Auditions Announced for ‘The Wiz’

(Casper College image)

Auditions will be held for the Casper College fall musical “The Wiz” on Tuesday, Aug. 20. Free workshops for the August 20 audition will take place on Monday, Aug. 19.

“The Casper College Department of Theatre and Dance invites the community of Casper to audition for ‘The Wiz.’ We are looking for singers, dancers, and actors of all shapes, sizes, and ethnic backgrounds,” said Richard Burk, director.

The Casper College production will be a multicultural one: “We are producing ‘The Wiz,’ which was created as a Black expression of the ‘Wizard of Oz’ story, with a multicultural lens,” said Burk. The multicultural concept was first done at the La Jolla Playhouse in the fall of 2006, and according to a review at the time by Variety, “ … La Jolla’s is a multicultural collage in which Baum’s themes speak to the broadest possible audience. … the overall effect is pluralistic and inclusive. In the truest and most positive sense of the phrase, (this) show is colorblind.” “By opening this production to the community, we hope to invite and welcome community members of all cultures to participate,” Burk noted.

Those interested in auditioning should prepare to sing a verse and refrain from a song that reflects the music of “The Wiz” to include any Motown or rock and roll hit from the mid-1960s through the 1980s. Those auditioning will also be asked to demonstrate their dance abilities with choreography that will be provided, said Burk.

The August 19 workshop will begin at 7 p.m., the August 20 auditions will start at 6 p.m., and callbacks will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 21 beginning at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Sarah Neubauer, theatre and dance department assistant, at 307-268-2365, toll-free at 800-442-2963, ext. 2365 or at sneubauer@caspercollege.edu.

All events will take place in the Gertrude Krampert Center for Theatre and Dance located on the Casper College campus.