Dawn Matheson

NUIT BLANCHE–  Toronto, 2010

“a public monologue-a-thon performed for the street below”

**LOOKING FOR ACTORS (non-equity)**

PLEASE SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE ON THE FACEBOOK PAGE

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=127533137288659&ref=mf

Please SPREAD THE WORD to all ACTOR CONTACTS, THEATRES, COLLECTIVES, SCHOOLS (who are non-equity)..

WHAT:
I am curating a Nuit Blanche LIVE AUDIO piece entitled AUDITION at the fabulous and uber-popular Gladstone Hotel– the hub of the Downtown Core NB Exhibition.

I’d just be damn-it-all thrilled if you ‘ACTORS’ of any ilk (professional to community to closet, etc) would be interested in performing a monologue.
(*not reading your short story, improvising or performing music, but presenting (or *rehearsing) a memorized monologue as if for a theatre, film or television audition. Still, there is a lot of flexibility within the monologue.)

Most of us have attended Nuit Blanche (If you haven’t, it’s a wild night), but participating, moreover, performing, really rocks.
Your time could generate a lot of free promotion (in front of a HUGE audience) for yourself on the biggest art night of the year.

*Or you can remain ANONYMOUS. *It’s difficult to be seen clearly from below.
Either way, it’ll be a hoot.

TIME COMMITMENT: a TOTAL of 5-minutes tops, between 7 pm and 7 am at Nuit Blanche. (10-minute time slots for 12 hours)

A SIMPLIFIED VERSION:
It’s a monologue-a-thon– a sequence of “auditions” performed live by a mishmash of professionals and hopeful actors, from the 2nd floor balcony at the Gladstone (if ever there was a balcony meant for speeches…) to the street below– for the open night, the passersby, the Nuit Blanche art-goer, the Queen Street regular.
The actor’s voice is the audition as the performer will not be seen well from the street below.

A BIT MORE:
AUDITION allows the general public in on the first critical stages of the creative process usually only privy to the director and stage manager.
Catching perhaps just a snippet of a soliloquy, accidently eavesdropping on a small intimacy, or hearing a line out of context, the monologue– always just a part of larger story– takes on new meanings and potential varying significances in contrast to the surrounding scene on the street below in that very moment.

What monologue will stop traffic? Which performance will generate a crowd, which a boo? Here, an actor tosses their calling card off the balcony– their voices will echo below, as will their passion, their showmanship, their bravado, their fear, fumbling, and false starts.

**HOW IT WORKS:

If you want to participate: Email me. mathesondawn@gmai.com

Better yet, WRITE ON THE FACEBOOK WALL saying— YES, I want to perform.
I’ll contact you.
You could also INCLUDE YOUR MONOLOGUE SELECTION (Hopefully not ALL will the famous Romeo balcony scene…)

The choice of monologue will be yours (most actors have a repertoire of many: classic and contemporary monologues, both dramatic and comedic) but will be determined in advance and scheduled. You can choose to rehearse your monologue or just show up and wing it raw from your repetoire.

* You will not be seen very well– it is your voice that will be broadcast so no costumes or props necessary… unless you need them!

On the evening, should there be any blank slots, I will accommodate impromptu monologues by Nuit Blanche art goers. (Yikes!)

I will need approximately 70 actors. It is a short commitment (monologues runs 3-5 minutes), a fun one and hugely rewarding.

The celebration of the art of the monologue…

WHO AM I?
Dawn Matheson

I’m a U of Toronto and U of Guelph theatre/english grad who works in video and audio art on community-based projects. Plus, I’m Guelph-based freelance writer for many national publications.
As far as my audio/video projects, briefly: I used to work for CBC radio, Stratford Festival as a video producer, as the Artistic Director for the Guelph Film Festival, editor of the Guelph History book; plus my art shows have been featured at Mac Stew Art Centre, Guelph Jazz Fest, River Run, Ed Video Media Arts, Hamilton Artist Inc, Eye Level Gallery, Halifax, Artworks, Halifax, Vtape, Toronto, and broadcast on CBC radio.