Audition Times, Free Audition Workshop and HSM Audition Tips.
Theater Arts Guild (T.A.G.) is having open auditions for Disney’s High School Musical on December 6 and 7 2006. For direct info and to schedule an audition time visit the Theater Arts Guild Website.
Auditions Tuesday, December 6th at 4, 5, 6:30, or 7:30 pm Wednesday, December 7th at 4, 5, 6:30, or 7:30 pm at the TAG rehearsal hall at 121 South 12th Street, a half block south of Division Street in Mount Vernon.
Directed by Scott McDade. Choroeography by Donna Carroll. Music Direction by Conrad Askland
AUDITION WORKSHOP
A free audition workshop will be held November 29th, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. at the TAG rehearsal hall at 121 South 12th Street, a half block south of Division Street in Mount Vernon.
Although the workshop is open to anyone who wants to sharpen their audition skills, it’s designed especially for people who have never auditioned before. Bring your audition song (with a tape, CD, or sheet music) and your dramatic reading – and get ready to have fun exploring how far you can take your performance!
Space is limited. Visit the TAG Website to register.
NOTES AND TIPS FROM CONRAD
This is a hip hop / pop musical. Check out the video, it’s been a hit on Disney. The plot is fun with lots and lots of roles for many people, not just a couple of leads. We will have a tight hip hop crew for our live band and it will probably drive a lot harder than the movie version. This unique musical has room for basketball players, urban style dancers and DJ’s in the pit.
KNOW WHAT PART YOU ARE AUDITIONING FOR – If you are auditioning for Sharpay or Evan, you might want to try traditional musical theatre pieces – upbeat pieces ala “Copacabana”. For Sharpay or Evan, strong dance skills are essential – and we’d like to see you dance and sing at the same time. If you are auditioning for Troy or Gabriella, do a modern hip hop/pop piece. Especially for Troy’s role we’ll want to hear some soul and hip hop inflections. Don’t know what role you’re going for? Then do a SHORT bit of each type of music.
We may be looking for some specific elements including:
1) Male and Female lead that can sing pop/hip hop with effortless ease, appearing as “natural” untrained talent.
2) Male and Female lead that are hyper-trained in voice and dance. They are slick with over the top synchronized talent.
3) BASKETBALL PLAYERS – Males that are wizards with a basketball and can shoot hoops well.
4) Shy, smart, sensitive actor that can play easy piano. (At the level of “Let It Be” by the Beatles). Singing not imperative for this role.
5) PIT BAND – Contact Conrad Askland here on this website (click “Home”, then click “Contact” link on right). We are going to rock the house. I need a DJ that can scratch records live and a tight hip hop crew to work with audio samples. I also need some percussionists (already have bass/drumkit) and two versatile, grooving guitar players that can read charts.
6) HIGH SCHOOL MUSICIANS – Want to get your school involved? We can use a small marching band and also a drum line.
7) LOTS of roles for male hip hop dancers/basketball athletes that can sing. Also lots of female supporting roles with some singing. IF YOU SING STRONG HIP HOP, I strongly encourage you to audition.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Troy Bolton
Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) is one of the protagonists in the movie, the basketball team captain. He has a great voice that he first discovered in the beginning of the movie when he was singing karaoke with Gabriella Montez at a New Years Eve party. Troy has to face his friends with his new passion for singing and face his father, who is also his basketball coach. He comes to realize that he has strong feelings for Gabriella and also manages to both play in the basketball team and sing in the callbacks for the school musical with Gabriella. He is friends with Chad Danforth and the team.
Gabriella Montez
Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) is the shy and brainy new student at East High. She originally meets Troy Bolton at a Ski Lodge on New Years Eve. It is there she realizes her love for singing, previously only being “The Freaky Math Girl”. She had previously been in church choir, but when singing solo, she, quote “looked at all the people staring at me and next thing I knew I was looking at the ceiling. End of solo career.” Sharpay and Ryan find out that she has won numerous Scholastic Competitions and try to get her to join the Scholastic Decathlon by showing an article to Taylor, the leader of the scholastic decatholon team, because they are afraid that she wants to try out for the musical. She and Troy, against all odds, audition for the Winter musical and win the roles that they auditioned for. She comes to realize that she has strong feelings for Troy and also manages to both do the scholastic decathalon and sing in the callbacks for the school musical with Troy.
Sharpay Evans
Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) is the antagonist of the story who is shown as an arrogant, domineering, and overall brattish person. She had always had the lead role in musicals since kindergarten, and is very mean to Kelsi, the composer, saying that Kelsi’s compositions are nothing without her and her brother. Sharpay is the more cunning of the Evans twins, and doesn’t treat her brother Ryan very well. Sharpay changes the callbacks date to prevent Troy and Gabriella from getting the roles, but it doesn’t work out. However, at the end of the show, she has a change of heart and wishes Gabriella luck. Also, she initially rejects Zeke, but after tasting his cookies, she falls for him and is seen hugging him in the end.
Ryan Evans
Ryan Evans (Lucas Grabeel) is Sharpay’s brother and acting partner. They’ve starred in 17 school musicals together. Ryan isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, as shown by his inability to read a sign the Basketball team made out of letters on their shirts which read “Go Drama Club!”. He doesn’t have any friends besides Sharpay so he usually follows her around. Ryan is the nicer of the two twins. He sings both ‘What I’ve Been Looking For’ and ‘Bop to the Top’ with Sharpay and also has a small solo in ‘We’re All in This Together.’
Taylor McKessie
Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman) is the leader of the school scholarly/science club, which competes in the scholastic decathalon. She befriends Gabriella when she came to the school and, by means both foul and fair, convinces her to join the scholastic club. While she at first tried to stop Gabriella from singing, she eventually ended up supporting her.
Chad Danforth
Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) is a member of the Wildcats team. He seems to be extremely devoted to basketball. From the start he’s a little selfish and unsupportive of Troy’s auditioning for the musical. He thinks that the musical isn’t for basketball players. However, he realizes later that singing is something that Troy truly enjoys and so Chad gives his support to his best friend’s audition endeavor. He also falls for Gabriella’s best friend Taylor McKessie.
Minor characters
Ms. Darbus
Ms. Darbus (Alyson Reed) is the harsh drama teacher at East High. Her nemesis is Coach Bolton (Troy’s father), and she will only ease up on talented singers. She likes to pronounce ‘musical’ with a flourish, using a French accent.
Coach Jack Bolton
Coach Jack Bolton (Bart Johnson) is the Wildcats’ coach and Troy’s dad. He is a former champion Wildcat player, and, like everyone else, expects the same thing of his son. His nemesis is Ms. Darbus, who puts two of his players in detention on a basketball practice day.
Kelsi Nielsen
Kelsi “Playmaker” Nielsen (Olesya Rulin) who receives her nickname from Troy, and also “Small Person” from Chad, is the composer of the Twinkle Town musical, which includes the songs “What I’ve Been Looking For” and “Breaking Free”. Kelsi is not the most confident person as noted by her reaction to Sharpay’s comment that Kelsi’s knowledge about musicals is not very large, however she gains confidence throughout the film and at the end of the movie, ends up standing up for herself.
Zeke Baylor
Zeke (Chris Warren Jr) is a member of the Wildcats team. He is interested in baking (revealed during Stick to the Status Quo) and he likes Sharpay. At the end of the movie Sharpay starts to like him for his excellent skills – and cookies. Also, as he says in Stick To the Status Quo, he wants to bake the perfect crème brûlée.
Jason Cross
Jason (Ryne Sanborn) is also a player in the Wildcats team and eventual love interest for Kelsi Neilsen. It is shown in the finale that Jason takes off Kelsi’s hat, revealing her wavy brown hair and helps her shoot the game ball.
Martha Cox
Martha (Kaycee Stroh) has a solo in “Stick To The Status Quo” confessing that she thinks Hip-hop is cooler than homework. She is the only girl other than Sharpay who appears in the finale. She also appears in a few scenes with the scholastic decathlon team.
