descendants The Musical on the stage at the Weinheimer Community Center!!!!

This amazing space, a historic corner piece of our community will have live theater on it’s stage for the first time in over 50? 60? …we don’t know, but a lot of years! If you know the last time it was used as a performance space, let us know in the comments below!

As Hard Road continues to rebuild it’s identity and works to build back up to a full slate of shows in a season, one of the critical areas we are addressing is the logistics of where to put on a show. For the last 20+ years Hard Road has been the gracious guest of the Highland School District and their facilities – the Auditorium and the Kennel. As the district has grown and changed the way they utilize those facilities for education, some spaces, have become unavailable for use. While the summer months in the school auditorium are generally clear for Hard Road’s use, the feasibility of staging multiple shows, one right after the other in the same facility presents enormous challenges for our production and creative teams – thus the need for another space!

We are looking to and building for the future of this organization. We are hopeful that with a successful show at the Weinheimer this summer, Hard Road can expand the number of shows we produce in the coming years by utilizing multiple spaces for multiple shows throughout the year – on stage at the Weinheimer and on stage at the school auditorium!

Now for what you really want to know about – Audition Materials/Times/Location etc… will be posted by Noon tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

2022 Summer Show Announcement!!!!

The Hard Road board is excited to announce that this summer we will be producing Disney’s Descendants: The Musical! The show will be performed 8 times, over two weekends – July 14, 15, 16, 17 and July 21, 22, 23 and 24. If you don’t know anything about the show read the description at the bottom of the post (or ask your kids/grandkids!)

It is no secret that the last several years have taken a toll on live performances produced by Broadway all the way down to schools and local community theater groups. Hard Road is no exception. In addition to Covid, we have dealt with less access to familiar performance spaces and rising costs in producing shows. Thankfully, we have a community that loves live theater as well as a dedicated team of producers, directors and performers that has helped us find a way to be successful and stay on mission. As Hard Road continues to navigate this post-Covid (hopefully!) world and begins to rebuild our identity, vision and audiences we look back to the past. Over 20 years ago, Hard Road’s success in Highland was built on quality, highly entertaining shows for our community. That has never changed and it is something we pride ourselves on. Those first several years featured large summer shows with big casts of all ages. This summer, as we regain some of our lost momentum we’re going back to our roots! What that means is that Descendants isn’t just a kids show! We’re opening the auditions up to anyone who has finished FIRST grade or older!

These villain kids need some adult supervision, right? Throughout the years, we’ve had parents say, “These kids are having so much fun! It would be a hoot to be up there with them!” Maybe they were just blowing smoke, but now we’re calling their bluff! We’re hoping that some parents of our Hard Road kid performers will audition for the show too and share the stage with their children and their talents with the community this summer! And even if you aren’t a parent of a kid in the show, but think this sounds like a fun show, we invite you to audition!

One other piece of business. For over 10 years the kid’s summer show has grown and blossomed under the direction of Gentry Fifer and her amazing team. We’re giving Gentry this summer off – to rest, relax and enjoy some well deserved down time – to recharge her batteries (so she’s back in a director’s seat next summer!). We can’t thank her enough for her hard work and dedication over the last 10 summers (and hopefully many more in the future!). Don’t worry, you’ll still see her around this summer in various roles and capacities. She continues to be a dedicated and tireless member of the Hard Road board, helping to guide us into our next chapter of success!

Which leads me to my next piece of news! The Hard Road Board is thrilled to announce that we will have an alum from the Hard Road stage, Haylie Gombos on board as the director of this summer’s show. She comes to Hard Road with tons of experience on the stage as well as behind the scenes as well. Over the last several months she has been assembling a team of new and familiar faces for this summer’s production. We can’t wait to work with her vision and leadership in making Descendants: The Musical! another Hard Road summer hit!

It is the hope and vision of our Board, that over the next several seasons we can build on our successes and expand our summer season to once again include several shows. That at some point in the near future we can reintroduce fall and winter shows, so that Highland has the opportunity to see high-quality, live performances all year long!

QUICK DETAILS

Show Dates
July 14, 15, 16, 17 and July 21, 22, 23 and 24.

AGE RANGE FOR THE SHOW
Who can try out? Anyone who has finished 1st grade up to 100+ years old! So basically anyone older than a first grader! 😉

AUDITIONS:
Weekend of May 14 & 15
More info COMING SOON! We are still working on the details – where? when? and how auditions with be structured?, etc… Stay tuned to our FB page and website for updates in the coming weeks!

ABOUT THE SHOW
It is present-day, and in the kingdom of Auradon, all of Disney’s beloved heroes and royalty are living happily ever after, safe from the terrifying villains and troublesome sidekicks they have banished to the magic-free Isle of the Lost. That is until Ben, the benevolent teenage son of Belle and King Adam (The Beast), offers a chance of redemption for the troublemaking offspring of the evilest villains. Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos – the children of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella De Vil, and Jafar – are welcomed to Auradon Prep to attend school with the children of their parents’ sworn enemies. Now entering a completely foreign world and way of life, the four Villain Kids have a difficult choice to make: should they follow in their parents’ wicked footsteps or learn to be good?